Frequently Asked Questions

No, they are completely different programmes. The GOI-IES is managed by the Higher Education Authority, provides EUR 10,000 plus a tuition waiver for one academic year, and is restricted to non-EU/EEA citizens. The GOIPG (Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme) is managed by Research Ireland (formerly the Irish Research Council), offers up to EUR 34,000 per year for up to four years, and is open to applicants of all nationalities.

Many scholarship listing websites conflate the two, which leads to significant confusion. If you see a figure of EUR 34,000, that is the GOIPG, not the GOI-IES. Read our eligibility page for the full breakdown.

No. The GOI-IES is exclusively for non-EU/EEA nationals. This is a hard rule with no exceptions. Even if you are a dual citizen and one of your passports is from an EU or EEA country, you are ineligible. The programme exists specifically to attract students from outside Europe who would otherwise pay full international tuition fees.

If you hold EU citizenship, look into the GOIPG programme instead, which is open to all nationalities.

Yes. Citizens of India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and every other non-EU/EEA country are eligible, with two exceptions: Russia and Belarus are excluded. If you hold a passport from any other non-EU/EEA nation, you meet the nationality requirement.

The scholarship has historically attracted strong applications from South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Check the full eligibility criteria to confirm you also meet the academic and programme-level requirements.

Yes, and this is the single most common mistake applicants make. You must hold a conditional or final offer of admission from an eligible Irish higher education institution before you can submit your GOI-IES application through the HEA portal. Without it, your application will be screened out automatically.

This means you need to apply to your chosen university well before the GOI-IES call opens. See the how to apply page for the step-by-step process and timeline.

No. The GOI-IES only covers postgraduate programmes: NFQ Level 9 (Master's degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas) and NFQ Level 10 (PhD programmes). Undergraduate degrees, foundation programmes, and certificate courses are not eligible.

If you are looking for undergraduate funding in Ireland, you will need to explore institution-specific scholarships or other funding bodies. The eligibility page lists the exact programme levels that qualify.

Yes. If your application was unsuccessful in a previous cycle, you are welcome to submit a new application in the next round. Many successful scholars applied more than once before receiving the award. Use the feedback from your previous attempt to strengthen your personal statements.

The one exception: if you previously held a GOI-IES award, you cannot apply again. The scholarship is a one-time opportunity. See the common mistakes page for tips on improving a reapplication.

You submit your application through the HEA's online portal, but the process is not as straightforward as just filling in a form. You first need a conditional or final admission offer from an eligible Irish university. Once you have that, you complete the GOI-IES application on the HEA portal. Your host university then reviews and shortlists candidates from its own pool before forwarding the strongest applications to the HEA for national assessment.

The university acts as a gatekeeper. If your institution does not shortlist you, your application never reaches the national panel. See the how to apply page for the full process.

You can apply to as many Irish universities as you want for admission. That is completely separate from the scholarship. However, when it comes to the GOI-IES application itself, you can only submit one application for one specific programme at one specific institution. You cannot hedge your bets by submitting multiple scholarship applications to different universities.

Choose your strongest programme-university combination carefully. The selection process page explains how scoring works and what the panel values most.

No. The GOI-IES selection is entirely based on your written application. There is no interview stage, no Zoom call, no panel conversation. Everything hinges on the quality of your personal statements, your academic record, and the supporting documents you submit.

This makes the three personal statement essays critically important. They are worth 45 out of 100 marks. See the how to apply page for detailed guidance on writing them.

The three essays ask you to address: (1) the benefits of becoming an International Education Scholar, (2) how you will involve yourself in Irish culture and society during your time in Ireland, and (3) your long-term interest in maintaining a relationship with Ireland after your studies end. Each essay is worth 15 marks, for a total of 45 out of 100.

These essays carry more weight than your academic record, which is worth 40 marks. Generic answers that could apply to any country will score poorly. The panel wants to see specific, researched engagement with Ireland. Check the application guide for detailed tips on each essay.

No. The call document explicitly prohibits the use of AI-generated content in your application. This applies to the personal statement essays, the research proposal (if applicable), and any other written components. Applications suspected of containing AI-generated text may be disqualified.

Write your essays yourself. The panel reads hundreds of applications and can identify formulaic, AI-generated language. Your authentic voice and specific personal experiences are what set you apart. See the common mistakes page for more on what to avoid.

