At a glance

• Value: €500
• You must be a current UCC Student to be eligible for this scholarship
• Questions about this scholarship can be directed to f.coyne@ucc.ie

In the College of Business and Law, Quercus College Scholarships of €500 each, tenable for one year, are offered for competition, based on the results of the Summer First and Second year (and in the case of one award Third year) University Examinations in programmes offered by the College of Business and Law.

Assessment Criteria and Marking Scheme
The Scheme has been designed to differentiate fairly, equitably and rationally between the different programmes on offer in the College of Business and Law. The award is based on academic merit. The award, a sum of money and a parchment, will be confined to students, who have successfully completed the relevant academic year during the preceding session in the Programme first chosen by them, in the minimum prescribed time, and is made after the presentation of a report from the College Scholarship Committee to College Council.

General:

• Second Year Quercus College scholarships may be awarded on the results of the Summer First University Examinations. Similarly, Third Year scholarships may be awarded on the results of the Second Year Examinations. Such awards are tenable only in the College of Business and Law, University College Cork, and for the session immediately following their award.
• To be eligible for any such award, a student must not have previously registered for a programme leading to a degree in any third level College other than that for which they are currently registered. The interpretation of such eligibility in any disputed case shall be a matter solely for the decision of the College Scholarships Committee.
• To be eligible for the award of a Quercus College Scholarship in any year a student must have completed the programme of the preceding year, and passed the relevant examination thereon, in the minimum time. Scholarships are awarded on the results awarded at the Summer Examination Board in the previous academic year. Exemption from this regulation will be granted by the Academic Council only in the case of serious and prolonged illness.
• The standard must have been achieved at the first attempt in the spring/summer examinations unless permission has been given by the University Mitigation Committee to sit the examinations in the autumn or to split them between spring/summer and autumn.
• A Quercus College Scholarship will normally be awarded only to a student who has (a) taken the examination concerned as a whole and (b) obtained a first class honours result (or equivalent). In the event that no student in a particular category achieves first class honours, the College Scholarship Committee shall have the discretion to award an additional scholarship in another category.The College Scholarship Committee shall have discretion in such circumstances to make one or more awards (of a reduced amount if deemed appropriate) to a student who, while not achieving first class honours, has achieved results which are the best of the eligible students in his or her category. If funds remain after the Committee has determined whether or not to exercise its discretion in the above two respects, there shall be discretion to make a token award to the student/s who achieve/s the title of College Scholar.
• Where two or more students tie in academic respects for a Quercus College Scholarship, the College Scholarship Committee shall exercise discretion in such circumstances to make the award to the student who is felt to have contributed significantly to the public life of the University (see below).
• No student is eligible to compete for a scholarship, which s/he has already obtained in a previous session.
• No student from another University or College is eligible to compete for any such award in this University except in an academic grade higher than that held by him/her in the University or College from which he/she came.
• This is a financial prize and all scholars are liable for tuition (if applicable), registration and capitation fees.
• Should the highest scoring student in any year of any programme also hold a Quercus Active Citizenship Scholarship, Quercus Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship, Quercus Sports' Scholarship, Quercus Innovation/Entrepreneurship Scholarship or Quercus University Scholarship, they will retain the title of Quercus College Scholar but forfeit the monetary award associated with the scholarship. The title Quercus College Scholar and its associated monetary award will in this case pass to the next highest scoring student in the programme for that year.

• The Quercus College Scholarships will be awarded at a College prize giving ceremony.
• Scholarships are only available for the programmes outlined below. Not included are programmes at Diploma level or those taught as distance learning or where the students spend only one year at UCC.

Contribution to the Public Life of the University

The “top student” is defined by reference to examination marks. Where more than one student receives the same top mark the contribution to the University, as judged by involvement in student clubs and societies, is used as a tie-breaker. Submissions will be requested of the students, with at least one reference included to support claims, and these will be considered by the College Scholarships Committee.

College Scholarship Committee

• Chair of Committee: Head of College (or nominee)
• Chairs of School Learning and Teaching Committees (or their nominee)
• College Student Recruitment and Liaison Officer

Quercus College Scholarships (Business Programmes) 
The College of Business and Law has allocated €9,500 for the provision of scholarships to Business Programmes as follows:

** Top Mature Student. Mature Students (those applying through the CAO as a mature student) who have completed First Year will be eligible for consideration for one award of €500 in Second Year. Similarly, Mature Students who have completed Second Year will be eligible for consideration for one award of €500 in Third Year. In the case of each award one mature student only will be selected to receive the award for each of the years identified from amongst eligible students of all of the following degrees: - BComm, BSc Accounting, BSc Business Information Systems, BSc Finance, BSc International Business with Languages, BSc International Development, BSc Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship and BA Economics (TTL). The Scholarship will be awarded to the mature student who received the highest marks overall across all of the degree programmes listed above.

*** Top Non-EU Student. Non-EU students who have completed Second Year will be eligible for consideration for one award of €500 in Third Year. For the award one non-EU student only will be selected to receive the award for the year identified from amongst eligible students of all of the following degrees: - B Comm, BSc Accounting, BSc Business Information Systems, BSc Finance, BSc International Development, BSc Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship, BA Economics (TTL), BA Economics (International) and BA Business and Financial Economics. The Scholarship will be awarded to the non-EU student who received the highest marks overall across all of the degree programmes listed above.

Quercus College Scholarships (Law Programmes)
The College of Business and Law has allocated €6,000 for the provision of scholarships to Law Programmes. The decision was made to reward students in the course of their studies while they are still at UCC. All Quercus College Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of the accompanying assessment criteria and marking scheme. The total amount of prizes to be distributed below amounts to €6,000. The award breakdown is as follows:

* BCL (Law & Languages) encompasses BCL (Law and Irish) and BCL (Law and French)

**As the EBCL runs on a two-year cycle, the award is given in alternate years between EBCL III or Dip. in Law, depending on which year of the programme is running.

*** Top Mature Student. Mature Students (those applying through the CAO as a mature student) who have completed First Year will be eligible for consideration for one award of €500 in Second Year. Similarly, Mature Students who have completed Second Year will be eligible for consideration for one award of €500 in Third Year. In the case of each award one mature student only will be selected to receive the award for each of the years identified from amongst eligible students of all of the following degrees: - BCL, BCL (Clinical), BCL (International), BCL (Law and Business), BCL (Law and French) and BCL (Law and Irish). The Scholarship will be awarded to the mature student who received the highest marks overall across all of the degree programmes listed above.

These scholarships are awarded on the basis of the previous year's Examination results, i.e. on the Summer Examination 2024 results.