Postgraduate funding - is there any still out there?

With large cuts in postgraduate funding and a buoyant jobs market, these are uncertain times for postgraduate students when it comes to financing their further studies. But before you give up on the idea, it's worth bearing in mind that financial aid is still available from other, non-government-affiliated sources. These include higher education institutions themselves, industry sponsors, charitable organisations and private donors.

Most higher education institutions offering postgraduate programmes will also offer financial awards, bursaries and scholarships. Once you start digging around the wider funding options available in your area of interest, you might just find opportunities opening up for you.

Here is a snapshot of what's out there.

University College Cork

The College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC has 23 “Excellence Scholarships” to give away every year to Masters students commencing their studies in September 2017 and to PhD students commencing their studies in September 2017 or January 2018. The scholarships cover full EU fees for the duration of your postgraduate course. Closing dates for 2017 are 7 April (Masters) and 21 April (PhD).

Masters Academic Scholarships at UCC

The College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences will fund full fees for 3 EU and 3 Non-EU Masters students commencing their studies in September 2017.

Trinity College Dublin postgraduate awards and prizes

As well as various university studentships and fellowships, Trinity College Dublin lists postgraduate awards and prizes – largely private donations, bequests and bursaries – ranging from the modest (€63) to the very generous (more than €16,000 per year). One such prize, the Claude and Vincenette Pichois Research Award, is for fees covered and an annual stipend of €16,000 and is available to a graduate of French who wishes to do a PhD on French 19th- or 20th-century literature at the college. Similar awards for scholarships in the field of medical research are also sometimes available. Awards like these make it possible for a student to pursue further academic research where otherwise they may not have been in a position to.

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School scholarships

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School offers a range of merit and financial need based scholarships to both domestic and international students. These include Michael Smurfit MSc Scholars, MBA Entrepreneurship awards and the Aspire Scholarship, many of which cover 50 - 100% tuition fees. Find out more here and apply today.

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NUI Galway postgraduate scholarships

NUI Galway has announced 100 new postgraduate scholarships at €2,000 each for taught Masters students for September 2012.

Burren College of Art scholarships and funding opportunities

Burren College of Art , a private art college affiliated to
NUI Galway, lists scholarships and residencies on its website for its fine art students.

Research funding for PhD students in telecommunications

The Telecommunications Graduate Initiative (TGI) promotes four-year structured PhDs in telecommunications across a consortium of seven Irish universities and ITs. 35 four-year studentships incorporating a tax-free €16,000 annual stipend and a €5,000 annual allowance were launched in 2011, and a number are still available.

Queen's University Belfast studentships

In Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast offers
funding programmes for both EU and non-EU students in both taught and research priogrammes , which cover the full payment of tuition fees and include a maintenance allowance. Queen's also hosts a repository of information in it's dedicated funding section .

University of Ulster scholarships and awards

Funding is available for both taught and research postgraduate study at the University of Ulster in the form of studentships and scholarships for both taught and research based postgraduate programmes.

Keep a regular eye on institution websites for new funding opportunities, and of course keep checking back with us for the latest information and advice.

Top tips for uncovering the hidden postgraduate funding sources

You may have to search further, for longer (frustratingly, funding opportunities are not always well sign-posted on institution websites), but a little bit of extra research will be well worth the effort if it results in a financial award. Here’s how to root out the funding:

• Be exhaustive in your search. If there is no obvious signposting for financial aid for postgraduates on an institution's website, this doesn't necessarily mean that they don't offer any. If fourth-level funding opportunities are not flagged up in their own right, they are likely to be located on or near the fees section, or the application section, of an institution's graduate school website. If all else fails, send the college an email or give them a call to double check what funding they can offer.
• Be prepared to be flexible. If you have your heart set on studying at a particular college but they don't provide adequate funding, then have a look at what other colleges that run similar programmes can do for you financially. If you can find a more affordable alternative elsewhere, pursuing your studies at a different college is preferable to not pursuing them at all.
• Use social media to follow what institutions are up to. Follow colleges that interest you on Twitter – it's arguably the fastest way of finding out about postgraduate funding developments.

All the information in this article was correct at the time of writing, March 2012.