Foreign postgraduate students are welcomed at Irish universities, although in some cases the range of courses available is limited. Non-EU nationals (unless they have been resident in an EU country for at least three of the last five years) are required to pay two-and-a-half times or even three times the standard fees.
There’s a Postgraduate Support Scheme whereby postgraduate students with a first class, or second class Grade 1, honours degree or diploma may be eligible for financial support. There’s also some financial support for mature students (i.e. those over 23) in the form of European Social Fund grants, and limited funding is available to women. Details of these schemes are available from the DoES (Tel. 01-873 4700), who also publish a Guide for Mature Students to full-time, third-level courses.
The Graduate Enterprise Programme is a one-year course offering business training and financial support to graduates wishing to start their own business. The programme is open to graduates who are already in employment as well as to those fresh out of college. Details of this scheme are available from Enterprise Ireland (Tel. 01-808 2000 or 01-206 6000; www.enterprise-ireland.com ).