Scholarships in Ireland for Indian Students 2027-28

  • Last Updated on: November 4, 2026 by
  • Shiva Sai Bejawada
Scholarships in Ireland for Indian Students
Scholarships in Ireland for Indian Students

If you plan to study in Ireland, the main scholarships in Ireland for Indian students are the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES), university awards at Trinity, UCD, Galway, UCC, Maynooth and NCI, and India-side funds such as Inlaks and the J N Tata loan scholarship. Most 2026 calls have closed, so plan for 2027-28 entry.

Written by
Shiva Sai Bejawada
Senior Counsellor (British Council Certified) -UK & Ireland
Shiva Sai Bejawada is a British Council Certified overseas-education counsellor at AOEC India who guides Indian students through UK and Ireland university selection, admissions, and student visa documentation.
6 Years, 96% visa approval rate
Reviewed by
Sridhar Kongara
Managing Director
Mr. Kongara Sridhar, Director of AOEC India, has over 12 years of experience in overseas education consulting, admissions, and student visa guidance.
Over 12 years Experience

Key Takeaways

  • GOI-IES: 60 awards a year, each EUR 10,000 (approx. INR 10.62 lakh) plus a full fee waiver for one year.
  • Apply or automatic: six of the nine universities cut fees automatically on some or all master’s courses with your offer; Trinity, Maynooth and UCD Global Excellence need a separate form.
  • Closed to you: Research Ireland’s GOIPG takes no individual applicants, and the Ireland Fellows Programme isn’t open to India.
  • India-side money: Inlaks is a grant; J N Tata and K C Mahindra are loans you repay.
  • Visa: no official rule lets a scholarship replace the EUR 10,000 (approx. INR 10.62 lakh) living-funds proof.
Table of Contents
Scholarships in Ireland for Indian Students by Study Level Scroll here ↓ University Scholarships and Automatic Fee Reductions in Ireland Scroll here ↓ Government of Ireland Scholarship and Other Fully Funded Options Scroll here ↓ Indian Scholarships and Loan Scholarships That Fund Ireland Scroll here ↓ Scholarship Eligibility, Documents and Application Steps Scroll here ↓ What an Ireland Scholarship Does Not Cover Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

Scholarships in Ireland for Indian Students by Study Level

Scholarships in Ireland for Indian students depend on your study level first. The best-known university award, UCD’s Global Excellence Scholarship, covers only undergraduate and taught master’s programmes, and only students classed as non-EU for fees. PhD applicants need research funding instead.

Your study levelBest-fit awardsNext actionWhen
Class 12, bachelor’sUCD Aryabhata, Galway Region-Based, UL Jim Kemmy, Trinity UGApply for the course; Trinity’s award needs a separate form, Galway’s comes with entryGalway: Autumn 2027 entry
Taught master’sGOI-IES, UCD and Trinity Global Excellence, Maynooth, automatic cuts at UCC, DCU, UL and NCI; Inlaks for arts, humanities or lawApply for courses nowUCD: November 2026
PhD or researchTeagasc Walsh, PhD posts Irish institutions will advertise under Research Ireland’s Empower funding (grants start March 2027), GOI-IESApply to an open projectWalsh: 23 and 28 Oct 2026

All INR conversions use the live Google-published rate captured on 2026-10-17: EUR 1 = INR 106.18, USD 1 = INR 94.97. Rates fluctuate intraday; figures are indicative.

University Scholarships and Automatic Fee Reductions in Ireland

Six of the nine universities below cut fees automatically on some or all master’s courses with your offer. Trinity’s and Maynooth’s awards and UCD Global Excellence need a separate form, and TU Dublin doesn’t say how to apply for its 15 awards.

