Northern Ireland

Ivy League colleges seek working class Belfast students

Derry Aidan Donaghey was the first person to have been accepted onto the programme in 2018
Derry Aidan Donaghey was the first person to have been accepted onto the programme in 2018 Derry Aidan Donaghey was the first person to have been accepted onto the programme in 2018

GIFTED working class students from both sides of the community are to be awarded full scholarships to Ivy League colleges.

Representatives from Yale University and Columbia University will this week launch the Building Bridges 2020 Programme.

It is being launched in partnership with peacebuilding charity Co-operation Ireland.

To complete a degree at Yale and Columbia would cost in the region of $250,000, not including expenses. Building Bridges sees the Ivy League colleges pay the tuition fees, with Co-operation Ireland providing additional expenses.

Building Bridges originated in Derry, but this is the first year Belfast students will be invited to apply.

Co-operation Ireland Chief Executive Peter Sheridan said the programme was designed to help gifted pupils overcome the financial hurdle of attending one of the world’s top universities.

"The calibre of students in Northern Ireland has never been in doubt but while young people may have the grades to attend a college like Yale and Columbia, the cost of fees are an obstacle to taking up a place," he said.

"We have designed the project to allow these young people the chance of a lifetime to gain a degree at a world class institution. It is our hope that they will then act as ambassadors for the programme."