TheJournal.ie MBA Scholarship

UCD Smurfit School is delighted to partner with thejournal.ie in offering one MBA Scholarship to cover up to 100% tuition fees for either the Full-Time MBA or the Part-Time Executive MBA, commencing August 2024.
Open Date 30th October 2023
Close Date 30th April 2024
GMAT / EA Deadline 31st May 2024
Status Open
Value One scholarship up to 100% of tuition fees

Open to all successful applicants for the Full-Time MBA or Executive MBA who are resident in Ireland, achieving the relevant minimum GMAT score or above. 

GMAT: Full-Time MBA;  preferred minimum score of 600 (565 on the GMAT Focus). Executive MBA; GMAT preferred minimum score of 520 or above. 

GMAC Executive Assessment (EA): EA score of 151 and above is required for the full-time MBA. A score of 149 and above is required for the EMBA programme.

Successful candidates will be selected on merit, paired with a holistic review of their MBA application. The scholarship will be awarded to candidates deemed to be of the highest calibre by the UCD MBA Admissions Committee. UCD Smurfit School reserves the right not to award scholarships if no candidates of the required calibre are identified. The decision is final and any further correspondence will not be entered into.

Please note the GMAT/EA deadline is 31st May 2024.

There is no separate application process for this Scholarship. All successful applicants who have met the deadlines noted, will be considered for short-listing for this scholarship.

Applicants may be required to attend a Scholarship Assessment Centre in June 2024 as a final interview stage. This will be communicated to successful applicants at the time. 

Scholarship Deadlines:

MBA Application Deadline:

30th April 2024

GMAT / EA Deadline:

31st May 2024

* Please select UCD Smurfit as a recipient school for your GMAT/EA Official Score Report on the day of the exam (University College Dublin - Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School). Score reports can take up to 20 days to become available to the School, so please email a copy of your provisional results to mba@ucd.ie (which you will receive on the day of the exam), before or on the GMAT deadline noted above. For further information please refer to the GMAC website.

  1. Thejournal.ie scholarship competition is open to residents of Ireland except employees of UCD and Journal Media Ltd, and their associated affiliated or subsidiary companies, and their immediate families, agents, or anyone connected with this competition.
  2. The competition is open to those who have already submitted an application directly to UCD Smurfit School for August 2024 entry to the Full-Time MBA or Executive MBA programme.
  3. Thejournal.ie MBA Scholarship will be awarded to the candidate deemed to be of the highest calibre by the UCD Smurfit School assessment panel. UCD Smurfit School reserves the right not to award the Scholarship prize if no candidate of the required calibre is identified. The decision is final and any further correspondence will not be entered into.
  4. UCD Smurfit School reserves the right to split the award 50:50 between two recipients/candidates. 
  5. Candidates should have a university degree or equivalent professional qualification, a minimum of three years' professional experience, the required minimum score or above on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Executive Assessment (EA), and two references, normally from current and/or former employers and/or colleagues.
  6. The winning candidate will join their chosen MBA programme starting August 2024.
  7. Scholarship consists of full MBA tuition fees, worth up to €36,990 academic year 2024/2025.
  8. The competition is not open to recipients of any other MBA scholarships being awarded by UCD Smurfit School, but is open to those who have applied for August 2024 entry to a Smurfit MBA programme.
  9. Students awarded any scholarship must commit to participate in promotion of the School and Scholarships (interviews/testimonials, MBA blog, open days and virtual events, or other forms of promotional activity as required). Scholars are expected to assist occasionally as ambassadors for the School.
  10. Deadline for submission of programme applications: 30th April 2024.
  11. The scholarship winner must have taken and secured the relevant minimum GMAT/EA test entry score by 31st May 2024.
  12. Candidates must be available to commence the MBA programme at the end of August 2024.
  13. Scholarships cannot be deferred to a future academic year.
  14. No cash alternative.
  15. No substitutions allowed.
  16. By entering you are deemed to have accepted the rules and terms & conditions of the competition.

If you would like more information on this scholarship or our MBA programmes, please contact our MBA Admissions Manager, Alastair Brewer, by emailing mba@ucd.ie

Eimear O'Flynn

Eimear O'Flynn

Journal.ie MBA Scholarship Recipient 2022

The EMBA at UCD Michael Smurfit Business School has provided me with the skills to accelerate towards senior management within my organisation. As an undergraduate of Science, the MBA has been invaluable in advancing my business acumen, with lessons I was able to apply in the workplace from day one. With the Journal.ie Scholarship, I have learnt from world leading lecturers as well the talented and diverse EMBA class of 2024, an opportunity I may not otherwise have been afforded.

Scholarships Notice

Candidates may apply for a number of scholarships, if they are successful in attaining more than one scholarship, however, they may only accept one scholarship bursary. Scholarship bursaries cannot be added together or combined.

Candidates will be awarded the higher amount. Candidates cannot transfer or use one scholarship or bursary between or against another programme. Scholarships and bursaries are also not allowed to be deferred to a future academic year, it is only applicable and awarded to the student for the year they are offered a place in UCD Smurfit. If a student, subsequently, decides to defer their offer they will lose their scholarship or bursary and be required to apply in the future.

If candidates are in receipt of a SUSI grant they are not eligible to receive a scholarship .

UCD Smurfit School Scholarships are not applicable to courses in UCD Smurfit Executive Development, UCD Belfield campus or programmes run in conjunction with UCD Belfield including the MSc in Biotechnology and Business, MSc in Biotherapeutics and Business and MSc in International Law and Business.

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