UniversityAward and intake yearScholarship or automatic fee reductionAmountHow you get it2026/27 status or 2027/28 opening
Trinity College DublinGlobal Excellence Postgraduate, 2026/27; excludes business, engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statisticsScholarshipEUR 2,000-5,000 (approx. INR 2.12-5.31 lakh) by region, one-timeSeparate online form after a course offer; rolling decisionsClosed 15 Jun 2026
Trinity College DublinE3 Postgraduate, 2026/27; engineering, computer science and statistics, natural sciences, MSc Energy ScienceScholarshipEUR 2,000-5,000 (approx. INR 2.12-5.31 lakh) for 1 yearSeparate form with a 200-word statementRolling since 1 May 2026, while budget lasts
University College DublinGlobal Excellence, 2026/27 and 2027/28Scholarship50% or 100% of tuitionSeparate application after an offer or conditional offerClosed 28 Feb 2026 (South Asia taught PG); 2027/28 opens November 2026, dates TBC
University College DublinInternational Student Scholarship, current (no year stated)Automatic fee reduction10-35% off tuitionAssessed at offer; no form; some programmes excludedAutomatic, no application form
University College CorkScience, Engineering and Food Science merit scholarship, 2026/27Automatic fee reduction20% off tuition with a First Class Honours (1H) degree or equivalentGiven automatically on past results once you accept your offer; no applicationAutomatic, no application form
University of GalwayScience and Engineering global scholarship, 2027/28 (Autumn 2027 entry only)Automatic fee reductionMerit: EUR 2,000, or EUR 2,000-5,000 a year in computer science and natural sciences (approx. INR 2.12-5.31 lakh). Limited Excellence awards: EUR 10,000 (approx. INR 10.62 lakh), from one per school to three per programmeComes with entry, applied once you’ve paid at least 50% of your tuitionAutomatic, no application form
Dublin City UniversityInternational scholarship, 2027-28Automatic fee reductionEUR 2,000 (approx. INR 2.12 lakh) Humanities and Business; EUR 4,500 or 5,000 (approx. INR 4.78 or 5.31 lakh) Science and Health; EUR 4,400 or 5,000 (approx. INR 4.67 or 5.31 lakh) Engineering and ComputingConsidered when you apply as a non-EU student; eligible programmes onlyAutomatic, no application form
University of LimerickMerit-based scholarship, 2026/7Automatic fee reductionEUR 2,000 a year (approx. INR 2.12 lakh); EUR 2,500 a year (approx. INR 2.65 lakh) in Kemmy Business SchoolDecision comes with your offerAutomatic, no application form
Maynooth UniversityVice President International Scholar Award, 2026/27ScholarshipEUR 7,500 (approx. INR 7.96 lakh) off tuition, 2 awardsSeparate application; offer accepted and deposit paid by 31 Mar 2026Closed 31 Mar 2026
Maynooth UniversityInternational Excellence Scholarship, 2026/27ScholarshipEUR 5,000 (approx. INR 5.31 lakh) for 1 year, 6 awards, 1 for South AsiaSeparate application; offer accepted and deposit paid by 31 Mar 2026Closed 31 Mar 2026
Maynooth UniversityInternational Merit Award, 2026/27ScholarshipEUR 1,500 (approx. INR 1.59 lakh) off tuition, 25 awardsSeparate application after accepting your offerClosed 30 Jun 2026
TU DublinPostgraduate Global Entry, annual (no year stated)Scholarship (selection method not stated)EUR 2,000 (approx. INR 2.12 lakh) for 1 year, 15 students with first-class honours or equivalentNot stated on the page; ask TU DublinNot stated
National College of IrelandMasters Academic Merit, current (no year stated)Automatic fee reductionUp to EUR 5,000 (approx. INR 5.31 lakh)Assessed at offer; no form; fees paid in full by the deadlineAutomatic, no application form

Undergraduate awards after Class 12:

  • Trinity Global Excellence UG (2026/27): EUR 2,000-5,000 by region off year-one fees only, separate form; excludes medicine, dentistry, acting, engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statistics.
  • UCD Aryabhata Science (no intake year stated): a new competitive award, worth a 50-100% tuition fee waiver, for high-achieving students from India in undergraduate science.
  • Galway (Autumn 2027): EUR 5,000 a year for successful science, computer science and maths undergraduates, while engineering undergraduates have only one EUR 10,000 Excellence award across all programmes; the India-eligible Region-Based award gives every first-year EUR 15,000-20,000 over 3-4 years in business and economics, or EUR 20,000 over four years in law.
  • UL Jim Kemmy India (2026/7): EUR 4,000 for Indian undergraduates in Kemmy Business School programmes (not interdisciplinary ones), available for the four years if you pass each year at the level UL requires.
  • NCI and DCU: NCI gives EUR 2,000-3,000 a year from January 2026, assessed automatically from Year 1; DCU’s automatic 2027-28 undergraduate reductions run from EUR 1,850 up to EUR 6,100.

