The Irish Aid Courtney Fellowship

Application Deadline: July 31st, 2022

The Ireland Fellows Programme enables early to mid-career professionals from eligible countries, with leadership potential, to benefit from a prestigious, world-class, quality education contributing to capacity building. It offers selected students the opportunity to undertake a fully funded one-year master’s level programme at a higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland. The award covers programme fees, flights, accommodation and living costs. Eligible master’s level programmes in Ireland commence in August or September each year and, depending on the programme, will run for between 10 and 16 months. The Ireland Fellows Programme promotes gender equality, equal opportunity, and welcomes diversity.

The aims of the Programme are to nurture future leaders; to develop in-country capacity to achieve national SDG goals; and to build positive relationships with Ireland.

The Programme is intended to support graduates on their return home, through the skills they develop, to contribute to capacity building in their home countries and to become one of the next generation of leaders in their respective fields. It is also envisaged that they will contribute to building enduring positive personal and professional relationships with Ireland, promoting institutional linkages.

The Courtney Fellowship was set up in 2004 to commemorate the late Archbishop Michael Courtney, the Irish-born Papal Nuncio to Burundi, who was murdered in 2003. Each year it provides sponsorship for a student from Burundi to study in Ireland for the MPhil in International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an Ireland Fellows Programme – Courtney Fellowship award commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2023, applicants must:

Be a resident national of Burundi.
Have a minimum of three years’ substantial work experience that is directly relevant to your proposed programme of study.
Hold a bachelor’s level academic qualification from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) – i.e. a first class honour, or second class honour, Grade 1 (a second class honour Grade 2 may be accepted if the applicant has substantial directly relevant work experience). It must have been awarded in 2011 or later (i.e. within the last 12 years).
Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher. Not currently undertaking a programme at master’s level or higher, or be due to start a programme at master’s level or higher in the academic year 2022/23.
Be applying to commence a new programme at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August 2023.
Be able to demonstrate the following: leadership abilities and aspirations; a commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country; and a commitment to contribute to building positive relationships with Ireland.
Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for the programme.
Must not have applied to the Ireland Fellows Programme on more than one previous occasion.
Be in a position to take up the Fellowship in the academic year 2023/2024.

Eligible Countries: Burundi

Eligible Courses: MPhil in International Peace Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin

Application Procedure:

Please read the Applicant Guidance Note carefully before completing as eligibility criteria may differ from country to country.

The application process consists of three stages:

Stage 1 Preliminary Application;
Stage 2 Detailed Application;
Stage 3 Interviews.

All applicants who are selected to progress after the second stage will be required to sit an online Duolingo English Test. If shortlisted after the interview stage, all applicants will be required to take another English language test, normally the IELTS exam, unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate that is dated 2021 or later which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course(s) they intend to apply to. Early preparation for the IELTS exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Irish Aid Courtney Fellowship 2023/2024

Application Deadline: August 1st 2021

The Irish Aid Courtney Fellowship was set up in 2004 to commemorate the late Archbishop Michael Courtney, the Irish-born Papal Nuncio to Burundi, who was murdered in 2003.

Each year it provides sponsorship for a student from Burundi to study in Ireland for the MPhil in International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin. Information on eligibility is set out below.

Applications for the fellowship are initially handled by Concern Worldwide Burundi on behalf of the Embassy of Ireland in Tanzania, accredited to Burundi, and awards are funded through Irish Aid’s Fellowship Training Programme.

The scholarship award covers course fees, required flights, accommodation, monthly allowances, insurance and other incidental expenses. Study commences in September each year.

All applicants who are selected to go forward to second stage will be required to sit an IELTS exam, unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate that is less than 12 months old at the time of application which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course the MPhil in International Peace Studies. Early preparation for the IELTS exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers.

Eligible Countries: Burundi

Eligible Courses:

MPhil in International Peace Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin

Eligibility

To be eligible for The Irish Aid Courtney Fellowship, an applicant must:

be a citizen of Burundi and be residing in Burundi
have achieved the necessary academic standard to be accepted onto the MPhil in International Peace Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin and not already hold a Masters in the area of Peace Studies
have a minimum of three years relevant work experience.
be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of Burundi.
be able to take up the fellowship in the academic year for which it is offered.
provide a letter from their employer granting study leave for the duration of the fellowship and guaranteeing that they will be able to return to an equivalent position in the organisation at the end of the fellowship period.

In addition, all candidates for study at an Irish Higher Education Institute must demonstrate their skills in academic English via the IELTS test and must either:

provide an original copy of a previous test result – IELTS (minimum 6.5) – certificate dated September 2019 or later, or
obtain a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 if shortlisted (see www.ielts.org for IELTS details)

An applicant will not be considered further in either of the following circumstances:

They already hold a master’s qualification.
They have applied for an Irish Aid Fellowship on two or more previous occasions without being awarded a fellowship. (Cases where an applicant withdrew from the process previously may be considered if there were exceptional or unforeseen circumstances for withdrawal in that instance).
They are currently working, or it is anticipated that they will work in the future, at our embassies or at headquarters. Those personnel who have worked with any of our embassies/missions in the past must allow a full year before becoming eligible to apply for a fellowship.

All successful applicants will be required to sign a commitment to return to their home country within 14 days of completing their studies in Ireland.

Contact

The accredited embassy for the Courtney Fellowship is the Embassy of Ireland in Tanzania.

Please note that all applications are handled in the first instance by Concern Worldwide Burundi and applications should not be submitted directly to Trinity College Dublin, the Embassy of Ireland Tanzania or Irish Aid.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Irish Aid Courtney Fellowship 2022/2023