Theory & PracticeTheory & Practice 
Introducing the Construction Studies Entrance Scholarship by THEORY & PRACTICE. This scholarship offers € 3,000 in financial support to a third-level student who has submitted outstanding Leaving Certificate Construction Studies coursework for assessment in 2025. The scholarship will be awarded to one applicant with an exceptional folio, artefact, and supporting statement.
We welcome applications from all four project types:
FURNITURE
Indoor or outdoor furniture
ARCHITECTURAL
A model and study of a building section detail or house design
NEW TECHNOLOGY
A model and study of any new technology used in a house
HERITAGE
A study and model of a building of local or national significance
APPLICATION CRITERIA
To qualify for the Theory and Practice Entrance Scholarship, eligible students should meet the following criteria:
• The applicant must be a Construction Studies student who has submitted Leaving Certificate coursework for assessment in 2025.
• The applicant must have completed the Leaving Certificate Examination for the first time during the same school year of application.
• All parts of the application (supporting statement, artefact, folio, and required documents) must be completed before the application deadline.
• All SEC and school rules and guidelines around the completion and submission of coursework must have been followed.
• Applicants must be enrolled in a University, College, Further Education or any Educational Institution on the Island of Ireland to receive a prize.
• The course enrolled on must be a FETAC (QQI) Level 5, 6, 7 or 8 course (and cannot be the Leaving Certificate).
SUPPORTING QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Our goal with this scholarship is not only to provide financial assistance to a student as they embark on their new educational journey; we also want to support and promote exceptional work in Leaving Certificate Construction Studies coursework. We want to recognise and reward talent, passion, and skill in secondary schools across Ireland. The eligibility criteria for the scholarship reflect these objectives.
Students who have completed their Leaving Certificate Construction Studies coursework (artefact and folio) for the first time in 2025. The student must be continuing their education in any educational institution on the island of Ireland. The student must not have or intend to repeat the Leaving Certificate exam.
Applications must be submitted online through the application portal on this website.
The scholarship application portal will guide you through this process. You will need to enter your name and school details, write a supporting statement of up to 150 words, and upload six photos of your project along with your folio PDF.
The winning recipient will be selected based on a comprehensive review of their folio PDF, project photos and supporting statement. Both Richard and Peter have extensive experience teaching Construction Studies and supporting students to excel in their Leaving Certificate. Richard will also draw on his experiences examining Construction Studies coursework.
We may also form a panel of experienced teachers to help in this selection process.
Applications can be submitted between April 28th 2025, and May 19th 2025.
Yes, we intend for this scholarship to be held every year and hope to expand it in the future.
Absolutely not. This scholarship is independent from the State Examinations Commission and is not affiliated with the Leaving Certificate examining process.
Yes, please join our mailing list to receive email updates about this scholarship.
Yes, please read the criteria above.
Do not apply in 2025, please apply in 2026.
No, the application portal is open to anyone who meets the above criteria.
Yes, at this stage, you should have completed your CAO application and have a clear idea of what you will do next year. However, before any award announcements are made, a letter from the Educational Institution with proof of registration/attendance for the 2025/26 academic year for the undergraduate course must be provided.
Yes, as long as the apprenticeship is affiliated with an institution on the island of Ireland, and you can provide proof of acceptance and attendance on the course at the institution.
In short, follow the guidance of your teacher, school, and the State Examinations Commission.
We want to see evidence of your learning journey, an appropriate and effective design process, and authentic, high-quality work. The most exceptional supporting statement, folio PDF, and artefact will win.
Remember, it is about quality, not quantity. We don’t want this scholarship to place undue stress on students or raise the bar to an unattainable level. Rather, we want to celebrate the exceptional work that teachers and students are already doing.
PLEASE CLICK HERE AND APPLY!
Applying is free, and who knows, maybe you will win! Remember, we are looking for your supporting statement too, so do your best!
Even if you don’t win one of the five runner-up certificates, we will be selecting some excellent projects to share on our social media – fame, pride and bragging rights are all up for grabs!
This is your chance to shine! We want to understand the unique story behind your project and folio. Share the insights gained, the lessons learned, and the challenges conquered. Tell us how this process has shaped you and what winning this scholarship would mean to you.
Remember, the maximum word count is 150, and it will support your application, so please do your best.
Yes, but please email us with your details and an explanation of the issue so we can delete the original submission. You have until May 19th.
If you are under 16 years old, you must have your parent or guardian’s consent before applying. We will need to include them in all communications if you are one of the winners.
If you are 17 years old, you can apply without your parent or guardian’s consent, but we will need to include them in correspondence if you are one of the winners.
If you are 18 years old, you are considered an adult so that you can apply without your parent or guardian’s consent, and we will not need to include them in our correspondence. That said, we will ask for them to be included, where appropriate, as winning should be something we all celebrate.
Yes, we will accept any correspondence about this scholarship by email to: [email protected]
However, our decision on the awarding of the scholarship and certificates will be final.
Unfortunately, if any applicant cannot provide a letter of acceptance and attendance on a course in an Educational Institution on the island of Ireland for the academic year 2025-2026, then they will be removed from the shortlist. We will contact shortlisted candidates via email and provide a reasonable amount of time for them to obtain the required proof.
Encourage your child to thoroughly review the eligibility criteria, application requirements, proofread their documents, and submit a strong application.
Our intention is to make one bank transfer to the bank account of the winner or their parent/guardian. This will be agreed in conversation with the winner and their parent/guardian.
No, there is no contract. Once the eligibility criteria, SEC coursework guidelines, school guidelines and application requirements have been followed and met before the application is made, that is it. Once the application is made, Theory & Practice will handle the process and will be in touch with the winners.
We will not share any applicant’s name, personal information, project photos or folio PDF publicly without their permission, or that of their parent/guardian.
We adhere to the GDPR in all aspects of data collection, storage, and processing. All information, data and files will be used only for the tasks associated with this scholarship. After which, they will be securely deleted unless we have received specific consent from the applicant and/or their parent/guardian to use them for another purpose.
After reading all the information, please use our contact form to get in touch. We usually reply within one business day.
Alternatively, you may email: [email protected]
Share the scholarship information and the link to this webpage with your students, encouraging them to apply and discuss the opportunity at home.
There is no need; we will “put on our examiner’s hats” when reviewing the applications to ensure that we are completely impartial. We will not consider references, recommendations, the teacher, or the school.
Yes, our goal is to promote the outstanding work that is done in schools around the country. We will promote photos of outstanding artefacts on our Instagram account and will include the school’s name with each photo. This will be subject to the student’s consent.
Firstly, keep doing what you are doing. We don’t want this scholarship to raise the bar or place undue stress on students and teachers. Our goal is to celebrate and promote the outstanding work being done in schools around the country.
Secondly, ensure that your students follow the SEC coursework guidelines.
Thirdly, students’ knowledge and skills development begins in First Year. Take a holistic view of a student’s learning and skill development journey and plan it accordingly as a department. It is crucial that class contact time is used effectively, that projects are purposeful, and that high expectations and standards are reinforced. Do your best to network with other teachers and discuss their approach to teaching, project work and classroom management.
If you have any questions or need support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Make sure to follow our Instagram account for project ideas, student work, and other information.
Yes, we appreciate the hard work, expertise, and time involved in preparing students for Construction Studies coursework. Therefore, we will award one trophy and one certificate to the winning school, both of which will bear the names of the student, teacher, and school.
Yes, please join our mailing list to receive email updates about this scholarship.