Holding two awards:

  • UCD (2026/27): Global Excellence can’t be combined with any other tuition fee scholarship.
  • Galway (2027/28): one Global Scholarship only; if you’re offered two, Galway takes back one, usually the smaller.
  • UL: you can hold only one scholarship, and you lose a UL award if you have outside funding.
  • DCU: an International scholarship holder isn’t considered for another DCU scholarship.

Government of Ireland Scholarship and Other Fully Funded Options

The Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES) is Ireland's main government award: 60 a year, each a EUR 10,000 (approx. INR 10.62 lakh) stipend plus a full fee waiver for one year at NFQ Level 9 or 10 (master's, postgraduate diploma or PhD), under the Higher Education Authority (HEA) GOI-IES rules. It funds one year only.

You apply yourself on the HEA portal with two references you upload; universities shortlist, and an independent panel considers only files scoring at least 60 marks.

Your domiciliary of origin (the country you legally and permanently lived in before the call deadline) must be outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK, and you need a conditional or final offer from an eligible Irish university when you apply.

The full fee waiver covers tuition and the registration charge, so one award is worth EUR 10,000 cash plus one year’s fees. A university may extend the waiver over a three-semester course.

The 2026 call closed on 12 March 2026. The HEA hasn’t published a 2027 call; the University of Galway says it typically opens towards the end of November, so hold a conditional offer by then.

Other fully funded routes:

  • Teagasc Walsh Scholars: an example four-year Walsh PhD pays EUR 25,000 a year, EUR 100,000 in total, with fees covered up to EUR 6,000 a year, subject to programme terms; fees above that are yours to pay. Non-native English speakers need IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0, or equivalent, on that project.
  • Research Ireland GOIPG: closed to individual applicants.
  • Ireland Fellows Programme: not open to India.
  • Fulbright and Erasmus Mundus: Fulbright’s Ireland awards are for Irish citizens or EU/UK citizens resident in Ireland for five or more years, so not for Indian applicants. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are multi-country master’s open to students from anywhere, with full scholarships for the best; apply to the programme’s institution, not to Ireland.

Indian Scholarships and Loan Scholarships That Fund Ireland

Parents: three of these four must be partly or fully repaid, so compare repayment terms, not headline amounts.

  • Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation (grant): up to USD 120,000 for tuition, living costs, one-way travel, visa costs and a health allowance, on courses of nine months to four years. Ireland counts as Europe. The 2026 round, for Indian passport holders resident in India and born on or after 1 January 1996, closed on 31 March 2026.
  • Inlaks won’t fund business and finance, computer science, engineering, MBA, medicine, dentistry, hospitality and tourism, fashion design, film, music or Indian studies lacking contemporary relevance, with a few narrow exceptions.
  • J N Tata Endowment (loan): up to INR 20 lakh, though not everyone gets the maximum. Interest is 2% simple a year, which the Trustees may waive or reduce; you repay in years 3 to 7 after disbursement, with a guarantor and no collateral. For 2026 you had to be an Indian citizen aged 45 or under on 30 June 2026 with an undergraduate degree from a recognised Indian university; the window closed in March 2026.
  • K C Mahindra Education Trust (interest-free loan): up to INR 10 lakh for the top 3 Fellows and up to INR 5 lakh for others. For 2026 you needed Indian citizenship, a first-class degree and a postgraduate course abroad starting August 2026 to February 2027; it closed on 30 April 2026.
  • Aga Khan Foundation (half grant, half loan): for students in India with genuine financial need and no other means to fund postgraduate study; preference goes to young professionals under 30. It pays tuition and living costs (not travel or family costs) for a whole master’s or a PhD’s first two years; you repay half, with a service charge and a guarantor. The next cycle opens in early 2027.

