Applications Open! The Embassy of Ireland in South Africa is offering fully-funded scholarship opportunities to South African students to study at Master’s level in Ireland’s world-renowned Higher Education Institutions.
The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is part of the broader Ireland-Africa Fellows Program
offered by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is targeted at early career professionals in South Africa, with leadership potential.The scholarship broadly supports leadership for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes support for the development of women’s leadership capacity and women’s participation in STEM as key priorities.
In addition, the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme aims to support students from Historically Disadvantaged Institutions and Universities of Technology, who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to pursue Master’s level education in Ireland. These students are encouraged to apply.
Eligible Fields of Study
Generally, The fellowship programme has two strands:
1). Twelve Annual Awards for Postgraduate Study in the following areas:
Climate Change & Resilience, Environment, Marine, Sustainable Development, GIS
Engineering and Sustainable Technology
Development Studies, Human Rights, Peace Studies, International Relations, Politics, Public Policy
International Law, Human Rights Law, Business Law
Health, Medicine, Pharmacy, Biotechnology and related
Education
Sociology, Social Policy, Social Research and related
Women’s Studies, Gender Studies and Equality Studies
Information Systems, Communications Technology, Digital Media
Business, Economics, Project Management, Strategic Management, Leadership and related
Food Science, Food Engineering and Food Industry
Tourism and Hospitality
2). Two annual awards will be made for a fellowship in Human Rights Law at Trinity College Dublin
Master’s degree in Human Rights Law, specifically the LL.M (International and Comparative Law) at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. This will be selected by the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC).
➢ Please refer to the Directory of Programmes for more information about the eligible course
Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme Benefits
The Kader Asmal Fellowships will cover:
university application fees
tuition fees
examination and other fees
economy travel to and from your country of residence to Ireland;
settling in allowance, book allowance and study allowance
accommodation
a monthly personal living allowance (stipend) to cover other living expense for you only and
the costs of an entry clearance (student visitor visa) application
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for a Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme, applicants must:
Be a resident national of South Africa
Have a minimum of two years relevant work experience (this can include internships and volunteering positions, see Page 6 for details).
Hold an honours’ level academic qualification from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 75% – i.e. a first class honour, or second class honour, Grade 1 (in some cases a second class honour Grade 2 may be accepted). It must have been awarded in 2012 or later (i.e. within the last 12 years).
Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher.
Be applying to commence a new course at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August/September 2024.
Be able to demonstrate leadership abilities and aspirations, as well as commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country.
Have identified and selected two relevant courses from the Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme Directory of Eligible Courses, (see course list here).
Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for both courses chosen.
Must not have applied for Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme on more than one previous occasion.
Application Procedure
Stage 1 applications are submitted online. Please apply via this link. You will be contacted by Canon Collins Trust once final decisions have been made and informed whether you have been successful or unsuccessful at Stage 1. Please do not otherwise contact the Irish Embassy during this period.
➢ Before submitting your application, carefully read the Application Guidelines (PDF) where you can find the list of required documents and further important info.
➢ Broadly speaking, The application process consists of three stages:
Stage 1: Preliminary Application;
Stage 2: Detailed Application;
Stage 3: Interviews.
➢ Application Deadline (Stage 1): 28 July, 5pm GMT
LINK