We'd like to think college in Ireland is accessible for everyone but the fact of the matter is that it isn't, particularly for people from low-income families. But that could change thanks to a Limerick billionaire's Irish college scholarship programme, announced today.
According to the Irish Times, JP McManus is announcing today that he will bankroll €32 million in third-level scholarships for more than 1,000 students from less well-off backgrounds over the next decade.
The yearly scholarship programme will be open to 125 high-achieving students from low-income families in Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The value of each scholarship is €6,750 per year (£5,500 in the North) for the length of the undergraduate programmes chosen by the scholarship winners.
In a statement, McManus said financial barriers "rob high-achieving Leaving Cert students of the opportunity to access third level education.
“I hope that the decision of my wife Noreen and our family, to fund a further ten-year extension of the all-Ireland scholarships programme will help many students over the coming ten years to overcome those obstacles and build a better Ireland throughout the entire island”
McManus set up the all-Ireland scholarships programme in 2008, since providing 1,250 third-level scholarships to help young people achieve their goals.
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We wish more millionaires and billionaires would use their fortune for good like McManus.
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