To be considered for the Think Again Scholarship and applying for a  course you must be:

• A woman aged 23 years and over.
• You must be in receipt of a Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Maintenance Grant.  
• Be in receipt of a long-term means-tested Social Protection payment or its equivalent from an EU Member State.
• A first-time entrant to Higher Education at NFQ Level 6 or above; OR An entrant who has previously attended but not completed a course at NFQ Level 6 or above and has had a 3-year break in study since leaving that course; OR An entrant who has completed a NFQ Level 6 or above as part of a progression pathway to a UCD undergraduate degree.

To be considered for the Think Again Scholarship and applying for a part-time course you must be:

• A woman aged 23 years and over.
• Be within the household income threshold outlined below:
  • Less than 4 dependent children - €50,840
  • Between 4 and 8  dependent children - €55,768
  • More than  8  dependent children - €60,445
  • Income thresholds increase per additional person in college +4,785

• Be in receipt of a long-term means-tested Social Protection payment or its equivalent from an EU Member State.
• A first-time entrant to Higher Education at NFQ Level 6 or above; 
  OR An entrant who has previously attended but not completed a course at NFQ Level 6 or above and has had a 3-year break in study since leaving that course; 
  OR An entrant who has completed a NFQ Level 6 or above diploma as part of a progression pathway to a UCD undergraduate degree.
• You must be an Irish, EU, EEA, UK or Swiss national or have a specific immigration status. Your nationality must be supported by documentation which may include; a passport or your full civil birth certificate, copy of your Public Services Card or an original government issued photo identification document; OR leave to remain permission from the Department of Justice which must be supported by a letter from the International Protection Office.   
• You must be resident in the Irish State, EU, EEA, UK or Swiss Federation for three of the last five years. Residency must be supported by documentation which may include, Social Protection Statements, GP letters, letters from schools, your P60 for years up to 2018 or Employment Detail Summary from 2019 onwards.

Applications for the 2024/25 academic year

Step 1:

Please read the documents below carefully before you apply:

1. (opens in a new window)UCD Think Again Privacy Statement

Step 2:

Required documentation.

For full-time Think Again Scholarship application

1. Statement of Social Protection Payments for 2023 available at (opens in a new window)MyGovid.ie
2. SUSI letter confirming your SUSI grant rate  including the Assessed Reckonable Income page (Three Pages altogether)

 For part-time Think Again Scholarship application

1. Statement of Social Protection Payments for 2023 available at (opens in a new window)MyGovid.ie
2. Statement of Liability (formerly a P21 form) - available at (opens in a new window)MyGovid.ie

It is essential you have these when applying online. 

Step 3:  Statement of Motivation

You will be asked to write a Statement of Motivation about why you are applying for Think Again as part of your application. During the assessment of your application, we will use what you write to better understand why you want to study in UCD and what it will mean to you. The statement will only be used to assess your application after all other documents have been assessed and you have been deemed eligible in all other areas. Your statement will only be read by members of staff directly working on Think Again application assessment.

Your statement of motivation should not be any longer than 350-400 words. Please use the questions/statements below to assist you with your motivational statement:

• Reasons why you wish to study at UCD
• Your achievements to date
• Your future plans after you complete the course.
• Any obstacles that have affected your education in the past.

 Step 4: 

Use either the online or the Word document version to apply for the scholarship

Full-time scholarship online application click on the link below
(opens in a new window)Full-time online application form for the Think Again Scholarship   

Full-time scholarship word document application click on the link below
Full-time Think Again Scholarship Full Time application form word version

Part-time scholarship online application click on the link below
(opens in a new window)Apply online for the Think Again Part-time Scholarship

If you have any issues completing the online application form, download a Word document version here.

Email the completed word document application Form along with the required documents to (opens in a new window)thinkagain@ucd.ie  

Help is available

Please contact thinkagain@ucd.ie if you want help completing the Application Form or in uploading your documents.

Applications from full-time students

The deadline for applications from full-time students is July 2024 (Date TBC)

The deadline for applications from part-time students is September 2024 (Date TBC) 

Watch this video!

