Scholarship Programme for Asylum seekers and Refugees

Academic year scholarships

The University Language Centre provides English language tuition, academic support and teacher training in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

In support of UCC’s status as a University of Sanctuary, the Language Centre is offering four sponsored places on courses each year that will directly or indirectly have a positive impact on the educational or career prospects of asylum seekers and refugees living in the Cork area.

Scholarship: one year’s free tuition. Students have the full support and access to services within UCC.

Please note:

The course in 2024-25 will run from 26 August 2024 to 13 June 2025.
The application deadline is 1 August 2024.
Interviews will take place before 23 August 2024.

Course Dates

Course Dates for 2024-25

Scolarship starts: 26 August 2024
Application deadline: 01 August 2024
Scholarship duration: 26 August 2024 - 13 June 2025

Application Process

There are four scholarships available:

2 x GENERAL ENGLISH
2 x ACADEMIC ENGLISH

Each scholarship consists of 20 hours per week of English language tuition. Classes are held from 9.00 – 13.00, Monday to Friday.

Students have the full support and access to services within UCC, as university students.

Applicants must complete an application form and if shortlisted will be invited to an informal interview and English language assessment.

Applications for the following courses are welcomed from asylum seekers and refugees whose status in Ireland has not been determined and who are not eligible for typical social welfare entitlements.

Please send the Application Form to infolang@ucc.ie and lauren.french@ucc.ie

Details and Selection Criteria

Programme	Application deadline	Selection criteria	Application form
Full-time Intensive English – General Track (2 places)	Thursday 01/08/24	Education level – NFQ Level 4 or equivalent English language skills - B1 (Intermediate) or above. Career history - Skilled or professional. Applicants will be asked to explain why studying general English in a university setting will be of particular help in supporting them to progress in their chosen job or field.	General Track Scholarship Form 24-25
Full-time Intensive English – Academic Track (2 places)	Thursday 01/08/24	Education level – NFQ Level 5 or equivalent English language skills - B1+ (Intermediate) for undergraduate pathway, B2 (Upper Intermediate) for post-graduate pathway Long or short-term educational plan – third level (University) Applicants will be asked to explain why studying academic English in a university setting will help enable them to progress on their chosen academic pathway.	Academic Track Scholarship Form 24-25

Programme

Application deadline

Selection criteria

Application form

Full-time Intensive

English – General Track

(2 places)

Thursday

01/08/24

Education level – NFQ Level 4 or equivalent
English language skills - B1 (Intermediate) or above.
Career history - Skilled or professional.
Applicants will be asked to explain why studying general English in a university setting will be of particular help in supporting them to progress in their chosen job or field.

General Track Scholarship Form 24-25

Full-time Intensive English – Academic Track

(2 places)

Thursday

01/08/24

Education level – NFQ Level 5 or equivalent
English language skills - B1+ (Intermediate) for undergraduate pathway, B2 (Upper Intermediate) for post-graduate pathway
Long or short-term educational plan – third level (University)
Applicants will be asked to explain why studying academic English in a university setting will help enable them to progress on their chosen academic pathway.

Academic Track Scholarship Form 24-25

Application Forms

Download the application forms at the links below

General Track Scholarship Form Academic Track Scholarship Form

Shortlisting Process

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview for each track (General and Academic). Interviews (Online) and assessments will take place after making an appointment with the tutor through infolang@ucc.ie

We will be shortlisting students based on the content and presentation of their written applications. Reasonable errors will not be penalised and consideration will be given to the applicant’s stated level of English.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview. The interviews will be made relaxed and informal to give everyone the best chance to succeed. Candidates will be given a short language assessment at the same time.

Any unsuccessful candidates will be eligible to apply in the next round of applications.

IT Requirements

All students are required to bring to class a fully-charged laptop (with audio and video) and headphones to ensure full participation and access to course materials and a more valuable student experience. A reliable internet connection is required (this is provided by UCC for on-campus students). You should download Microsoft Teams to your laptop before starting your course. UCC recommends the use of Chrome browser for best interaction with all its applications. Please note that a laptop is a device that is suitable for study purposes and students who use another device such as a tablet will not be able to access some functions. A smartphone is not considered to be a suitable device for study purposes.

If you need any further information or have any questions, please contact infolang@ucc.ie

Language Centre

Lárionad Teanga

Main Office, G36, O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

Language Centre Lárionad Teanga