NOTE: There is no fee or cost to be paid when making your application for the John & Pat Hume Doctoral Awards (via the private PAC portal link above). At a later stage, if you are awarded and accept a scholarship, you will need to register for your PhD programme (which incurs a €50 PAC fee).
ELIGIBILITY
1. I am currently in the final year of my undergraduate studies. I expect a 1st but I will not have results at the time of the application deadline. Can I apply?
Yes. You can apply on the basis of expected results. If you are selected for the award, you will receive a conditional offer. Once your final results are available and you are confirmed as having met the eligibility criteria, the offer will be confirmed. If you do not meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria, the scholarship offer will be withdrawn.
2. My undergraduate degree does not qualify me for the scholarship, but I am currently pursuing a taught Masters programme and expect a 1st. My results will however not be available at the time of the application deadline. Can I apply?
Yes. You can apply on the basis of expected results. If you are selected for the scholarship, you will receive a conditional offer. Once your final Masters results are available and you are confirmed as having met the eligibility criteria, the offer will be confirmed. If you do not meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria, the scholarship offer will be withdrawn.
3. I am currently in the first year of a structured PhD with the <xxx> Department - does this mean I am ineligible? If I submit a Masters, and then re-register, would this make me eligible?
Current PhD students are not eligible for the scholarship for the degree that they have already started. This also applies to research master students intending to progress onto PhD in year 2. Those already registered for a postgraduate research degree will have to start a new research degree in order to be eligible for an award under the scheme. It needs to be noted that students contemplating terminating their current research degree prematurely in order to be eligible for an award should consider very carefully implications of such a decision.
4. I have applied for the Irish Research Council postgraduate scholarship. Can I apply for funding under this scheme also?
Yes, if you meet eligibility criteria of the scheme you can apply to the Hume scheme. Please note that a research student can only be in receipt of one full scholarship at Maynooth University.
5. I am currently an occasional employee with MU, does this prevent me from making an application?
The John & Pat Hume Award is only for full-time students pursuing a full time PhD programme.
6. I was wondering if you allow students converting from a masters to a PhD to apply?
I began a research masters in September of 2021, and did not apply for funding as I anticipated only spending two years here at most. Now however, I intend to convert to a PhD. I was wondering if I would be eligible to apply? Or does the fact that it is a conversion course mean it is all counted as the one postgraduate degree
Unfortunately, not. The reason why is if you are currently undertaking a research masters' and convert to a PhD come October, you will be in effect in your 2nd year of your PhD. The eligibility requirements include that you must apply before commencing a PhD programme. If you finish your Research Masters' and wish to commence a new research proposal at PhD level then you could be eligible to apply after your Research Masters' is completed.
7. I am currently completing my MSc in Maynooth and this year there has been a change and my course end date has been moved from July 31st to August 31st which means I am not due my final results until mid-November. How will this affect my application? My undergraduate grades do not make me eligible and as a result, I am hoping to get through based on my Master's degree results.
Your application is still fine. Just state your expected MSc or MA result. If you are successful at Faculty assessment stage, you will be given a conditional scholarship offer pending your results in August.
APPLICATION & SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
1. Do I have to submit a formal application for admission to the PhD programme via the Postgraduate Application Centre (PAC) before applying for a John & Pat Hume Doctoral Award?
No, applicants are not required to apply on PAC in order to be eligible for awards under this scheme. Applicants however need to discuss their intention to apply for the scholarship and their suitability for PhD programme with the concerned department and supervisor.
2. Can one of my academic referees be my prospective supervisor?
Yes, your prospective supervisor can provide you with one of the two required references.
3. Is there a form or template for academic references?
Yes, you must enter details of two Recommenders (referees), indicating name, institution and position and insert the email address under ORANGE BOX on left of application form. You cannot submit your application until the recommenders have uploaded recommendations.
4. Is it acceptable for one of my referees to be a retired Maynooth University lecturer who I've worked closely with in a professional capacity? The other referee will be my thesis supervisor.
Yes, this will be acceptable.
5. I am wondering about my referees. One referee is based in XXX Hospital and I am wondering is it okay to use her or must she be associated with MU?
The terms and conditions do not require that referees are associated with MU.
6. I am planning to apply for the JH Scholarship and have already set up an online account. I was wondering if it is possible to allocate my references via the online system in advance of my final submission of application.
Academic referees must upload their references online, prior to your application being submitted. Yes, referees are required to use a form for their reference.
7. How can I determine my supervisor at Maynooth University since I have not been there before?
You can find information about research expertise and research interests of our academic staff members at our University’s website at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/departments or https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/research. Then you can contact the relevant person(s) by email providing them relevant information about your qualifications and research project proposed for your PhD. Information about PhD programmes at Maynooth University is available at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/study-maynooth/postgraduate-studies/phd-research-programmes
8. I cannot locate a form for my proposed supervisor.
There is no form for your proposed supervisor. You must provide the name of a supervisor below and also select the supervisor from the drop down list under the “Request Supervisor” ORANGE BOX on the left of the application form. An automatic email will issue to your prospective supervisor. The application system will not allow you to submit your application until your prospective supervisor has responded positively to the email asking them to confirm the following of two options:
A) I am willing to supervise this student subject to them being awarded a Hume scholarship or
B) I am not in a position to supervise this student.