Get help with your application by watching the recording of the (opens in a new window)How do I apply for Think Again? Online Information session. Password is w#9fBJ4E

The video is split into three parts:

1. The experience of two Think Again scholars as they finish their first year in UCD (starts at 3:00 and ends at 10:30)

2. What is a Mature Student, Pathways to UCD and the 3 Ms (Motivation, Map and Means) (starts at 11:00 and ends at 32:00)

3. What is Think Again and how do I apply? (starts at 33:00 and ends at 51:30)

Full-time: Any full-time UCD undergraduate degree programmes 

Part-time: Any part-time UCD undergraduate programmes, including:

• UCD Access − a one-year part-time programme which prepares students for university and provides an entry route to a range of undergraduate degrees. (More details about UCD Access here).
• UCD Open Learning Pathway programme − a part-time programme that allows you to study at your own pace to accumulate 30 credits towards an NFQ Level 7 Certificate in Open Learning, which can be used to progress to one of 13 UCD undergraduate degrees. (More details about Open Learning here)
• (opens in a new window)UCD Diploma/Bachelor of Business Studies
• UCD BA Part-time Degree Programme

• Undergraduate full-time degree students may secure up to €7,000 per student per year of study.
• The one-year part-time University Access Course students may avail of €1,000 per student.
• Other part-time students may avail of €1,000 per student per year of study.

This is an allowance to cover your basic cost of living including rent, food, utilities, phone/ internet, medical, clothes, books, travel.

If you are successful in your Think Again Scholarship application, full-time students are paid in regular instalments during the academic year. Part-time students are paid pro-rata depending on how many modules are taken.

Scholarship payments are subject to compliance with the Think Again Scholarship Agreement and dependent on continued registration and progression on your programme.

Think Again also has a separate fund available to provide a supplementary allowance for additional costs such as internships, field trips, study abroad and specific costs associated with caring responsibilities. These funds are allocated on a case-by-case basis to existing Think Again scholars.

All scholarships are awarded based on online written application, demonstrated financial need and interview.

It is up to individual applicants to assess the implications of any scholarship funds on their payment from the Department of Social Protection.

The Think Again Scholarship is not included as reckonable income for SUSI or Social Protection.

The Think Again programme is open to women who are eligible for the HEA free fees initiative and who are eligible for the (opens in a new window)SUSI grant covering your Student Contribution. As such, you will not be required to pay fees.

For students on part-time courses not covered by SUSI or the free fees initiative, fee waivers or reductions may be possible on a case-by-case basis.

Non CAO Pathways

• UCD Access Programme.  Learn more about the UCD Access Programme - click here!
• Open Learning Progression Pathways. Progression Pathways and the 13 available course options - click here!
• Lifelong learning - short courses. Learn more about UCD Lifelong Learning Programme - click here!

CAO Pathways

A Mature Student can apply to study at UCD through the CAO Application process as a Mature Student or for specific courses as a candidate with a full QQI Level 5 or Level 6 major award. Learn more about applying as a Mature Student  - click here!

Find out about what life at UCD  is like as a mature student on our Mature Student information hub.

The (opens in a new window)Mature Student Society  offers a ready made way to mix with other mature students.

While we update our information for Parents who are Students, you may find some of the information on the Support for Parents page of the employee Equality, Diversity and Inclusion section of the website useful. 

Participating in UCD Societies and Clubs is an important part of the university experience. The (opens in a new window)Campus life information webpage outlines all your options for you to participate in student life. 

Please contact thinkagain@ucd.ie for assistance in completing the Application Form and uploading documents.

You may also view the recording of the (opens in a new window)Information video here to assist you in the application process. Password is w#9fBJ4E

The video is split into three parts:

1. The experience of two Think Again scholars as they finish their first year in UCD (starts at 3:00 and ends at 10:30)

2. What is a Mature Student, Pathways to UCD and the 3 Ms (Motivation, Map and Means) (starts at 11:00 and ends at 32:00)

3. What is Think Again and how do I apply? (starts at 33:00 and ends at 51:30)