University College Dublin (UCD) has confirmed that applications for its Global Excellence Scholarship for the 2027-28 intake will open in November 2026. The award is one of the two scholarships UCD Global administers directly, and it covers either 100% or 50% of your tuition fees for a full-time undergraduate or taught master’s programme starting in September.
UCD has not published the exact 2027-28 deadlines yet. Its scholarship page says the details “are currently being finalised and will be available by early November”, so the dates below are the ones UCD used for the 2026-27 round, when South Asia graduate taught applicants had to apply by 28 February.
This page sets out what the scholarship pays, who can apply, the application steps UCD publishes in its own scholarship guide, and the conditions you have to keep to hold the award.
UCD Global Excellence Scholarship 2027-28: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland – administered by UCD Global |
| Last date to apply | Applications for 2027-28 open in November 2026, exact dates to be confirmed. In the 2026-27 round the South Asia graduate taught deadline was 28 February 2026. |
| Official website | ucd.ie – UCD Global Excellence Scholarships |
What the Global Excellence Scholarship covers
- 100% tuition fee scholarships and 50% tuition fee scholarships – UCD offers a limited number of each.
- The award applies to tuition fees only for the September intake. UCD does not list a living cost, travel or accommodation allowance under this scheme, so budget for those separately.
- It is open to undergraduate and graduate taught programmes. Research degrees are not part of this scheme.
- The scholarship is for incoming students only – you must be starting at UCD, not continuing.
- You must be classed as a non-EU fee-paying student. If UCD assesses you as an EU-fee student after admission, you are not eligible for the scholarships UCD Global advertises.
UCD runs a second, separate award called the International Student Scholarship (ISS). Every programme application is assessed for it automatically at the point of offer, and no separate application is needed – but some programmes are excluded from that scheme. The Global Excellence Scholarship is the one you have to apply for, and it is the bigger of the two.
Who is eligible for the 2027-28 award
- You must be an international student paying non-EU fees – Indian passport holders qualify on that count.
- You must have an offer, or a conditional offer, for an eligible UCD programme before you can apply. UCD publishes the eligible programme list as a separate document on the scholarship page, and some popular programmes are excluded – check your course against that list before you plan anything.
- You must be applying for a full-time undergraduate or graduate taught course that starts in September.
- You should apply to your UCD programme at least three weeks before the scholarship closing date. UCD warns that admissions cannot guarantee a decision on your course application before the scholarship deadline during peak windows.
There is no minimum percentage or GPA printed on the scholarship page for the 2027-28 round – UCD describes the awards as going to “outstanding international students” from a limited pool. The academic bar that is printed is the one you must hold after you win: a Stage GPA of at least 3.08 (see the conditions section below).
Key dates: 2027-28 and the 2026-27 reference dates
UCD has published only one date for the new cycle – applications open in November 2026, with the final dates to follow by early November. The regional deadlines from the 2026-27 round show how UCD splits applicants, and Indian (South Asia) graduate taught applicants sat in the middle window.
| 2026-27 round | Who it applied to |
| 1 February 2026 | Undergraduate applicants from North America |
| 28 February 2026 | Undergraduate and graduate taught applicants from the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, and graduate taught applicants from South Asia – the Indian window |
| 31 March 2026 | All other applicants, undergraduate and graduate taught |
- Results are shared roughly seven weeks after each regional deadline, through UCD’s SISWeb portal, or no later than two weeks after the selection committee confirms its decisions.
- The scholarship is not renewed automatically. Continuing students are reviewed after the end of the academic year and told the outcome from late September.
How to apply, step by step
- Apply to your UCD programme first. Do this at least three weeks before the scholarship deadline, because only applicants holding an offer for an eligible programme can apply for a scholarship.
- Read the terms and conditions. UCD says ineligible applications are disregarded, and that you should apply with your first-choice course only.
- Submit the scholarship application in SISWeb. Once you have the offer, the scholarship form sits in SISWeb. You may apply for more than one scholarship if you are eligible for several.
- Check before you hit submit. UCD states that scholarship applications cannot be edited after submission and only one submission is allowed; you can ask UCD to delete an application so you can start again.
- Wait for the result. UCD says you will get an update within seven weeks of the deadline, and you can track the status in SISWeb under ‘UCD Applications’ and ‘My Applications’.
- Accept within two weeks. If you are offered a full or partial scholarship you must accept it by the method UCD specifies within two weeks – no response is treated as a decline.
Two rules trip people up at the end. If you are awarded more than one scholarship, the higher-value award applies rather than both stacking. And a scholarship is not retained if you defer entry, or if you accept your programme offer after the scholarship deadline. UCD also notes that some scholarships are for self-funded students only.
Conditions you must keep to hold the award
- Maintain a Stage GPA of at least 3.08 to keep the scholarship.
- Take the standard credit load for your stage and progress within the normal timeframe for the programme – UCD states that students enrolled in less than 50 ECTS per year may automatically lose the scholarship.
- Stay enrolled full time.
- Act as a UCD Global ambassador when asked – student panels, focus groups, blogs and similar activities.
- Tell UCD Global if you plan to change programme or defer, because most of these awards are tied to a specific programme and start date.
Is the Global Excellence Scholarship worth applying for?
For an Indian student on a one-year taught master’s, a 50% tuition waiver is the realistic outcome and a 100% waiver is the headline prize from a small pool – UCD calls it a limited number of each. Because the award is fee-only, compare it against the full cost of the Dublin year before you treat it as a funded offer.
Two practical points follow from UCD’s own rules. First, the timing is tight: the programme offer has to land before the scholarship deadline, and UCD says admissions decisions are not guaranteed in time during peak windows – so apply to the course months early, not weeks. Second, if you are also shortlisted for the automatic International Student Scholarship, remember that the higher-value award replaces the smaller one instead of adding to it.
Frequently asked questions
UCD says applications for the 2027-28 Global Excellence Scholarships open in November 2026. The exact dates were still being finalised at the time of writing and UCD says the details will be available by early November.
It is a tuition fee scholarship of either 100% or 50% of your fees for a full-time undergraduate or taught master’s programme starting in September. It does not include living costs, travel or accommodation.
Yes. The scheme is open to international students on non-EU fees, which includes Indian passport holders, as long as they hold an offer or conditional offer for an eligible full-time UCD programme.
Yes. UCD states that applicants must first have received an offer or conditional offer for an eligible programme, and that you should apply to the programme at least three weeks before the scholarship closing date.
Only if your programme runs longer and you meet the conditions. UCD says scholarships are not automatically renewed, continuing students are assessed each year, and outcomes are shared from late September. To keep it you need a Stage GPA of at least 3.08, a standard credit load and full-time enrolment.
UCD applies the higher-value scholarship rather than stacking both. If you are offered a scholarship you must accept it within two weeks, and the award is not retained if you defer entry or accept your programme offer after the scholarship deadline.
No. The International Student Scholarship is assessed automatically at the point of offer with no separate application, while the Global Excellence Scholarship needs its own application in SISWeb and is the larger, more competitive award.
Official links
- UCD Global Excellence Scholarships – official page
- UCD scholarships and funding for international students
- UCD international student scholarship terms and conditions (PDF)
More funding options for Indian students: study abroad scholarships, international scholarships and post graduation scholarships.
Related scholarship posts: NL Scholarship (Holland Scholarship) for Indian students, Maastricht NL-High Potential Scholarship and Radboud Scholarship Programme.