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Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme - Application Process

NOTE: Irish embassies and missions begin inviting applications each October from partner organisations and Ministries to ensure close alignment with Irish Aid's programmatic approach. Application for the Fellowship Training Programme is therefore by invitation, not open call.

Application Process

You must make an application for both the Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme and for your chosen course. These are separate application processes.

A guide to courses eligible for Fellowship awards is available to consult at Irish Embassies in partner countries from the September of each year. Application forms for the Fellowship Training Programme are also available from embassies.

The deadline for applications for the Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme is 31st December.

You should have identified the postgraduate programme you wish to undertake in Ireland in advance of submitting your Fellowship Training Programme application form.

Fellowship Training Programme Application

Once you have obtained the application form from the embassy, you should read the accompanying notes carefully before completing any of the sections. The deadline for submission of the form is 31st December but earlier submission is advised.

Course Application

You must submit your course application directly to the college or academic department in question and not to Irish Aid or ICOS.

Please note the following:

  • Some colleges in Ireland only accept applications online.
  • Ensure you complete the correct application form for the course and college to which you wish to apply and use the correct course title, code and institution name as listed in the course guide or college website. Failure to do so may result in your application being misdirected.
  • When submitting course applications, it is essential that you forward original transcripts or certified photocopies of exam results or degree certificates. Uncertified photocopies are not acceptable.
  • Take care. Incomplete course applications will take longer to process and may result in missing an application deadline.
  • Decisions on course place offers will often not be available before you submit your Irish Aid Fellowship application. Irish universities normally issue course acceptance letters in May or June. Therefore, please indicate CLEARLY in your Irish Aid fellowship application whether you have applied for your course and whether your acceptance is pending. It is recommended that you include photocopies of any course applications and acceptance letters when you submit your fellowship application.

English Language Proficiency

To fulfil Irish Aid Fellowship Training Programme requirements, all applicants should undertake an IELTS or TOEFL English Language exam. The minimum IELTS requirement is 6.5 and the minimum required for TOEFL is 570.

Applicants may also be required to submit English Language certification (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL etc) in order to secure places in a third level institution. Please note that some courses may require a higher IELTS/TOEFL score than those given above.

For further details:
IELTS: www.ielts.org
TOEFL: www.toefl.org