UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School - UCD Aspire Scholarship Programme

Benefit

You have been awarded half your tuition fees paid for a Master’s or MBA programme at the UCD Smurfit School in Dublin. The scholarship is valid for the academic year for which you have been admitted and is funded by a private donor. Each year, the university awards up to 3 MBA scholarships and up to 9 scholarships for its Master’s programmes in Business. You will also become a member of the ‘Aspire Fellowship’, a network of more than 160 former scholarship holders who now work for companies such as Google, McKinsey, PwC, Microsoft and LinkedIn. If you are unable to cover the remaining half of the fees yourself, special loan arrangements can help you to borrow this amount. You cannot combine this scholarship with other scholarships or defer it.

Eligibility

• What you study: You have been admitted to an MSc programme in Business, the MBA or the Executive MBA at the UCD Smurfit School. Programmes offered jointly with Smurfit at UCD Belfield (e.g. MSc in Biotechnology and Business or MSc in International Law and Business) are excluded from this.
• Where you live: You are resident in Ireland.
• Nationality: Applicants of any nationality may apply, provided they live in Ireland.
• Money: You can provide evidence of genuine financial hardship, for example due to job loss, caring for siblings, high medical bills or outstanding loans.
• MBA test: If you are applying for the MBA, you must achieve the required minimum GMAT score, where applicable. The deadline for the GMAT/EA is 8 May 2026.
• No other funding: You are not currently receiving any SUSI grant (Irish state student grant) or any other scholarship or student grant.

You may apply for more than one programme, but you can accept only one award. A selection committee of school representatives and a former scholar decides, together with the donor, based on financial need, excellence and leadership potential.

How to apply

First, apply online for your chosen Master’s or MBA programme at the UCD Smurfit School. Once you have been offered a place, complete the scholarship form and the financial questionnaire via the UCD Hub portal. The deadline is 8 May 2026 at 17:00 (IST).

How realistic are your chances?

Every year, the university awards a total of up to 12 prizes: 3 for the MBA and 9 for all Master’s programmes in the field of business. The number of applicants is not published.

You can find more scholarships in our guide Scholarships in Ireland.