I Have a Place at An Irish University, I Just Cannot Get There

My name is Mahmoud Budair. I am from Gaza, and this September I was supposed to begin my Master’s in Management at Dublin City University.

Instead, I am still in Gaza.

I received my acceptance in June 2026. For me, it was more than an offer from a university. It was a chance to finally do something I had dreamed about for years: travel, study abroad, experience a different country, and build a future beyond the circumstances I have grown up in.

I had always wanted to study in Ireland. I heard from friends about the country, its universities and, importantly for me, about the solidarity many people in Ireland have shown towards Palestine and Gaza. I imagined myself finally arriving there, going to university, meeting new people and beginning a new chapter of my life.

I did everything I could to make that happen.

I paid the required registration and seat fees, and I managed to cover the full €21,000 tuition fee. I raised the money through my work in social media and with the support of the audience I have built on my platforms.

I thought that once I had secured my university place and the money for my studies, the hardest part was over.

I was wrong.

I cannot get a passport.

Because of the current situation in Gaza, the offices responsible for issuing passports are not operating normally, and I have been unable to obtain one. This means I cannot move forward with the visa process.

I want to make one thing very clear: my visa has not been rejected. I have not even been able to apply for it.

I am stuck before the process can even begin.

My course was supposed to start at the beginning of September. September has arrived, classes have started, and I am still here.

Every day, I try to find another way forward. I contact the university. I send emails. I ask whether there is anything they can do to help me obtain the documents I need or facilitate the process. I wait for responses and try again when I do not receive them.

It is exhausting to have worked so hard for something and then be stopped by a document you simply cannot obtain.

But I am still trying.

Living through the current situation in Gaza has taught me that hope can become very small. Sometimes it is just the decision to send one more email or make one more attempt instead of giving up completely.

For me, this degree is not only about leaving Gaza.

I want to study, gain knowledge and build a career, but I also want to come back. After my Master’s, I hope to return to my family and contribute to rebuilding my community. I want to use what I learn to help create projects, opportunities and a better future for the people around me.

I have never travelled before. I have never experienced what it feels like to leave Gaza, board a plane and arrive somewhere completely new.

I came very close to making that dream real.

I have the university acceptance. I have covered the tuition. I have done everything I can from my side.

What I do not have is a passport.

And that is the only thing standing between me and a place that is already waiting for me in Ireland.

I do not know whether I will make it to Dublin or when that will happen.

But I am still holding on to the possibility.

Because after everything, I am not ready to give up on a dream I have worked this hard to reach.