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Government of Ireland offers €10,000 scholarships to international students, application process to start on January 29

Under the scheme, 60 students are awarded scholarships annually, each covering one year of full-time study. Scholarship recipients receive a stipend of €10,000, while their host Irish institution is required to provide a full tuition fee waiver for the duration of the award.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 27, 2026 09:08 AM IST

The application deadline is 5 pm (Irish time) on March 12, 2026. (Image: AI created)

The Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES) programme will open applications for its 2026 cycle on January 29, 2026, offering international students an opportunity to pursue higher education in the country with full financial support.

Funded by the Government of Ireland in partnership with Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) and managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), the GOI-IES programme supports high-calibre international students seeking to study at NFQ Levels 9 or 10, which include master’s degrees, postgraduate diplomas, and PhD programmes.

Under the scheme, 60 students are awarded scholarships annually, each covering one year of full-time study. Scholarship recipients receive a stipend of €10,000, while their host Irish institution is required to provide a full tuition fee waiver for the duration of the award.

The application deadline is 5 pm (Irish time) on March 12, 2026, with results expected to be announced in early June 2026.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, applicants must have a domicile of origin outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Candidates must first apply for admission to an eligible programme at an Irish HEI and hold a conditional or final offer of admission at the time of applying for the scholarship. Proof of admission must be submitted along with the GOI-IES application.

Applicants who have previously received a Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship are not eligible to apply. Russian and Belarusian nationals are also ineligible under the 2026 call.

Candidates are advised to confirm the eligibility of their chosen course directly with the respective institution. A list of eligible HEIs, along with contact details, is provided in Appendix 1 of the 2026 GOI-IES call document, which may be updated periodically.

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Application process

Applications must be submitted through the online GOI-IES portal, which will go live once the 2026 call opens. Each applicant is permitted to submit only one application in the 2026 cycle. Applications must include two references, uploaded via the portal.

Candidates need to note that changes can be made to applications after submission.

Applications will be assessed based on academic excellence, communication skills, participation in extracurricular activities, and a clear rationale for studying in Ireland aligned with long-term career goals. Shortlisted applications will be reviewed by an independent assessment panel following institutional screening.