2025/2026 IRISH AID ROGER CASEMENT FELLOWSHIP IN HUMAN RIGHTS (FULLY FUNDED TO STUDY IN IRELAND)
Application Deadline: July 30, 2024
Applications are now open for the 2025/2026 Irish Aid Roger Casement Fellowship in Human Rights. The Ireland Fellows Programme enables early to mid-career professionals from eligible countries, with leadership potential, to benefit from a prestigious, world-class, quality education contributing to capacity building. It offers selected students the opportunity to undertake a fully funded one-year master’s level programme at a higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland. The award covers programme fees, flights, accommodation and living costs. Eligible master’s level programmes in Ireland commence in August or September each year and, depending on the programme, will run for between 10 and 16 months.
The Roger Casement Fellowship in Human Rights was established to honour the memory of the Irish human rights activist Roger Casement, who spent some of his early working life in Calabar, Nigeria. He was an early advocate for human rights while in Nigeria and during his later work in the Congo, the Amazon and in Ireland. With his humanitarian legacy in mind, the Roger Casement Fellowship supports candidates from Nigeria to undertake a master’s level course of study in Human Rights in Ireland each year.
Eligible Countries: Nigeria
Eligible Courses:
Masters programmes at Irish higher education institutes in the areas of Law, Human Rights and Governance.
Eligibility
To be eligible for an Ireland Fellows Programme – Casement Fellowship award commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2025, applicants must:
- Be a resident national of Nigeria.
- Have a minimum of two years’ substantial work experience that is directly relevant to your proposed programme(s) of study.
- Hold a bachelor’s level academic qualification from an accredited and government-recognised higher education institution, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) – i.e. a first class honour, or second class honour, Grade 1 (a second class honour Grade 2 may be accepted if the applicant has substantial directly relevant work experience). It must have been awarded in 2013 or later (i.e. within the last 12 years).
- Not already hold a qualification at master’s level or higher. Not currently undertaking a programme at master’s level or higher, or be due to start a programme at master’s level or higher in the academic year 2024/25.
- Be applying to commence a new programme at master’s level in Ireland no sooner than August 2025.
- Be able to demonstrate the following: leadership abilities and aspirations; a commitment to the achievement of the SDGs within your own country; and a commitment to contribute to building positive relationships with Ireland.
- Have identified and selected three programmes relevant to your academic and professional background from the Casement Fellowship Directory of Eligible Programmes.
- Have a clear understanding of the academic and English language proficiencies required for all programmes chosen.
- Must not have applied to the Ireland Fellows Programme on more than one previous occasion.
- Be in a position to take up the Fellowship in the academic year 2025/2026.
The Fellowship covers the recipient only. Financial support or visas for spouses or dependents are not included within the scope of the programme.
Applications
Please read the Applicants Guidance Note carefully before completing as eligibility criteria may differ from country to country.
The application process consists of three stages:
- Stage 1 Preliminary Application;
- Stage 2 Detailed Application;
- Stage 3 Interviews.
