25 full scholarships have been announced by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs under the Ireland-Palestine Scholarship Programme (IPSP) for students residing in the occupied Palestinian territory. Applications are currently being accepted by the Representative Office of Ireland in Palestine for the 2025-2026 academic year. These scholarships are specifically for students completing a one year Master’s programme in Ireland.
Students are able to choose from a range of courses at 19 different Irish higher education institutions, including Trinity College Dublin.These scholarships are fully funded and include academic fees, visa application fees, medical and travel insurance, flights to and from Ireland, the Irish residence permit fee, and a monthly stipend of €700. The application deadline is October 1st at 23:59 PM (Palestinian time) with interviews being held in November/December this year.
Particularly for those residing in Gaza, current conditions may mean that those who are most in need of these scholarships are unable to apply. Gaza’s 12 universities have all been either damaged or destroyed by the Israeli army, leaving students without access to necessary academic records. Many areas of Gaza also have limited to no internet access and getting out of Gaza is even more difficult with the journey being both dangerous and expensive.
For those who can make it through the application process and make the journey to Ireland, this is nevertheless a significant opportunity. Scholarships also proved to be a key part of the Trinity Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) campaign where student protesters were successful in advocating for additional scholarships to be awarded by Trinity to Palestinian students.
