Fellowship for 20 developing countries to study in Ireland
Irish Aid focus of awards is on supporting mid-career professionals on courses that are relevant to our development objectives in specific partner countries. Irish Aid Fellowships helps applicants from developing countries to undertake Masters degrees at universities and colleges in Ireland.
Overview
This fellowship program helps study in fields such as development studies, health care, rural development, education and law.
The fellowship award covers course fees, accommodation (for out of country study), required flights, monthly allowances, insurance and other incidental expenses.
All candidates who are selected to go forward to second stage will be required to appear an IELTS exam, unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate that is less than 12 months old at the time of application which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course they intend to apply to.
Early preparation for the IELTS exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers applicants.
Eligible Countries:
Cambodia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Palestine, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Kenya, Laos, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Eligibility requirements:
- To be eligible, applicants must
- be a citizen of one of the following countries: Cambodia, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Tanzania, Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Palestine, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
- be resident in that country.
- have achieved the necessary academic standard to be accepted onto a Master’s degree course in a higher education institution in Ireland (an undergraduate degree at equivalent to pass level is not sufficient).
- have identified and selected two relevant courses from the Irish Aid Directory of Eligible Postgraduate Courses.
- be able to take up the fellowship in the academic year 2019/2020.
- be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of their home country.
- be applying to commence a new qualification and not be seeking funding for a course they have already commenced or which will begin before fellowship awards have been notified.
- Candidates must be able to demonstrate their skills in academic English with an appropriate score on a recognised test (IELTS 6.5 or higher).
Application Details
An applicant will not be considered further in either of the following circumstances who already hold a master’s qualification.
- They are currently working, or it is anticipated that they will work in the future, at our embassies or at headquarters. Those personnel who have worked with any of our embassies/missions in the past must allow a full year before becoming eligible to apply for a fellowship.
- They have applied for the Fellowship Training Programme on two or more previous occasions without being awarded a fellowship. (Cases where an applicant withdrew from the process previously may be considered if there were exceptional or unforeseen circumstances for withdrawal in that instance).
In addition to the above, some additional eligibility requirements apply in some countries as follows:
- Applications by invitation only: Cambodia, Kenya, Laos, Eritrea, Liberia, Malawi, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Namibia, Uganda, Vietnam, Palestine, Sudan, Zambia.
- Minimum of 2 years’ work experience following undergraduate studies: Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia.
- IELTS certificate must be submitted at time of application (before November 30, 2018): Ethiopia.
All successful candidates will be required to sign a commitment to return to their home country within 14 days of completing their studies in Ireland.
Applications will close on November 30.
