Applications for the 2020/21 1916 Bursary Fund are now closed.

Applicant Information

The 1916 Bursary Fund, funded by the Department of Education and Skills under strand 2 of PATH (Programme for Access to Higher Education), commemorates the centenary of 1916 as part of an overall series of measures to encourage participation and success by students from sections of society that are significantly under-represented in higher education. The 1916 Bursary Fund provides financial support to students identified by higher education institutions as being the most socio-economically disadvantaged from specified target groups, and it complements existing student supports and access initiatives.

The 1916 Bursary Scheme is open to all applicants who aim to pursue undergraduate higher education in 2020/2021.  The University of Limerick will review all applications.  Applicants should have made an undergraduate application for 2020/2021 through the CAO to the University of Limerick, via one of the following admissions pathways, in order to be considered for the award of a bursary.  Applicants who have made an application to an eligible part-time undergraduate programme or to an online course may also be considered. Awardees must have been resident in the Irish State for three of the past five years on the date on which a year of study commences.

1. Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) OR UL’s Access to University Course
2. Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) - priority will go to:
   • students with a physical/mobility impairment
   • students are who deaf/hard of hearing
   • students who are blind or have a visual impairment
3. Mature Student entry (first-time entrants only)
4. QQI award entry
5. Part-time programme entry (see list of eligible programmes on the application form)

Applicants who have made an application may also be from one of the following target sub-groups:

• Lone parents
• Member of the Irish Traveller community
• Ethnic minorities (including programme refugees)

The following is the proposed allocation of the 1916 Bursary Awards for 2020/2021 in the University of Limerick within the target groups and entry pathways. Where insufficient qualifying applications are received in any particular category, bursaries may be re-distributed across other categories at the discretion of the 1916 Bursary Committee:

TOTAL allocation: 19 Bursaries

Procedure for assessment of applications:

1. All applicants will be screened for eligibility via entry pathways as above.
2. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they would qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant under Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) (see https://susi.ie/quicklinks/special-rate-awards/) and/or are in receipt of a Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection means-tested social welfare payment.
3. Applicants must also not be in receipt or any other Bursary or Scholarship. Applicants who do not meet these initial criteria, or who do not provide the required supporting documentation, will not be shortlisted for further consideration.
4. Shortlisted applicants in each entry pathway group will subsequently be scored on the following:
   1. Socio-economic group
   2. Area Profile

Applicants will be ranked by score and then by gross household income. The 1916 Bursaries will be awarded to the top ranked applicants in each entry pathway category.

¹ Applications from HEAR and the Access to University Course students will be assessed using the information already provided as part of the HEAR/Access to University Course admissions system and therefore they do not need to complete the application form, other than if an applicant wishes to be considered under the Member of the Traveller community, Lone Parent or Ethnic Minority subcategories.

The following conditions apply:

• Each bursary will be in the amount of €5,000 per annum. This applies to both full and part-time students.
• Bursaries may be approved for study in any discipline offered by the University.
• Awardees are not entitled to receive the 1916 Bursary in conjunction with any other bursary or scholarship, regardless of the value of such bursary or scholarship.
• Awardees will be entitled to hold the 1916 Bursary and the (SUSI) student grant simultaneously, where they meet the eligibility conditions of the student grant scheme.
• The 1916 Bursary will not be included for the purposes of ‘reckonable income’ in the student grant scheme.
• A bursary will be awarded for the duration of an undergraduate programme, normally four years, subject to continued compliance with the bursary guidelines.

Conditional awards of bursaries may be made prior to the awardee’s enrolment in UL. However, a bursary cannot be conditionally awarded to applicants until they have been formally offered a place at UL and also until confirmation has been received that they are in receipt of the special rate of SUSI maintenance grant and/or a means-tested DEASP payment and subject also to meeting other eligibility criteria under the scheme.  Payments of bursaries to successful awardees will not be made until the awardee has formally registered on their course of study in UL.

Personal data that you submit with this application form in connection with the 1916 Bursary Fund will be used to process your application to the bursary and will be treated in accordance with UL’s Data protection policy.  For greater detail please see: https://ulsites.ul.ie/corporatesecretary/data-protection.

Please download the application form and FAQs below.  Applications must be submitted by email only to 1916BursaryFund@ul.ie by 5.00pm on Friday 4^th September 2020.  Enquiries can be directed to 1916BursaryFund@ul.ie.