Scholarship Eligibility, Documents and Application Steps

There’s no national cut-off for scholarships in Ireland for Indian students; each scheme sets its own bar:

  • Maynooth (2026/27): at least 80% in your primary degree for the Excellence and taught-postgraduate Merit awards; First-Class equivalent from a QS or THE top-500 university for the Vice President award.
  • UL Jim Kemmy: an average of 75% or above in Standard X and XII, including English and Maths.
  • Inlaks (2026): 65% or CGPA 6.8/10 for social sciences, humanities, law, fine arts and architecture; 70% or CGPA 7.2/10 for mathematics, sciences and environment.
  • UCC: for postgraduate entry, 75% in an Indian bachelor’s counts as First Class (1H), so 75% earns the automatic 20% cut on UCC’s science, engineering and food science master’s once you accept your offer.
  • J N Tata: at least a 60% average in undergraduate or postgraduate studies.

Most applications commonly ask for transcripts, a statement of purpose or personal statement, and recommendation letters, often with English scores; lists vary by scheme.

Mistakes that cost Indian applicants an award:

  • Applying for GOI-IES before you hold an offer (J N Tata, by contrast, takes you without one).
  • Missing the separate form that Trinity, Maynooth and UCD Global Excellence need.
  • A weak personal statement or references: in the 2026 GOI-IES call they carry 45 and 15 of 100 marks.
  • Taking outside funding at UL, which costs you the UL award.
  1. Apply for courses first; check our requirements to study in Ireland guide.
  2. Apply for UCD’s 2027/28 Global Excellence award when it opens in November 2026.
  3. Pay on time: NCI makes you pay fees in full within each scholarship’s deadline to keep it; check Ireland’s intakes for start dates.

Our Ireland study consultants in Hyderabad can match awards to your marks.

From our counselling desk: In GOI-IES files we've supported, research master's and PhD applicants with a strong personal statement have fared better than taught-master's applicants relying on marks. Build yours around one clear aim.

What an Ireland Scholarship Does Not Cover

No official visa page lets a scholarship cut the funds you must show. For a course over eight months, Irish Immigration’s Information on Student Finances page asks for immediate access to at least EUR 10,000 (approx. INR 10.62 lakh) for first-year living costs.

The student-finance page, the visa page and the Embassy of Ireland’s India leaflet never mention scholarships, so show the full EUR 10,000 even with an award. See our Ireland student visa guide.

On the long-term study visa page, if your fee is under EUR 6,000, pay all of it before you apply; if it is higher, pay at least EUR 6,000.

Gaps to budget for:

  • Living costs: the HEA says the stipend is unlikely to cover living costs completely, so keep money for housing and the first weeks.
  • Family: GOI-IES gives no support to relatives or dependants.

Most university awards above cut tuition rather than pay cash, so that money never reaches your bank account. Price the rest with our cost of studying in Ireland guide.

AOEC India has guided 12,000+ students from Hyderabad over 10+ years, from offices in Hyderabad and Tirupati. With those families, we build the visa funds file as if no award existed, then check each scholarship against your marks and intake.

Get in Touch

Frequently Asked Questions

The closest are GOI-IES for one year, Teagasc Walsh research posts and UCD’s 100% Global Excellence tuition award, which continues each year only if you keep UCD’s own year average of 3.08 on its 4.20 scale and meet progression and credit rules.

It depends on the scheme: Maynooth asks for 80% in your degree for two of its awards, UL’s Jim Kemmy award a 75% average across Class X and XII, including English and Maths, Inlaks 65% in humanities and 70% in sciences, and J N Tata 60%. At UCC, 75% in an Indian bachelor’s counts as First Class for master’s entry.

Usually not at the same university: UL and DCU allow only one, UCD’s Global Excellence can’t be combined with another tuition fee scholarship, Galway allows one Global Scholarship, and UL drops its award if you take outside funding. Check both rule sets.

Yes, but not GOI-IES, which funds only NFQ Level 9 and 10 study (master’s, postgraduate diploma or PhD). Galway’s undergraduate awards are for Autumn 2027 entry only and can’t be deferred, so a gap year would cost you one. See studying in Ireland after 12th.

Mostly, yes: GOI-IES needs a conditional or final offer when you apply, and UCD Global Excellence needs an offer first. Inlaks takes a conditional offer, if you meet its conditions before a final interview. J N Tata lets you apply first, then email once admitted.

Sources

Official sources.

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