Funding Opportunities
There are a number of scholarships, grants, and other funding opportunities available to support PhD students. See below for further details.
| Awards | Amount | Duration | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Department PhD Stipend (competitive) |
Contribution to fees (up to EU-fee level) plus €18,500 stipend plus €500 research allowance |
4 Years |
Incoming and continuing PhD students |
|
Research Ireland Postgraduate Award (PhD, student-based) |
Contribution to fees (up to €5,750) plus €25,000 stipend plus €3,250 research allowance |
Up to 4 Years |
Incoming and continuing PhD students |
|
Trinity PhD Award (PI-based) |
Full Fees (EU or non-EU rate) plus €25,000 |
4 Years |
Incoming PhD students |
|
Teaching Assistantship |
Non-stipend pay |
1 year (extension possible) |
PhD and Masters students |
|
Global Excellence Scholarships |
€5,000 |
1 Year |
Incoming Non EU students (Taught Masters only) |
|
Trinity China Scholarship |
Further information available here |
Department Stipend
The department stipend is available to new entrants as well as continuing full-time PhD students. The stipend aims to support and develop gifted research students. The award covers fees (up to EU fee level) and a maintenance stipend of €18,500 per year plus an annual research allowance of €500.
Students can top up their department stipend by engaging in paid teaching assistantships (see below). Students on a department stipend are expected to develop (together with their supervisor) and submit a research proposal to the Research Ireland Postgraduate Award scheme.
Research Ireland Postgraduate Award
The Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme is an established national initiative, funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and managed by Research Ireland. The programme is highly competitive, with an average success rate of 18% over the past five years.
Successful awardees under the programme are recognised as demonstrating world-class potential as future research leaders. The award is student-driven (students submit proposals with their supervisor being the PI by a deadline typically in autumn). The award is highly prestigious and provides a stipend of €25,000 per annum, a contribution to fees (up to €5,750), and an annual research allowance of €3,250. Students can top up by engaging in paid teaching assistantships (see below).
Trinity PhD Award
The Trinity PhD Award is granted competitively within College based on PI-driven proposals. The award covers tuition fees (either EU or non-EU) for a recruited student for four years (full-time), and provides an annual stipend of €25,000 (no research allowance included).
Each application will be expected to identify how the research will enhance our local and global social and sustainability ambitions (often referred to in Trinity as our social foundations and our ecological ceiling) e.g., through the research focus, the research process, those involved in the research. Students can top up their Trinity PhD Award by engaging in paid teaching assistantships (see below).
Teaching Assistantships
Through teaching assistantships the department offers post-graduate students (PhD and Masters level) the opportunity to engage in university teaching and, thereby, collect first-hand teaching experience which is extremely relevant for academic careers.
A teaching assistantship is paid (€2,500-€4,000 per academic year) and entails working with a professor to support undergraduate lectures by conducting tutorial classes (up to 25 students) and participation in marking. The department highly encourages students to engage in teaching as working with undergraduate students offers a unique learning experience and opportunity for career development.
Teaching assistantships are limited and students should apply via their PhD supervisor, or MPhil/MSc Course Director as early as possible.
Global Excellence Scholarships
Several scholarships valued at €5,000 each, applied as a reduction of the tuition fees of a full-time postgraduate taught programme, are being offered to applicants on the MSc in Comparative Social Change and the MPhil in Race, Ethnicity, Conflict.
The scholarships are for non-EU students only. Applicants must have submitted an application to be eligible. The scholarship will be assessed based on academic achievement, and evaluation of the applicants’ potential to contribute to the overall TCD community.
Trinity China Joint Scholarship Programme
Each year, Trinity College Dublin and the China Scholarship Council (CSC) affiliated with the Ministry of Education in China are offering a number of scholarships to Chinese students who wish to pursue a PhD at Trinity. Each scholarship will include a full fee-waiver from Trinity, and a stipend for living costs, airfare and health insurance, provided by the China Scholarship Council (bench fees are not included).
For questions, please contact Daniel O'Sullivan - Regional Manager at daniel.osullivan@tcd.ie
The Department of Sociology is not bound by any error in or omission from the above information.