FAQs
Q. What higher education institutions on the island of Ireland are eligible for application?
Answer: Students may apply from the following institutions:
- Atlantic Technological University
- Dublin City University
- Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art and Design & Technology
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Mary Immaculate College
- Maynooth University
- Munster Technological University
- National College of Art & Design
- Queens University Belfast
- RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Royal Irish Academy
- South East Technological University
- St Angela’s College
- Technological University Dublin
- Technological University Shannon: Midlands Midwest
- Trinity College Dublin
- Ulster University
- University College Cork
- University College Dublin
- University of Galway
- University of Limerick
Q. Should referees comment on the individual applicant as well as the project?
Answer: Yes, we need to know about the suitability of the applicant. While we don’t need a character reference, we do need to know about the suitability of applicants to undertake the research or taught course they are proposing.
Q. What happens if we can’t secure a statement from a referee that you’ve nominated?
Answer: We advise that you check that your referees are willing and available before submitting an application. If their availability changes unexpectantly and you have already submitted your application, please contact us to advise of the change of referee.
Q. Can I have more than two referees?
No, each applicant may only have two referees to ensure fairness. If more than two references are submitted for an applicant, we will contact you and ask which should be deleted.
Q. How will my application be assessed?
Answer: Your application is assessed as follows:
• Submitted applications are reviewed by the programme team to confirm they are eligible and complete.
• The programme team completed an initial review of applications across all disciplinary areas to determine who will proceed to the academic review stage. Due to increased application numbers, not all applications will proceed to the academic review stage. If your application is not proceeding to the academic review stage, you will be notified by the end of January.
• If your application is proceeding to the academic review stage, your application form and all associated documents, including academic references, will be shared with academic reviewers in your chosen field of study. The role of the academic reviewer is to evaluate your application.
• Based on the application and the recommendation of the academic reviewers, the programme team draw up a shortlist of approximately 90 candidates for interview.
• You will be notified by the end of February if you have not been selected for interview.
• If you are selected for interview, you will meet with the programme team, which comprises the Director of the George Moore Scholars programme, a representative of The Ireland Funds and a Trustee, for a 20 minute discussion about your application and your intended programme of study. This interview takes place on Zoom and it will be in March 2026. Due to the volume of candidates, interview slots are normally fixed and not interchangeable.
• Once all interviews have concluded, you will be notified if you have been unsuccessful or if you are a shortlisted scholar.
• If you are shortlisted, the programme team will host a Zoom call to explain the next steps in moving from a shortlisted scholar to a selected scholar, which involves submitting an offer for your course and providing a detailed budget.
• Conflict of interest:
The George Moore Scholars programme is committed to ensuring that all people who are eligible for and interested in applying to the programme are in a position to do so. To ensure fairness of treatment, the programme team and academic reviewers must declare a conflict of interest if any applicant is known to them personally or professionally. If this is the case, the application can progress but the individual concerned will be replaced in the process by another individual who does not know the applicant.
Q. Do I focus on one course in my application, or several, and what happens if I do not get an offer for the course in my George Moore Scholar’s application?
Answer: Focus on one course only in your application and make the strongest case you can for that course. If you are not admitted to that course, but you are successful in receiving an offer for another course of interest, and successful in your application to George Moore Scholars, we will work with you on the offer you receive. We encourage applicants to us to apply to at least three Master's programmes.
Q. My course and living costs will be more than the maximum amount awarded by the George Moore Scholarship, should I continue with the application?
Answer: Each year, we have Scholars who manage to combine financial support from the George Moore Scholarship with funds they ‘leverage’ from the higher education institution they hope to attend. We also have some scholars who receive funding from other scholarships or who combine their Scholarship with some personal funds. We would encourage you to be realistic, but ambitious. About 25% of the overall cost of Scholars’ programmes and living costs are usually funded by means other than the Scholarship. This does not mean we expect people who do not have access to personal funding to take out loans, it means we believe many institutions will recognise your talent, and the value of the George Moore Scholarship, and may be able to direct you to other sources of support.
Q. Can I apply if I am already on my Master's course?
Answer: The George Moore Scholars programme will not support students who are already on their Master's course. It is intended for students who have not yet started their Master's degree.
Q. Do you know of any other scholarships I could apply to?
Here is a selection of other scholarship programmes that applicants may explore. These are only those programmes that are known to us and the list is indicative, not exhaustive. We encourage you to do your own research to explore what scholarships might be available in the country or institution to which you are applying. Applicants to the George Moore Scholars may also apply for other sources of support. Equally, if you are unsuccessful with your application to the George Moore Scholars programme, we would encourage you to consider applying to other scholarship programmes.
• The Fulbright Student Awards
• Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programmes
• NUI Travelling Doctoral Scholarships
• Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship programme
• Innovate for Ireland programme
Q. What is the value of the 'average' scholarship and what is this based on?
Answer: We assess each Scholar’s individual circumstances and budget before confirming their award amount, but understand that indicative award amounts are helpful. In 2025, Scholars going to the UK were typically awarded in the £30,000 - £55,000 range, Scholars going to the USA were typically awarded in the $60,000 - $90,000 range, and Scholars going to Europe were typically awarded in the €20,000 - €30,000 range.
Most of the award is intended to cover the cost of tuition but costs for accommodation, travel, health insurance and other educational necessities may also be included.
Q. What is expected of me if I am selected as a George Moore Scholar?
Answer: Scholarships are awarded to people who we hope will progress to have significant positive impact in their chosen field of study. While undertaking their Master’s, Scholars are expected to complete reporting to the deadlines requested and respond promptly to any requests from the programme team.
Once they graduate, Alumni Scholars are expected to contribute to programme evaluation through the completion of surveys, interviews and focus groups. Alumni Scholars will also be invited to participate in promoting the programme to future applicants.
We hope that Scholars will stay connected with us through an Alumni Network, to help to build your career and networks and to support future Scholars.
There is no other formal expectation of George Moore Scholars, other than they consider 'paying it forward' by supporting other people with talent, drive and a need for support at a key developmental stage in their lives.
Q. How do I contact the programme team if I have questions that have not been answered?
If you are completing your application and you run into difficulty, please check the website in full to see if you can find an answer to your query. You may also reach out to individual George Moore Scholars on LinkedIn to see if they can help you with your query. We strongly advise applicants to sign up for a live information session, where you can ask your questions and hear directly from Scholars. If you are still unclear about an aspect of the application, please email: info@georgemoorescholars.ie.