Scholarships and Part-Time Work for Students in Ireland

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

For a bachelor's degree in Ireland, the biggest saving is not a scholarship but the Free Fees Initiative. If you qualify, the state pays your tuition and you pay only the €2,350 student contribution. If you do not, you pay the non-EU fee, and there is little public money to reduce it. This guide covers what does exist and the rules for working while you study. Who qualifies for free fees is explained in how much it costs to study in Ireland.

The SUSI grant: for EU, EEA, Swiss and UK students

Ireland's main student grant is paid by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). It has two parts: a maintenance grant for living costs and a fee grant, which can pay the student contribution or tuition fees not covered by free fees. To get it you must:

be a citizen of Ireland, the UK, an EU or EEA country or Switzerland (some other immigration statuses also count);
have lived in Ireland, the EU, the EEA, the UK or Switzerland for 3 of the last 5 years;
pass a means test on your family's income from the previous tax year.

There is a catch for students moving from abroad. If you have not lived in Ireland itself for 3 of the last 5 years, you are a "tuition student": you can get the fee grant, but not the maintenance grant. In practice, a student arriving from another EU country cannot count on SUSI for living costs.

You apply online, and you need an Irish PPS number. For 2026/27 the priority closing dates were 11 June and 9 July 2026. Budget 2027 raises maintenance grants by 4.5% from January 2027.

State scholarships for non-EU students

The government's flagship award, the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship, pays €10,000 and a full fee waiver for one year, but only for master's and PhD study (levels 9 and 10). There is no equivalent state scholarship for a bachelor's degree, and non-EU students cannot get a SUSI grant.

University scholarships

Most universities offer something to new non-EU students, usually a discount on the first year's fee. Two examples:

Trinity College Dublin, Global Excellence Undergraduate Scholarships: €2,000 to €5,000 off the first year's fee, depending on your region. You need an offer first. Medicine, dentistry, acting, engineering, natural sciences and computer science and statistics are excluded. For 2026/27 the deadlines ran from 1 April to 15 July 2026 depending on region, and awards were made on a rolling basis.
University College Dublin, Global Excellence Scholarships: a limited number of awards worth 100% or 50% of tuition for students on non-EU fees who hold an offer. For 2026/27 the deadlines were 1 February 2026 for North America, 28 February for the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, and 31 March for everyone else. UCD says the 2027/28 round opens in November, with details due in early November.

Read the terms closely: most awards cover the first year only, and some are renewed only if your results stay high. Check the scholarships page of every university on your list, and see scholarships and financial aid in Europe for programmes run by your home country.

Working while you study

EU, EEA, Swiss and UK citizens can work without restrictions.

Non-EU students with Stamp 2 may work up to 20 hours a week during term and up to 40 hours a week from June to September and from 15 December to 15 January. You may not count on this income for your visa: the €10,000 a year you must show is separate. See student visa for Ireland.

Before your first job:

Get a PPS number. You apply with proof of identity and of your Irish address, and you need it to register with Revenue. An employer should ask for it only when you start work, not when you apply.
Register for Revenue's myAccount and add your job using your employer's tax registration number. If you skip this, you may pay emergency tax until it is sorted out.

The minimum wage

Since 1 January 2026 the national minimum wage is €14.15 an hour. Ireland still has lower rates for young workers, which matters for first-year students:

Age	Minimum hourly rate (2026)
20 and over	€14.15
19	€12.74
18	€11.32
Under 18	€9.91

Budget 2027 announced a rise for workers aged 20 and over to €14.94 from 1 January 2027. The change still needs legislation.

Where to find a job

Start with your university's careers service, which lists part-time jobs and internships for its students, and ask at the students' union and campus services about jobs on campus. Agree your hours in writing and keep within the Stamp 2 limits. Pay must reach the minimum wage for your age even on a trial shift: Irish law requires minimum pay for work trials and internships. Our guide to working while studying in Europe compares Ireland with other countries.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.