About - Undergraduate Academic Scholarships

The Quercus Talented Students’ Programme seeks motivated students who can demonstrate high intellectual achievement, yet want to challenge themselves further by undertaking a university degree programme.

To this end, UCC offers three types of Quercus Academic Scholarships, for both prospective and current students, namely; the Quercus Entrance Scholarship, Quercus College Scholarship and Quercus University Scholarship.

Quercus Entrance Scholarship

The Quercus Entrance Scholarships will be awarded to first year undergraduate students, who are admitted via CAO onto a full-time Level 8 primary degree programme offered by the university.

The recipients will be selected on the basis of being among the top 15 students in their College with respect to Leaving Certificate Examination (LCE) points achievement or EU equivalent.

To be eligible to receive a scholarship a student must have met the normal entry requirements for the degree programme in question and have been validly registered for same. A student who has previously registered for a programme leading to a degree in any third level college shall not be eligible for the award of a Quercus Entrance Scholarship.

Scholarships shall be awarded in order of merit in accordance with the standard UCC scoring system for Leaving Certificate results or EU equivalent as set out in the guidelines for Undergraduate Entry Requirements. 

Only performance in the six best subjects taken at the first attempt at the same sitting of the Leaving Certificate will be counted. In cases where there are more than 15 candidates in a College on a top score, all eligible students will be awarded the scholarship.

In 2023 there have been up to 187 candidates across the four Colleges fitting this criteria.

If the holder of a Quercus Entrance Scholarship withdraws from the programme for which they have registered or fails to continue throughout the year to meet the attendance and other requirements for the programme including examination entry, they may be required to repay to the University the whole or part of the scholarship.

No application is required for Quercus Entrance Scholarships. Successful students will be notified directly.

Note that all scholarship and funding schemes are subject to availability of funds, and details given here are subject to change at any time.

The benefits of this scholarship include a book token or equivalent, the title of Quercus Entrance Scholar, which will be displayed on all transcripts, and a parchment. 

Questions about the Quercus Entrance Scholarship can be directed to k.meagher@ucc.ie.

Quercus College Scholarship

Approximately 125 undergraduate/level 8 programme students awarded scholarships at College level will be selected to participate in the Quercus programme. Scholars will be selected on the basis of the results of their University exams in the year immediately preceding the year in which the Scholarship is awarded. 

Quercus University Scholarship

Up to 4 Quercus University Scholarships will be awarded every year. This strand is targeted at students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement. To be eligible for consideration, currently registered students, with the exception of final year students, will be invited to make an application by the relevant Colleges in University College Cork based on their previous academic results. Shortlisted applicants may be called for interview.

The Scholarship can be renewed for subsequent years subject to the Scholar meeting the requirements of the Quercus University (Academic) Retention & Discontinuation Document and progression to the next level of study in their academic programme.

Am I eligible?

All students are eligible for consideration for the Quercus Entrance Scholarships based on their Leaving Certificate results or EU equivalent.

The Quercus College Scholarships are open to all current UCC students based on their previous year's examination results.

All current UCC students, with the exception of final year students, are eligible for consideration for the Quercus University Scholarships.

The successful Quercus Unviersity Scholar applicant will:

• show outstanding achievement within their discipline(s), and will normally be the highest scoring student in continuous assessment and end of semester examinations in the programme of study.
• show evidence of participation and engagement with the programme of study.
• show evidence of communication skills, dissemination and engaging with/mentoring peers, related to the discipline (e.g. oral presentation, poster presentation, publication).

They may also:

• show relevant connections with other disciplinary areas, placing their own discipline in a wider/broader context.
• demonstrate excellence in areas not exclusive to their specialist domain.
• show evidence of provincial, national or international achievement.
• demonstrate skills of reflection and an understanding of the value of reflection in the learning process.
• demonstrate evidence of leadership and initiative.

Scholarship Benefits

The five strands of talented students within the programme will benefit from a wide range of academic, financial, personal, and other supports. Each talented student will begin the programme with a one-to-one meeting with the Director of the Quercus Programme. This meeting will involve an assessment of the student’s needs, following which an individual programme plan will be developed and agreed for the forthcoming year. Individual programme plans will endeavour to ensure that participation in the Talented Students Programme will lead to a broadening of students’ full spectrum of talents.

For Quercus Entrance Scholars these benefits may include:

• Book voucher or equivalent, the title of Quercus Entrance Scholar and a parchment
• Participation in Quercus lecture series
• Invitations to relevant networking events

For Quercus College Scholars these benefits may include:

• Bursary
• Participation in Quercus lecture series
• Invitations to relevant networking events

For Quercus University Scholars these benefits may include:

• Campus Accommodation
• Waiver of €3,000 Student Contribution Fee
• Bursary
• Life Coaching
• Participation in Quercus lecture series
• Individualised career advice
• Academic Mentor
• Invitations to relevant networking events
• Participation in relevant workshops/master classes

How do I apply?

How do I apply?

• The Quercus Entrance Scholarship is dependent on Leaving Certificate results or EU equivalent. There is no need to apply for this Scholarship as successful students will be notified automatically.
• The Quercus College Scholars will be notified by the relevant Colleges in University College Cork, consequently there is no need to apply for this Scholarship.
• The Quercus University Scholars will be invited to make an application by the relevant Colleges in University College Cork based on students' previous academic results