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Research Scholarship Opportunities

The School is committed to increasing the number of financial opportunities available to nurses and midwives to take on further study.

2025 / 2026 Research Scholarships

We are pleased to announce the launch of our 2025 PhD Scholarships opportunities.

Full and Part-time PhD Scholarships offer EU academic fees for 4 years on the full-time register and 6 years on the part-time register. No stipend is provided and no teaching contribution to the School is requested.

The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems (SNMHS) aims to generate and advance innovative knowledge and evidence through research grounded in integrity and rigour, fostering engaged students and strong partnerships with diverse global communities and the health workforce to drive innovation, inclusivity and meaningful impact.

The PhD Scholarships are aligned to UCD SNMHS research centre and clusters: 

We have outlined specific PhD projects, please read the project summaries carefully. Where a project interests you and is related to your area of expertise please apply using the application process outlined below.  

For all PhD projects the following general eligibility criteria applies, in addition, each project has outlined essential and desirable eligibility criteria.

Important Dates

  Date
Applications Open May, 13th 09:00
Applications Close June, 13th 17:00
Notification of Shortlisted Applicants June, 30th 17:00
Interviews for Shortlisted Applicants July 2025
Notification of Successful Applicants Within 2 weeks of interview

Entry Requirements

Applicants must be a legal resident of Ireland at the time of the application.

Applicants must have an active nursing or midwifery registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or be eligible for registration*

Applicants must fulfil one of the following criteria*

  • The candidate has obtained a minimum of an upper second-class degree or equivalent in a relevant honours Bachelor’s degree;
  • The candidate has obtained a relevant master’s degree;
  • In certain circumstances, the candidate has demonstrated other evidence of academic standing and/or relevant professional experience as satisfies the Governing Board of their suitability for admission to the degree programme. These criteria are considered non-standard admission requirements.

English Language Requirements

Candidates whose first language is not English and whose primary degree was obtained in a country where English is not the official language of instruction must provide proof of proficiency in English such as IELTS or TOEFL. The original certificate of completion of an English language test must be enclosed with the application. In all cases, the test results must not be more than two years old.

If you are unsure about your eligibility please contact the Research Degree Programme Administrator at (opens in a new window)researchdegrees.nmhs@ucd.ie

SNMHS Undergraduate Direct Entry* Applications are invited from UCD undergraduate nursing and midwifery students who are in the final stage of their undergraduate programme (Stage 4).

To be considered eligible for the scholarship programme UCD undergraduate nursing or midwifery students must fulfil the following criteria:

  1. Be in the final stage of their registration programme with anticipation of NMBI registration in 2024
  2. Provide evidence to support a predicted degree of a minimum of upper second-class honours (stage module transcripts and academic reference)

Successful applicants may be offered a research degree programme scholarship conditional to the candidate achieving a minimum of an upper second-class honours degree in 2024 AND subsequent NMBI registration.

*Successful candidates may defer the commencement of their research degree registration to January 2025 to facilitate NMBI registration. Please note the School is not in a position to provide financial or other support for a student seeking NMBI registration.

Email Application as one document in PDF or word format to (opens in a new window)researchdegrees.nmhs@ucd.ie

By June 13th 17:00

Please complete the following:

  • Select ONE project strongly aligned to your expertise
  • 2-3 page CV (use the template provided) (size 12 font)
  • Research proposal: Using the headings as a guide, please outline a research proposal max of 4 pages (excluding references), size 12 font, 1.5 spacing. Please note applications over 4 pages will not be read.
  • One Academic Reference or a reference from a research/QI project lead you worked with

We have provided you with two templates to support your application

  1. Brief CV Template
  2. Research Proposal Template

You may download both templates below.

Campaign Banner PhD Projects

PhD Project Opportunities

There are 6 research project opportunities available for scholarships. Click the link to find out more.

What Happens After I Apply

  • Applications will be reviewed by the PhD supervisory team and a shortlist drawn up
  • Applicants will be informed of the outcome within 2 weeks
  • If successful at shortlisting stage, applicants will be invited for an on-line interview (June-July)
  • Final outcomes will be announced within 2 weeks
  • Successful applicants will be invited to register for the UCD PhD programme, to start in September 2025, if required registration can be deferred to January 2026.

Contact the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems

Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4
T: +353 1 716 6407 | Location Map(opens in a new window)