Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships 2026 at University College Dublin

niversity College Dublin has officially opened applications for the Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships 2026, a prestigious fully funded PhD opportunity aimed at attracting outstanding international researchers to Ireland for the 2026–2027 academic cohort. This opportunity is designed for high-achieving Master’s graduates who want to pursue cutting-edge doctoral research in politics, international relations, climate governance, or authoritarian studies, with enrollment starting in September 2026.

Offered by the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe) at UCD, these scholarships are part of Ireland’s flagship doctoral funding scheme and remain open to global applicants until early February 2026.

Funding Offer of Ad Astra Scholarship

Successful candidates will receive a comprehensive funding package that allows them to focus fully on research without financial pressure. Each Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarship includes:

• Full tuition fee coverage (up to the non-EU rate)
• A generous annual stipend of €25,000 to cover living expenses
• A dedicated €4,000 yearly research allowance for fieldwork, data collection, conferences, and academic travel
• Funding for up to four years, subject to satisfactory annual progress
• Full-time PhD enrollment at University College Dublin

Two thematic doctoral positions are available under this call:

• Environmental and Climate-Related Risk, Response, or Resilience
• Authoritarian Politics

Both tracks begin in September 2026 and are supervised by leading researchers at UCD.

Do You Stand Eligible for Ad Astra PhD Scholarship?

You are generally a strong candidate for the Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships if you:

• Are applying for a PhD in Politics and International Relations, or PhD in Quantitative and Computational Social Science (with a SPIRe supervisor)
• Hold a relevant Master’s degree with at least a 2.1 classification (GPA 3.6 or equivalent)
• Are completing your Master’s degree and expect to meet the minimum grade requirement before enrollment
• Have a clear, well-defined doctoral research proposal aligned with one of the two advertised themes
• Intend to start your PhD full-time in September 2026 at UCD
• Can demonstrate English language proficiency (unless exempt due to prior education in an English-speaking country)

Applicants with supervisors outside SPIRe, part-time status, non-September starts, or partial PhD transfers are not eligible.

Apply: https://www.ucd.ie/spire/study/prospectivephdstudents/adastradoctoralscholarships/

The last date to apply for the Ad Astra Doctoral Scholarships 2026 at University College Dublin is Friday, 6 February 2026, at 5:00 PM (Dublin time).