It depends on how you define "fully funded." The scholarship covers full tuition fees at your host institution plus a EUR 10,000 stipend for one academic year. That sounds complete on paper. But the HEA itself states in the call document that "the stipend will assist with living costs, but it is unlikely to cover them completely."

EUR 10,000 works out to roughly EUR 833 per month. Rent for a single room in Dublin starts around EUR 800. You will almost certainly need part-time work or personal savings to get by. Read the benefits page for a detailed cost breakdown by city.

Yes. Your Stamp 2 student visa allows you to work up to 20 hours per week during term time and up to 40 hours per week during designated holiday periods (typically June to September and mid-December to mid-January). At the 2026 minimum wage of EUR 14.15 per hour, 20 hours of weekly work would bring in roughly EUR 1,100 per month before tax.

Combined with your stipend, that makes the finances more manageable. Many GOI-IES scholars work in hospitality, retail, or on-campus roles. See the after selection page for practical details on finding part-time work in Ireland.

The first stipend payment typically arrives around the end of October, paid through your host institution. The exact timing depends on when the HEA disburses funds to the university and how quickly the university processes payments internally. Some institutions have paid as late as November in previous years.

This means you need your own money for the first several weeks in Ireland. Between flights, accommodation deposits, registration fees, and daily expenses, plan for at least EUR 2,000-3,000 in personal funds to cover the gap. The benefits page breaks down what to budget for.

No. The GOI-IES covers tuition fees and the EUR 10,000 stipend. That is it. Flights to and from Ireland, visa application fees (currently EUR 60 for a single-entry student visa), health insurance, and Immigration Registration (IRP card, EUR 300) are all your responsibility.

This is different from scholarships like Chevening or Australia Awards, which include airfare. Factor these costs into your pre-departure budget. The benefits page lists everything that is and is not covered.

The scholarship covers one academic year only. It does not renew and it does not extend. If you are enrolled in a two-year Master's or a three- to four-year PhD, you must fund the remaining years yourself through savings, part-time work, other scholarships, or institutional bursaries.

For PhD students in particular, this is a significant consideration. One year of GOI-IES funding for a four-year PhD leaves three unfunded years. Some institutions offer additional supports or fee waivers for continuing students, but this varies. Discuss funding plans with your department before accepting. See the benefits page for more on this.

Yes. After completing your studies, you can apply for Stamp 1G permission under the Third Level Graduate Programme. This gives Master's and PhD graduates up to 24 months to live and work full-time in Ireland while seeking employment. You do not need a job offer to apply for Stamp 1G; it is granted on the basis of your completed qualification.

Ireland hosts the European headquarters of Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, along with a growing pharma and biotech sector. The post-study work opportunities are a major draw. See the after selection page for details on the stay-back visa process.

No. Unlike many other government scholarships (Chevening, Australia Awards, Turkish Government Scholarship), the GOI-IES does not have a formal return-home obligation. You are not legally required to leave Ireland or return to your country of origin after the scholarship ends.

The programme does expect you to act as an "ambassador for Irish education" wherever you go, but this is framed as a moral expectation, not a contractual requirement. You are free to stay in Ireland through the Stamp 1G programme, seek employment, or move elsewhere. See the after selection page for post-study options.

This is very difficult and strongly discouraged. The GOI-IES scholarship is tied to a specific programme at a specific institution. That is what you were assessed and selected for. Switching courses or transferring to another university during your funded year would require exceptional circumstances and formal approval from the HEA.

In practice, requests to change are rarely granted. Make sure you are genuinely committed to the programme you apply for before submitting your GOI-IES application. The how to apply page explains why your programme choice matters for scoring.

The stipend is generally tax-exempt under Section 193 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which exempts scholarships provided for full-time study at a qualifying educational institution. As long as you are a full-time student at an eligible Irish HEI, you should not owe income tax on the GOI-IES stipend itself.

However, any income you earn from part-time employment is taxable in the normal way. You will need to register with Revenue and obtain a PPS number when you arrive in Ireland. The after selection page covers the administrative steps you need to take upon arrival.

The HEA does not publish the exact number of applicants, so a precise acceptance rate is impossible to calculate. What we know is that 60 awards are made each year from what the HEA describes as a "very large number of applications." Based on forum discussions and reports from institutional contacts, the competition is intense.

Each institution can nominate a maximum of 20 candidates, and up to 5 awards per institution can be made. With 25 eligible institutions potentially nominating candidates, the national shortlist alone could include several hundred applications for 60 spots. The programme is extremely competitive. See the selection process page for how the 100-mark scoring works.