Deadline: July 27, 2026
Applications are open for the Ireland Fellows Programme – Kader Asmal Fellowship 2027/2028. The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme is a fully-funded scholarship opportunity offered to South African students to study at Master’s level in Ireland’s world-renowned Higher Education Institutions.
This flagship programme of the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa is part of the broader Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme 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 Sustainable Development Goals and supporting the development of women’s leadership capacity and women’s participation in STEM are key priorities. In addition, the Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme aims to support students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue Master’s level education in Ireland, and graduates of Universities of Historical Disadvantage and Universities of Technology in particular are encouraged to apply.
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
To be eligible for an Ireland Fellows Programme – Kader Asmal award commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2027, applicants must:
- Be a resident national of South Africa.
- Have a minimum of two years’ substantial work experience that is directly relevant to your proposed programme(s) 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 2015 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 2026/2027.
- Be applying to commence a new programme at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August 2027.
- 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 identified and selected three programmes relevant to your academic and professional background from the Directory of Eligible Programmes.
- Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for all programmes chosen.
- 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 2027/2028.
Application
The application process consists of three stages:
- Preliminary Application
- Detailed Application
- Interviews
For more information, visit Kader Asmal Fellowship.
