What UCD Global Excellence Scholarship Ireland actually covers.
The University College Dublin (UCD) Global Excellence Scholarship Programme provides 50% and 100% tuition fee scholarships to exceptional international students from outside the EU/EEA who are applying to undergraduate or graduate taught (master's) programmes at Ireland's largest university. UCD is ranked #176 globally by QS and is a member of Universitas 21 — an elite global network of leading research-intensive universities. The scholarship is particularly well-known among students from the Middle East, Africa, and South/Southeast Asia, and UCD specifically markets the award as a pathway for talented African students to access world-class Irish higher education. UCD receives a substantial number of applications from across sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the broader African continent each year. For graduate (master's) applicants, 100% awards cover the full master's tuition fee for one year, while 50% awards provide half the tuition fee. Both are based entirely on academic merit and are awarded at the time of admission offer without the need for a separate application form. The deadline for the 2026/27 cycle for the Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan region was February 28, 2026 — with the 2027/28 round expected to open October 2026 and close February 2027. Dublin is one of Europe's fastest-growing tech hubs, and UCD's strong ties to multinationals like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn create exceptional internship and employment pathways for African graduates.
Who can apply.
Open to undergraduate, masters applicants seeking to study in Ireland. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
From here to submitted.
Scholar Africa helps you discover, shortlist, and track. The application itself is submitted on the provider's site.
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Save itAdd this to your shortlist so we can recommend similar scholarships and remind you of the deadline.
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Prepare your documentsMost providers ask for the same set — transcripts, references, a personal statement, ID. Use the checklist below to track progress across all your applications.
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Apply on the provider's siteSubmit on the provider's site before February 28, 2027 · 231 days left.
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Track the outcomeAdd to your tracker so you can update the status as the provider responds (shortlisted, interview, decision).
Document checklist
Checks are local to this device — they're not stored. Always confirm exact requirements on the provider's official application page.
What we checked, when we checked it.
Scholar Africa runs a link-liveness check on every listing before it goes live and an admin manually reviews every scholarship submitted by providers. UCD Global Excellence Scholarship Ireland has been reviewed and verified by our team. Five deeper checks (contact, organisation, winners, third-party, formal audit) are on the roadmap.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.