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Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme

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.

Directory of Eligible Programmes

Are you eligible?

Eligible courses

The fellowship programme has two strands:

  1. 12 Annual Awards for Postgraduate Study in the following areas:
  • Climate Change & Resilience, Environment, Marine, Sustainable Development, GIS
  • Engineering and Sustainable Technology
  • Development Studies, Human Rights, Peace Studies, International Relations, Politics, Public Policy
  • International Law, Human Rights Law, Business Law
  • Health, Medicine, Pharmacy, Biotechnology and related
  • Education
  • Sociology, Social Policy, Social Research and related
  • Women’s Studies, Gender Studies and Equality Studies
  • Information Systems, Communications Technology, Digital Media
  • Business, Economics, Project Management, Strategic Management, Leadership and related
  • Food Science, Food Engineering and Food Industry
  • Tourism and Hospitality

Please refer to the Directory of Programmes for more information about the eligible course.

  1. Two annual awards will be made for a fellowship in Human Rights Law at Trinity College Dublin
  • Master’s degree in Human Rights Law, specifically the LL.M (International and Comparative Law) at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. This will be selected by the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC).

Please refer to the Directory of Programmes for more information about the eligible course.

 

Are you eligible?

Eligibility Criteria for the Kader Asmal Fellowship

To be eligible for a Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2025 applicants must:

  • Be a resident national of South Africa
  • Have a minimum of two years relevant work experience (this can include internships and volunteering positions, see Page 6 for details).
  • Hold an honours’ level academic qualification from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 75% – i.e. a first class honour, or second class honour, Grade 1 (in some cases a second class honour Grade 2 may be accepted). It must have been awarded in 2012 or later (i.e. within the last 12 years).
  • Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher.
  • Be applying to commence a new course at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August/September 2025.
  • Be able to demonstrate leadership abilities and aspirations, as well as commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country.
  • Have identified and selected two relevant courses from the Ireland-Africa Fellows Programme Directory of Eligible Courses, see course list. Directory of Eligible Programmes
  • Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for both courses chosen.
  • Must not have applied for Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme on more than one previous occasion.

Please read the application guidelines carefully before applying.

 

What we offer

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

How to apply

Kindly follow the application guidelines.

We will only accept Stage 1 applications submitted online. Please apply via the link. You will be contacted by Canon Collins Trust once final decisions have been made and informed whether you have been successful or unsuccessful at Stage 1. Please do not otherwise contact the Irish Embassy during this period.

Applications close on  29 July, 3pm GMT.