KickStart Scholarship

About the KickStart Scholarship

This scholarship, funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund, was established by the Irish Probation Service, and supported by the Irish Prison Service, to support persons with a criminal justice history experiencing socio-economic disadvantage to access Higher Education across the MEND cluster of 4 HEI’s (Technological University of the Shannon Athlone Campus, Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology and Maynooth University).

For 2025/2026, two tiers of scholarship are available to be awarded to each MEND HEI to fund the entire duration of an awardee’s programme of study. Every KickStart applicant is offered wraparound advisory support and guidance regardless of the application outcome:

• One scholarship of €5,000 per year of undergraduate study to a maximum of €20,000 over 4 years of a full-time course or 6 years of a part-time course.
• One scholarship of €1,250 per year of undergraduate study to a maximum of €5,000 over 4 years of a full-time course or 6 years of a part-time course.

KickStart Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

The priority group for the KickStart Scholarship Fund are applicants who: 

(i) have a criminal conviction

(ii) are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, and 

(iii) are in undergraduate third level education in the year of application. 

• To apply to the scheme, applicants must be undergraduates in third level education in one of the four MEND HEIs.
• Applicants must be first-time undergraduates enrolled on a full-time or part-time course in one of the MEND publicly funded institutions that takes not less than two years to complete and on the successful completion of which an applicant is awarded a major higher education and training award at level 6 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications. There is no restriction on programme of study.
• Applicants must provide verification that they have been convicted of a crime which resulted in them having a criminal record and have either served time in prison and/or received a community-based Probation sanction which resulted in a criminal record. As the impact of a criminal record is felt for many years after an individual has completed their court ordered sanction, there is no time limit on how recent their convictions were. NB: Irish citizens who have been extradited from another country to a prison in the Republic must have spent at least 2 years in Ireland in order to meet the criteria.
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they would qualify for Band 4 (0-3 dependents) of the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) maintenance grant with a reckonable household income on or below €58,470 in 2024 or would qualify for full fees from SUSI with a Department of Social Protection (DSP) long-term means-tested social welfare payment such as Back to Education Allowance i.e. applicants must be able to provide evidence that shows they are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage equivalent to the SUSI maintenance rate on or below €58,470. All applications will be assessed in line with SUSI assessment process.
• Applicants must also have been resident in the State (Republic of Ireland) for three of the past five years prior to the date their first year of study commences (evidenced by HEI Fee Status). 

Prioritisation Criteria

• Applications are assessed on the basis of all information provided in the application process to weight the scholarships in favour of those applicants who meet additional prioritisation criteria.
• Priority will be given to applicants who are first-time new entrants commencing their third level education in 2025/26.
• Priority will be given to applicants who are not in receipt of additional funding awarded to the same or greater value.
• Priority will be given to applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria as this demonstrates the intersectionality of an applicant's criminal justice history and socioeconomic disadvantage:
• Applicant who qualifies for the SUSI special rate of maintenance grant for 0-3 dependent children, or with an equivalent reckonable income under €27,400 in 2024
• Mature student (23 or older on 1 January of their year of entry to higher education)
• Further education and training award holder (FETAC/QQI) progressing to higher education
• Applicant with disabilities
• Member of Irish Traveller community
• Member of the Roma community
• Lone parent
• Applicant is or was in the Care of the State / TUSLA
• Direct Provision residents who have been granted either refugee status, subsidiary protection status or leave to remain, who are living in or transitioning out of direct provision (within previous 3 years) per section 14 of the Applicant Support Act 2011 and regulation 5 the Applicant Support Regulations 2021 (Statutory Instrument No. 132 of 2021)
• Applicant who is/was previously homeless (within previous 3 years)
• Applicant who is/was living in supported accommodation (within previous 3 years).

The top scoring KickStart Scholarship applicants will be requested to provide supporting documentation. All applicants should review the KickStart Scholarship 2025-26 Supporting Documents Checklist and start to gather evidence that confirms their application details, as this can take some time.

Ineligibility for KickStart Scholarship

• Applicants who do not have a criminal record.
• Applicants who already have a qualification at the same level on the National Framework of Qualifications as the course on which they are currently enrolled /are intending to enrol.
• Applicants who have received funding through other multi-annual Scholarship or Bursary schemes with a value greater than €2,000 per annum.
• Applicants on a full-time or part-time undergraduate course that takes less than two years to complete, or on the successful completion of which an applicant is awarded a major higher education and training award at level 5 or below on the National Framework of Qualifications.
• Applicants whose reckonable income is assessed as over the maximum income limit, as per the assessment criteria for SUSI.
• Applicants who have not lived in the Republic of Ireland for 3 of the past 5 years.
• Postgraduate applicants.
• Persons who are in the protection system or at the leave to remain or at deportation order stage are not eligible to apply for a KickStart Scholarship. This is in accordance with section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011 and regulation 5 the Student Support Regulations 2021 (Statutory Instrument No. 132 of 2021). Persons who are in the protection system or at the leave to remain (not at deportation order) stage however can apply to be considered for support under the Student Support Scheme for people in the International Protection System (asylum seekers). Applicants currently living in direct provision are not eligible for support under the KickStart Scholarship scheme; the only exception is in respect of those residents who have been granted either refugee status, subsidiary protection status or leave to remain, and are currently transitioning out of direct provision (or within previous 3 years).