Students Urged To Apply For All Ireland Scholarship Scheme

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald is urging A Level and Level 3 Extended Diploma students to consider applying for the 2025 All Ireland Scholarship Scheme.

The annual scholarships, which were first introduced in Northern Ireland in 2009, are funded by businessman JP McManus. They offer financial assistance to top-performing students from low-income households who plan to begin full-time undergraduate courses in the autumn. Each successful applicant will receive £5,500 per year for the duration of their undergraduate degree programme.

Highlighting the opportunities the scholarships provide, Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: "Education can be life-changing but many students face a real financial burden. By providing financial support these scholarships will help remove that barrier and open up opportunities to more people. To date 351 students from the north have been awarded a scholarship and it is great news that 25 more are now available." Taylor McGrath-McAllister, a second-year Natural Sciences student at Homerton College, University of Cambridge, and a previous recipient, said: "The All-Ireland Scholarship has been a huge help in easing the financial burden of moving to England for university. It covers most of my rent which takes away a lot of the stress around money, especially in an expensive city like Cambridge. But the scholarship is more than just financial support. There's a great community of alumni behind it with plenty of opportunities to connect and network."

Another former recipient, Elizabeth Poucher, a second-year Medicine student at Queen's University Belfast, commented: "Based on my results my school teachers encouraged me to apply for the scholarship and I am so grateful that they did. It was easy to apply and winning this scholarship has definitely eased the financial stress of university and allows me to have more time to focus on my studies. I would encourage everyone who is eligible to apply for a scholarship and in the weeks coming up to the exams put the extra effort in to getting the best results you can."

For Northern Ireland students, 19 scholarships will be awarded to the top-performing 'A' level students in grant-aided post-primary schools, and a further six will be awarded to the top-performing Level 3 Extended Diploma students in further education colleges.

To be eligible, applicants must have been in receipt of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) at the time of their examinations and must be due to commence an undergraduate degree at a university or further education college in September or October 2025.

The closing date for applications is 4:00 pm on Thursday, 28th August 2025.