The glass-walled European Parliament Paul Henri-Spaak building facade in Brussels.

Ireland Open for September 2026 entry — applied automatically at offer stage; final deadline 30 June 2026

UCC Global Excellence Postgraduate Scholarship

The UCC Global Excellence Postgraduate Scholarship is an automatic tuition fee reduction of €5,000 to €10,000 (around LKR 1.7M – 3.45M) for international postgraduate students starting a taught Master's at University College Cork. There is no separate scholarship application — every international postgraduate offer-holder is automatically considered, and the award is named in the offer letter. UCC is one of Ireland's top-3 universities (QS #275 in 2026), with particular strength in Food Science, Marine Science, Pharmacy, and Computer Science. Ireland's Stamp 1G post-study residence permit gives Master's graduates 24 months to find graduate-level employment — particularly valuable for Sri Lankan applicants targeting the Dublin / Cork tech and pharma corridors (Pfizer, Apple, Google, Stripe, Meta).

University College Cork

University-funded

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Value

€5,000–10,000 (LKR 1.7M–3.45M)

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Duration

1-Year Master's

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Bonus

Ireland 24-mo Stamp 1G PSWR

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Offer for a UCC Taught Master's

You must hold an offer for a full-time taught Master's programme at UCC starting September 2026. Most taught Master's programmes are eligible, including Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Pharmacy, Food Science & Technology, Marine Science, Public Health, and the Humanities.

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Strong Undergraduate Record

Higher tier (€10,000): first-class honours undergraduate degree. Lower tier (€5,000): upper-second-class honours (UK 2:1) or equivalent. For Sri Lankan applicants this typically means a first-class or second-upper from a Sri Lankan state university or a strong overseas Bachelor's.

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Non-EU Fee Status

Open to non-EU international students paying overseas tuition fees. Sri Lankan citizens are eligible. The award does not stack with the Irish Government Scholarship or other UCC named awards — only the highest single discount applies.

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English Proficiency

Meet UCC's standard English requirement — typically IELTS 6.5+ overall with no band below 6.0 (7.0 for Teaching, Medicine, Pharmacy). Sri Lankan applicants with English-medium undergraduate degrees can usually qualify via MOI letter for most programmes.

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Apply to UCC by 30 June

Submit your UCC Master's application via the UCC online portal (ucc.ie/en/study) by 30 June 2026 for September 2026 entry. Aim to apply 4-6 months before the deadline for rolling assessment. Include transcripts, motivation letter, two references, and English test (or waiver).

Automatic scholarship assessment

Every international postgraduate offer-holder is automatically assessed for the Global Excellence Scholarship — no separate form. The award value (€5,000 or €10,000) is determined by your academic record and is communicated in the offer letter.

Accept offer + pay deposit

Accept the offer in the applicant portal and pay the standard €1,500 - €2,000 tuition deposit by the deadline stated in the offer. This triggers your offer confirmation for the Irish student visa.

Receive scholarship at enrolment

The scholarship is applied as a direct reduction on your annual tuition invoice at UCC enrolment. You then apply for the Irish 'Stamp 2' student visa with the reduced tuition figure on the documentation.

Why UCC?

University College Cork is consistently ranked in the global top 300 (QS #275 in 2026) and is one of Ireland's three largest research universities. UCC has particular strength in Food Science (top 50 globally), Pharmacy, Marine Science, and Computer Science. Cork itself is Ireland's second city and has significantly lower living costs than Dublin — stretching the scholarship and self-funded budget further.