Careers4Graduates.org

How will you fund your studies?

• GradIreland - funding for Irish students 
• Prospects - funding for students from Northern Ireland, also covering study in the UK and overseas  
• COS Funding Opportunities - information on sources of funding for postgraduate study throughout Europe 

 Possible funding sources

• Higher Education Grants are available for up to 3 years postgraduate study, up to PhD level. These are means-tested, depending on your own income level if over 23, or your partents' income level. Check your Local Authority for details or contact the Student Support section of the Department of Education and Science at 0506-24383 (www.education.ie).  Students considering postgraduate study in Northern Ireland should seek information about funding from DHFETE currently on the Department of Education's website (www.deni.gov.uk).  For information about funding study in the UK see the British Council website.

• Government funding is available for selected postgraduate programmes in targeted skills areas. These tend to be one-year taught courses in areas considered important for economic development. Course fees may be heavily subsidised or waived completely. Check with individual institutions for details of courses approved for funding in any one year.

• Tax relief is available for tuition fees paid for approved postgraduate courses. Check the Inland Revenue's website at www.revenue.ie

• Research Funding: The Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (www.irchss.ie) offers scholarships to support full-time postgraduate research in relevant disciplines.  Research Councils UK covers seven research councils, spanning many disciplines, each of which provides some form of research funding. Check website for further details at www.research-councils.ac.uk

• Funding is available for postgraduate research in science, engineering and technology through the Embark Initiative which is operated by IRCSET (Irish Research Council for Science, Engienering and Technology). www.ircset.ie/grant_schemes/index.html.  Enterprise Ireland (www.enterprise-ireland.ie) offers annual awards to Science and Engineering post graduates.  The ESRI (www.esri.ie) offers some support for postgraduates in the social sciences through Research Assistantships.  RTE (www.rte.ie) fund a small number of scholarships for those researching media topics.  The HRB (www.hrb.ie) has a small number of awards for medical/health science researchers.  TCS is a UK programme which matches graduates with employers and universities to do paid research (www.tcsonline.org.uk).

• University scholarships: Most institutions offer some form of funding, either through scholarships, teaching assistantships or research assistantships. Check institutions own websites for details.  Dublin Institute of Technology  University of Limerick  Trinity College Dublin  University of Ulster

• Charities: Funding for particular research projects can sometimes be available from charitable organisations.  Two searchable databases of charitable organisations include  www.charitynet.org, www.caritasdata.co.uk

• Career Development Loans: funding for vocational courses - www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl

• Fees vary from course to course and from institution to institution.
• Fees for full-time and part-time study are usually the same. The advantage of part-time study is that the fees are spread over two years.
• Often there is no difference in fees for courses taken at Diploma or Masters level.
• When estimating your financial needs for your studies, take into account the cost of living - food, travel and accommodation etc.
• Many university departments provide some internal funding to postgraduate students. These can be in the form of Research Assistantships or Scholarships and vary in value.
• Get information about funding options from the postgraduate office or department when you are researching programmes - there may be early deadlines for funding applications.
• Many students finance part or all of their studies themselves through bank loans or part-time work.
• Students who hold a Higher Education Grant (in Ireland) when completing their primary degree, may be eligible to apply for continuation of the grant from the Local Authority.
• Mature students in Ireland may be eligible to apply for Higher Education Grant from Local Authority where their parents reside.