More and more countries around the world are gaining popularity as great destinations to study abroad. This is due to various factors, such as their education system, culture, and career opportunities. Ireland is among these countries.

Now why do Indian students choose to study in Ireland? With its high-quality education and abundant opportunities spanning study and work life, Ireland's myriad possibilities make it a top choice for Indian students.

As per a report published in The Irish Times, more than 35,000 international students have made Ireland their home. Offering a diverse variety of courses, universities in Ireland are a perfect destination, no matter your degree level.

TOP UNIVERSITIES OF IRELAND

According to the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024, the following are the top 5 universities to study in Ireland:

(source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2024/world-ranking#!/length/25/locations/IRL/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats )

BACHELOR’S COURSES

Many large scale companies such as Google, Meta, HP, Apple etc in the technology industry to Pfizer, GSK, Genzyme, important players in the pharmaceutical industry, have chosen Ireland to be their European headquarters, due to many reasons, including a lower corporate tax rate in comparison to the United Kingdom. Consequently, some of the most popular courses in Irish universities are related to Science, Engineering, Finance, Technology, Medicine etc. These courses are related to subjects such as:

• Computer Science
• Business Analytics
• Data Science
• Pharmaceutical Science
• Biotechnology
• Different fields of engineering
• Medicine

Below is a non-exhaustive list of courses across these subjects that you can study at the Bachelor’s level in Ireland, along with scholarships that you can apply for:

Scholarships

Trinity College Dublin

Global Excellence Undergraduate Scholarships: Scholarships available in full time undergraduate programs. Students from China, India and USA apply for country specific scholarships.

Eligibility Criteria: assessed based on academic achievement, and evaluation of the applicants’ potential to contribute to the overall Trinity community.

Value: €5000 each, applied as a reduction to the tuition fees of a full-time undergraduate programme for the first year of study only.

How to apply: Your application should be emailed to the Regional Officer of Trinity College located in your country.

Undergraduate E3 Balanced Solutions for a Better World Scholarship

Eligibility Criteria: Applicants who have non-EU status and will pay tuition at non-EU rate, holding an offer for entry into an eligible program

Value: 1-year scholarships valued between €2,000 to €5,000 each; scholarships valued at €4,000 for all 4 years of study. Scholarships are applied as a reduction to the tuition fees.

How to apply: Apply through online application portal

University College Dublin

Global Excellence Scholarship: awarded to international students (on non-EU fees) who are starting a course at UCD in September.

Eligibility Criteria: Available here

Value: 100%/50% tuition fee scholarships

How to apply: Available here

RCSI Dublin

International Consilio Manuque Medicine Scholarship: established by RCSI Alumni to support undergraduate students who have an exceptional academic record of accomplishment and have demonstrated determination and motivation to study medicine at RCSI.

Eligibility criteria: Non-EU and self-funding students who are not in receipt of other scholarship funding, First time attending RCSI, In receipt of an offer to attend the full duration Dublin medical course and have accepted their offer.

Value: €25,000 (4 year program: €6,250 per academic year / 5 year program: €5,000 per academic year / 6 year program: €4,167 per academic year)

How to apply: Students meeting the eligibility criteria will be invited to apply by the RCSI Admissions Office.

University of Galway

University of Galway Excellence Scholarship: The University of Galway Excellence Scholarships will be awarded to high achieving entrants to the full-time degree courses offered by University of Galway, commencing in 2024.

Eligibility criteria: Available here

Value: €1,500

How to apply: Apply through an online application portal. Deadline for application is 31st July in the year of admission to the University.

University of Galway Scholarships for Mature Entrants: The University has approved a Mature Student Scholarship Scheme to support and facilitate the entry of mature students to its Full Time Undergraduate Degree programmes. The University will award 30 such scholarships to mature students entering a full-time undergraduate degree programme.

Eligibility Criteria: Be a mature student, who is at least 23 years of age on the 1st of January of the year of entry, Have been offered a place on a full time undergraduate degree programme at the University and have accepted that offer in accordance with the relevant procedures of the University and the Central Applications Office

Value: €1,500 for the first year of the degree programme

How to apply: no application required

University College Cork

Quercus University Scholarships: awarded to registered undergraduates who can demonstrate an exceptional level of academic excellence and who has successfully been selected by the Scholarship Panel for a Quercus Scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria: Show outstanding achievement within their discipline(s), and will normally be the highest scoring student in continuous assessment and end of semester examinations in the programme of study

Value: up to €10,500

How to apply: Students will be invited to make an application by the relevant college, depending on their academic results

MASTER’S COURSES

Below is a non-exhaustive list of courses and scholarship that you can apply for as an international student studying a master’s degree in Ireland’s top universities

Scholarships

University College Cork

Global Excellence Postgraduate Scholarships: available in the full time taught postgraduate programmes.

Eligibility Criteria: assessed based on academic achievement, and evaluation of the applicants’ potential to contribute to the overall Trinity community.

Value: between €2000 to €5000 each, applied as a reduction to the tuition fees of a full-time postgraduate programme for the first year of study only.

How to apply: Your application should be emailed to the Regional Officer of Trinity College located in your country.

Reimagining Global Sustainability Postgraduate Scholarships: Alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals is an integral part of Trinity Global’s commitment to Trinity’s strategy in this area and these dedicated scholarships are a new initiative in support of this direction.

Eligibility Criteria: Those who have non-EU status and will pay tuition fees at non-EU rate can apply. Applicants will be assessed based on academic merit and the potential demonstrated to have an impact on the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in their field through their forthcoming work/research https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Value: up to €5000 each, applied as a reduction to tuition fees for a full-time postgraduate programme during the first year of study only. 

University College Dublin

Global Excellence Scholarship: awarded to international students (on non-EU fees) who are starting a course at UCD in September.

Eligibility Criteria: Available here

Value: 100%/50% tuition fee scholarships

How to apply: Available here

University of Galway

Business Postgraduate Merit Scholarship: J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics offering Merit Scholarships across their suite of Business Taught Master's programmes.

Eligibility Criteria: applicants must have an H1 (or international equivalent) in their primary degree.

Value: up to 50% of the tuition fees

How to apply: no separate applicant, automatically considered

University College Cork

SEFS International Student Merit Based Scholarship: his scholarship is only available to applicants in the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science.

Eligibility criteria: Applicant must have an accepted offer

Value: varies, €1,000 off tuition fees / 10% off tuition fees / 20% off tuition fees

How to apply: Automatically awarded, no separate application required

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN IRELAND

Ireland offers the Third Level Graduate Programme to all non-EU students who have graduated from an Irish institution of higher education. This allows students to remain and work in Ireland after their studies for up to a year and it can be extended up to 2 years on the basis of your qualifications.

Ireland has many advantages, such as an affordable cost of living, friendly culture, low unemployment rates and more. With many of the world’s top companies having their headquarters here, Ireland is one of the best places to kickstart your career.

Some of the different types of jobs that you can apply to include:

• Software Engineer
• Database Administrator
• Data Scientist
• Data Analyst
• Business Analyst
• Pharmacologist
• Chemist
• Finance Administrator
• Management Accountant
• Management Consultant
• Process Engineering

And many more!

CONCLUSION

Ireland’s cost of living, its culture, history, and its people, excellent education system etc make it an attractive destination to start your future studies and your career. With a range of courses on offer at all levels of studies, whether it be bachelor’s or master’s, Ireland is sure to keep on growing as an attractive study destination for international students.

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