9. I am currently a Maynooth University student – will I still have to supply references, even if I am applying to the same department?
Yes, two references are required from all applicants, including current Maynooth University students.
10. For Highest Qualification to date, my official highest qualification is my Leaving cert. This option is not on the application. I am in final year of my Level 8, would I put that down?
In this case, for “Highest qualification to date”, select “Other”. For “Current studies”, select level 8.
11. Do Maynooth University students/graduates have to provide scans of their original transcripts or are results downloaded from students online services portal acceptable?
Maynooth University students can upload results as accessed online in MU students’ online services.
12. My undergraduate degree is a modular degree and the overall results are calculated based on the highest 60 credits plus the 20 credit thesis, averaged. I am currently completing this degree, should I upload my academic transcripts from all the previous years, as it is part-time and modular, and should I indicate that the calculation differs from other degree programmes?
You can upload transcripts from all previous years to give indication of the content of your course in terms of its relevance to the proposed research. Your overall final result will be verified, if you are deemed fundable, once it becomes available, so it will not be necessary to explain the relevant calculation.
13. Is it possible to apply for this funding with the intent to undertake a Phd part-time?
The John & Pat Hume Award is only for full-time students pursuing a full time PhD programme only.
14. What sizing do I have to adhere to in writing by research proposal?
The research project proposal must not exceed four (4) pages, minimum font size 11, minimum margins 2cm (left/right/top/bottom each margin minimum 2cm), 1.5 spacing. Should an applicant upload a longer proposal, any text exceeding four (4) pages will be ignored. Should an applicant upload a proposal using a smaller font size or narrower margins, the University reserves the right to deem such application ineligible.
15. As it is indicated, the length of the research project proposal should not exceed 4 pages. However, roughly 3 pages of my proposal are citations/ Bibliographies, so my proposal exceeds your limitation. Therefore, could you please inform me that this limitation is with references? if so, can I put my citations to another file, which has this description: "Upload a pdf file with Gantt chart and any graphs or pictures you need to provide to accompany your Research Proposal"?
As per the applicant guide: You can also upload an additional document with a Gantt chart showing your project plan and/or a bibliography/references. Note that this additional document must not exceed three (3) pages. If the additional document exceeds three (3) pages, only first three (3) pages will be considered when the proposal is assessed, and the remaining pages will be ignored.
16. I have tried to set up an account, but the system responded that I had already created an account (which I have not).
Note: that if the applicant had applied to PAC previously, they have a PAC account. Please proceed to login. Please contact humephdscholarship@mu.ie for assistance.
17. I wanted to ask if it's necessary to include citations/a bibliography with the project information for the Doctoral Awards application.
It is not a formal requirement of the scheme to include citations/bibliography, however in many disciplines it would be expected that a research project proposal includes references.
18. Do I need to apply separately through PAC for admission to the course apart from my application for funding?
Yes, application for admission via PAC is separate from applying for funding. As specified above, funding applicants are not required to have applied on PAC in order to apply for funding; you can apply on PAC later.
19. The university where I got my undergraduate degree does not provide official digital transcripts for student use. I was wondering what to upload into the Scholarship Application?
It is common practice for all universities to provide official transcripts to their graduates. You are required to scan those and upload them to your Scholarship application.
20. Is it possible to have the named supervisor on the application submit a form of recommendation in addition to the confirmation of support and is it recommended to do so? Or is it recommended for the referees to be those who are not supervising my future research?
Yes, you can ask your supervisor to be a referee as well. That is no problem.
21. I am a female applicant applying within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. If I select the MU Women in STEM option, does this mean I will not be considered for the other awards?
You will be considered for both MU Women in STEM and the general Hume Doctoral award types. However, if you are offered both, you must choose to accept only one award.
22. I noticed the application portal is now open, is it possible to apply for the scholarship before I get admission at the University?
Applying to the scholarship firstly before applying for your PhD course online is absolutely fine.
23. My query specifically relates to uploading official academic results. I was wondering if the documents can be delivered directly to the Graduate Studies office as transcripts are only available as hard-copies from the records office? Or would it be better to scan the transcripts and upload them?
It is not possible to submit paper based transcripts to our office, *all* components of your application must be submitted via the online system. See the Guide for applicants: “Applicants are required to upload a scan of their official transcripts” and the FAQ document for a special provision available to applicants with degrees awarded by MU.
24. I had just submitted my application and noticed I have uploaded the wrong version/file of my research proposal. I am requesting guidance on how to make changes to my earliest submitted application so that I can upload the appropriate version of my research proposal?
Please email humephdscholarship@mu.ie . We need to have your documents invalidated on the backend of the PAC system. After your documents are invalidated, you will receive a notification from PAC and then select modify application in your PAC portal and ensure to upload the new version of the document ahead of selecting submit.
