Scholarships
Sport Scholarship Applications for the 2023/24 academic year are open as of 01 February 2023 and will close on Friday 31 March 2023.
Graduate Sport Scholarship applications for 2023/24 will open open 01 June 2023, and close 31 July 2023.
Ad Astra Elite Sports Scholarship applications are now closed as of 31 January 2023.
The pursuit of excellence is part of the mission of UCD. All three scholarship programmes are for students who wish to compete and succeed at the highest sporting levels while simultaneously attaining a degree at UCD. (Please follow the links below for details on the Ad Astra Elite Scholarships and the Graduate Sports Scholarships);
The aim of the UCD Sports Scholarship programme is to give talented young people the opportunity of developing their sporting career by offering the highest standards in coaching, training, nutrition, strength and conditioning advice, while also completing their chosen course of study. By combining sports participation with academic work in an ideal environment within the University, a safety net is provided for the student and career prospects are, to a large extent, guaranteed. Therefore, career-threatening injuries or illness or some other unforeseen circumstances do not have the same traumatic impact. The individual is encouraged through judicious balancing of the time available to ensure that neither academic nor sporting interests are compromised.
"Coming into UCD my academic goals were just as important to me as my sporting goals. UCD Ad Astra helped me balance both aspects of my life enabling me to represent my country on the athletics track and qualify from my degree with a 1st. The opportunity to shape my time in UCD to best suit my sporting calendar was most notably the biggest benefit for me, for which I also have to thank UCD School of Physiotherapy."
Ciara Mageean – 2016 European Bronze Medallist, 2016 Rio Olympian
“My Ad Astra Scholarship has been absolutely invaluable to me during my time in UCD. I firmly believe that it has allowed me to compete in my sport at the highest possible level while affording me the chance to have an enjoyable and authentic college experience. My time in UCD has been fantastic both on and off the field and this would not have been possible without the support I received”
Jack McCaffrey – 2 time All Ireland Winner, 2015 Footballer of the Year, Sigerson Captain. Ad Astra and Sports Scholar, Medicine Graduate 2018
Further Information
UCD Sport, Room 203,
UCD Sports Centre,
Belfield,
Dublin 4.
sport@ucd.ie or visit www.ucd.ie/sport
