Scholarships to Study in Ireland for African Students (2027)

Best scholarships to study in Ireland

Two schemes carry the national label, and both sit at postgraduate level.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters is funded by the European Commission through EACEA and is the larger of the two. It pays tuition in full and adds €1,400 per month, which covers travel, visa, installation and subsistence. How long the money runs depends on the programme: 12, 18 or 24 months (60, 90 or 120 ECTS); the scholarship runs for the full programme duration. You apply to a consortium rather than to Ireland, so an Irish university is one stop in a degree taught across at least three institutions in three countries. Consortia may charge scholarship holders neither an application fee nor tuition or other mandatory participation costs. The catalogue is on our Erasmus Mundus scholarship page.

The Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship is the domestic scheme. It waives non-EU tuition in full for one year and pays a stipend on top, at master’s or PhD level, and it is listed by Dublin City University, Technological University Dublin, University College Dublin and the University of Galway. The 2026/27 round opened in January 2026 and closed in March 2026; the 2027/28 dates are not published as of September 2026.

Everything below that is a university award, and almost all of it is a fee reduction rather than a living-cost grant. Trinity College Dublin runs Global Excellence awards at undergraduate and postgraduate level, plus a fully funded Roger Casement Fellowship in Human Rights for Nigerian postgraduates. University College Dublin’s Global Excellence Scholarships cut tuition by a share of the fee. Maynooth University, University College Cork, the University of Galway, the University of Limerick, Griffith College, the National College of Ireland and Dublin City University each publish their own merit awards, usually decided alongside your offer. Irish Aid fellowships appear on the Dublin City University and University of Galway lists. Compare the routes on our master’s in Ireland page.

The honest point: what tuition really costs without a scholarship

Ireland has no free public tuition for non-EU students, and no award changes that starting point. A bachelor’s at a public university costs €9,850–27,000 per year and a master’s €9,500–36,000 per year. Private colleges are cheaper: €9,000–15,000 per year for a bachelor’s and €9,000–18,000 per year for a master’s. Medicine sits apart at €52,100–62,500 per year. Living costs come on top at €1,200–1,800 per month nationally and €1,660–2,420 per month in Dublin, where most programmes are. A partial fee reduction moves that bill; it does not remove it. The full picture is on our cost of studying in Ireland page.

Who is eligible from our countries

For Erasmus Mundus, all nine countries we work with are eligible: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Morocco. The scheme’s own rule is this: Open worldwide with no nationality restriction. No more than 10 per cent of a project's scholarships may go to applicants of one nationality, a cap that excludes the targeted-region top-ups funded from NDICI and IPA III. African applicants are a targeted region for extra scholarships funded from the EU’s external instrument, NDICI: Sub-Saharan Africa holds its own share of that budget, and the southern Neighbourhood, which covers Egypt and Morocco, holds another. That top-up is the one place where an African passport helps rather than hinders.

The Government of Ireland scheme publishes no per-country list in our dataset, so treat it as open to non-EU applicants and confirm the current call before you build an application around it. Two country-specific awards are worth knowing: Trinity College Dublin’s Roger Casement Fellowship is for Nigerian students, and Irish Aid fellowships are listed at Dublin City University and the University of Galway. University merit awards carry no nationality condition at all — they are decided on grades, and all nine countries compete on the same terms. To see how Ireland compares with better-funded destinations, use our scholarships hub.

Fully funded vs partial — know what you are applying for

Two tiers, and the difference between them is months of work.

Fully funded means tuition and living costs. Erasmus Mundus is the clean example: fees paid, €1,400 per month in hand, no participation costs. The Government of Ireland scheme waives a year of tuition and adds a stipend, which comes close for a one-year master’s.

Partial means a fee reduction. Most Irish university awards are exactly that: a set sum or a share of tuition, credited to your fee account, with nothing for rent. A partial award never satisfies the visa — you still prove €10,000 per year in living costs on top of paid fees. Read the coverage line before you spend six weeks on an application, because the two tiers look alike in a headline and nothing alike in a budget.

Eligibility — grades, age, degree level, language

Degree level decides most of it. Both national routes fund postgraduate study, so if national money is the goal, plan a master’s. Erasmus Mundus asks for A first higher education degree or a recognised equivalent; final-year bachelor students may apply where the consortium allows it. No age limit is published for either route.

Grades are where the sorting happens. Consortia rank applicants on the transcript and the motivation letter, and university merit awards go to the top of the offer-holder pool, so the award follows the admission, not the other way round.

Your qualification is mapped to the Irish framework by NARIC Ireland (QQI), which issues comparability statements only — the admission decision rests with each institution. Ireland requires no APS certificate and no apostille.

English has two floors and applicants confuse them. Universities set the academic one, typically IELTS 6 for a bachelor’s and 6.5 for a master’s. The visa sets its own, lower standard, and there is no exemption for applicants from English-speaking countries — the detail is on Ireland student visa requirements. Erasmus Mundus language rules are set by each consortium.

How to apply

1. Autumn 2026 — fix the level. National money is master’s money. At bachelor’s level, target university merit awards and budget for the rest.
2. Autumn 2026 — check the college is eligible. Only programmes on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes, now moving to QQI’s TrustEd Ireland mark, support a student visa. Confirm the status before you pay a deposit.
3. October 2026 to January 2027 — apply to Erasmus Mundus consortia. One application per consortium, with the scholarship request marked. You do not need an admission offer first.
4. Winter 2026/27 — assemble documents. Certified transcripts, the degree certificate, an English certificate, a CV, a motivation letter, a passport copy, and references where the consortium asks for them.
5. By 1 February 2027, 17:00 (provisional – CAO's consistent annual date; 2027-cycle dates not yet published as of Sep 2026) — apply for a bachelor’s through CAO. Master’s admission is Rolling; many close Mar-Jun.
6. Early 2027 — apply for the Government of Ireland scheme and university awards. The last round ran January to March; expect a similar window and watch each university’s page.
7. Spring 2027 — build the funding evidence anyway. You need €10,000 per year plus paid fees, shown as Bank statements (6 months); micro-finance/esusu statements rejected. Our proof of funds guide explains how it is read.
8. Summer 2027 — apply for the visa. The Long stay (D) study visa costs €60–100 and takes 4 to 8 weeks.