25. I would like to would like to apply to your doctoral Hume programme - can you send me the MAP and WISH Form?
Please complete the Hume application form through the PAC portal, link provided in the "guide to making an application" on our website https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/sites/default/files/filefield_paths/Guide%20for%20Applicants%20to%20Hume%20Doctoral%20Awards%202023-2024.pdf
As you get to the end of the Hume application there is an option to select if you want to also be considered for the MAP and WISH scholarship awards.
26. Can my referee email their form to the Hume email address?
This is not possible. All applications and related documents must be uploaded through the “dedicated Hume application PAC system”. When the student includes the referee email address in their PAC application, the PAC system sends out an automated email.
Within that email there is a link to upload the reference to the PAC system.
27. I completed my draft application with a referee, however, I want to change the referee before I submit my application?
If the applicant goes back to the ‘Request Referees’ on the left of the application form, they can then select the option to amend/cancel one of their referees.
27. I have already submitted my application, however, I want to change my referee before the submission deadline, can I do that?
Please contact us at humephdscholarhip@mu.ie - we have to go into the PAC system, return your submitted application to you and you will then have the opportunity to submit the new details. The rest of the submitted application is locked so this will be the only change you are allowed to make. No changes are accepted after the submission deadline.
28. My agreed MU supervisor is not on the dropdown list, what do I do?
Please contact us at humephdscholarhip@mu.ie Your supervisor can be added if they meet the criteria set by the University. This can take up to 5 days so you need to allow sufficient time for the PAC team to complete this request.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
1. I was wondering if this scholarship is only for EU nationals or are Non-EU nationals are also eligible for funding?
The scheme is open to both EU and non-EU applicants intending to pursue a full-time PhD at Maynooth University.
2. As an international student, would I be required to take an English Proficiency Test?
For international students, from a country where English is not the primary language, an English proficiency test is mandatory. An international applicant may apply for the Hume Scholarship without the English proficiency test, but, if the applicant is deemed successful, only a conditional offer can be made, pending proof of English language proficiency i.e., an original certificate is submitted through PAC within 30 days. For international students the minimum English language requirement for an MU PhD programme is as follows for example: IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall score; TOEFL (Paper based test): 585; TOEFL (Internet based test) 95; and PTE (Pearson): 62
3. My current TOEFL score is just below the required threshold and I will take the test again in April. Should I upload my current TOEFL report or will I submit the new one later after I receive it?
Prospective students subject to English language competency requirements need to ensure that they will meet the applicable criteria on time for their acceptance into doctoral programme however they are not required to upload their TOEFL results with their funding application.
4. Both my undergrad and currents masters courses have been in country X, so I'm unsure if I should work to see what result mine would translate into, or leave this category blank. The country also doesn't have a standard awarding body: the only thing I could find to possibly put would be the Association of Universities and Colleges of country X.
The online system includes a field for inputting results/grades other than those in use in Ireland. You need to enter results as they appear on your transcripts for verification purposes. We are used to receiving applications from prospective students whose degrees were awarded outside of Ireland. Equivalencies of degrees and results are determined using sources such as NARIC, and we are working together with our International Office who have substantial experience in this area.“Awarding body” is the higher education institution where you studied and which awarded the degree.
5. As a Non EU student I wish to know if I can apply for this scholarship?
Applications are open to NonEU students wishing to study a PhD programme here at Maynooth University providing they meet the eligibility criteria.
6. As a non-EU applicant and regarding items of recommender template, it would be recommended for the referees to be those who are from my University (international)? Or they would be those among my potential supervisors, thus, from MU?
Yes referees/recommenders from your University wherever that may have been, International or non-International
GENERAL
1. If I am successful, can I defer the start of the award until next year?
The start of your award cannot be deferred beyond the second semester registration date (usually late January/early February). If you don't think you will be able to commence your doctoral programme by this date, then you will need to apply in the call for funding next year. Deferrals are only possible if exceptional unforeseen circumstances arise.
2. Is the JH PhD scholarship refundable? That is, do I have to repay the award when I have finished the PhD course?
No. You do not repay any of it.
3. Could I use the stipend also for life expense, for example, accommodation? (Maynooth University Accommodation).
You can use the stipend for whatever you want to budget it for. The expenses are for research related expenses as per the terms and conditions only however.
4. Can a John & Pat Hume Scholarship holder undertake tutoring work at Maynooth University?
The primary duties of MU John & Pat Hume doctoral award holders are to advance their study with the objective of completing the doctoral degree within the expected timeframe. Before engaging in any additional activities, award holders must carefully consider possible implications of such activities for their progress and should only engage in other activities to the extent that they will not negatively impact on their primary duties as a research student.
Award holders who wish to develop their teaching skills, contribute to pedagogical developments in their discipline and develop other skills to enhance their employability outside of the University may also be considered for activities such as tutorials, laboratory demonstrations, marking and/or similar related work. Any such work, where offered, is to exclusively advance the scholars training and development in their capacity as a Doctoral Scholar. We recommend 4 hours per week of such paid work within the University
