An investigation by the University Times on the origins of 2025 Foundation Scholars has revealed that the award is significantly more likely to go to students who were privately educated before attending Trinity. The investigation revealed that while private school students make up roughly 30 per cent of Trinity’s Student body, they account for 51.9 per cent of Foundation Scholarship (Schols) recipients sampled. Therefore, a Trinity student who went to private school is approximately 2.5 times more likely to receive Schols than a public school peer. This proportion is consistent across all disciplines (Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, STEM, etc).
The Foundation Scholarship is Trinity’s most prestigious and generous undergraduate scholarship, and it is awarded every year on Trinity Monday to Senior Freshman students who achieve an average of at least 70 (and at least 65 on each paper) across a set of exams given in January.
Scholars receive free tuition (equivalent to EU fees), free and guaranteed Trinity accommodation, a vast network of former scholars, access to a free meal called “commons” five times per week, and official recognition as a “Scholar” with the ability to put “Sch.” after their names. It is currently one of the most rewarding undergraduate scholarships in Europe. 72 students were awarded Schols in April of 2025.
The gap widens further, looking at the bigger picture: only 7 per cent of the Irish general population has attended a private school, making them 14 times more likely to get Trinity’s Foundation Scholarship than would be expected from population share alone.
To gather data, a sample of 52 2025 Foundation Scholarship recipients was analysed on course, faculty and school type. Data was captured via public social media profiles and school records. The schooling background for the Trinity student population was estimated based on the most recent study of this type, conducted by the Sunday Times in 2019. The general population’s schooling type was estimated based on HEA data from 2015. A chi-square test, often used in similar assessments, confirmed that the distribution of school types among Schols recipients differs significantly from that expected under the Trinity population baseline (p<.05).
Furthermore, the investigation looked at the geographic origins of these scholars at Trinity and was able to find information on 65 of the 72 2025 scholars. It was found that 44.4 per cent of scholars were from Dublin, with 20.6 per cent from the rest of the country, or 68 per cent of Irish national scholars are from Dublin. Only 57 per cent of the same class of Irish students are from Dublin.
In terms of demographic representation outside of Ireland, 34 per cent of scholars were international students, despite making up 24 per cent of full-time students. This number is often cited at 30 per cent instead of 24, but this would include students on Erasmus and Exchange, who are not eligible for Schols.
Coincidentally, international students from within and outside of the EU both composed the same proportion of scholars at 17.5 per cent. However, EU international students account for 65 per cent of the international student population, and therefore did comparatively better than non-EU students. This is supported by real population figures, which indicate that EU students account for 16 per cent of the overall student population, and non-EU students account for 9 per cent.
2026 Foundations Scholarship recipients will be announced on April 20th, 2026, in Front Square.
