South Africa’s universities will soon open their doors to the class of 2019, with thousands of new students expected to fill lecture halls and classrooms on their way to getting various qualifications on offer.
Bursaries are offered by institutions and companies to make it affordable for people to study who would otherwise not be able to do so.
While most scholarship and bursary opportunities for 2020 studies closed at the end of 2019, many programmes are still open to application.
BusinessTech has highlighted some below:
Table of Contents
Seriti
- Closes 15 January 2020
Mining and resources group, Seriti, sponsors 10 top students with an interest in studying disciplines within the mining industry. This scheme considers students from our host communities, but extends to the general public, employees and their children.
It offers both a bursary for matrics, as well as a scholarship for current students.
Requirements include:
- Minimum 60 – 69% average pass rate
- Studies will be taken at an Accredited Institution
- Currently in matric
- Currently studying towards an existing undergraduate degree or diploma
Applications close soon – on the 15th of January. Further information can be sourced from Seriti directly at [email protected].
Rand Water
- Closes 24 January 2020
Rand Water has invited undergraduate students who are interested in joining the Water Sector to apply for 2020 External Bursary Scheme in the fields listed below:
- B.Com or National Diploma in Internal Audit: 2nd year.
- BEng Architecture or Architectural Engineering: 4th year.
- Bachelor of Technology Degree in Architectural Technology (specialising in either Applied Design or Architectural Management: 4th year.
The group is specifically targeting previously disadvantaged individuals, with the following requirements:
- Have passed Matric or equivalent and currently studying within one of the aforementioned fields of study.
- Meet minimum average of 65% and academic performance in major subjects in field of study.
- Not in possession of other bursary funding.
- Applicants must be under the age of 35
- Applicants must be full-time students at registered and recognized tertiary educational institution (i.e. University, University of Technology).
More information can be found here: https://randwater.erecruit.co/candidateapp/Jobs/View/RAN191213-3/Rand_Water_Bursaries
Land Bank
- Closes 31 January 2020
Preference is given to the following fields:
- Agricultural related studies (e.g B.Agric, BSc Agriculture, B.Agricultural Economics, B.Environmental Studies, etc.)
- Finance; Internal Audit & Procurement
- Project Management/ Business Management
- Information Technology
- Human Resource
- Legal
- Credit
- Risk Management / Compliance
- Investment Management
- Insurance
The bursary is aimed at undergraduate students who have “proven financial need”, planning to study and studying full-time in one of the aforementioned fields of study (2nd year/3rd year/4th year).
Applicant must have already registered to study at a South African University/ University of Technology and /or Agricultural College for the 2020 academic year (excluding first year students).
The programme is focused on developing a pipeline of young talent not only to feed directly into Land Bank, but into the agricultural sector at large.
You can read more and apply at: http://www.zabursaries.co.za/science-bursaries-south-africa/land-bank-bursary/
Allan Gray Orbis
- Closes March (Matrics), August (University students)
The Allan Gray Orbis Fellowship is one of the most sought-after student financing programmes in the country, which is limited to only 100 fellowships per year.
It covers the full cost of tuition, books, accommodation and meals – while also providing tutor financing, mentorship and a monthly stipend, with no prostgraduate contractual obligations.
Candidates can apply during their Grade 12 school year or during their first and second year of university – with each level carrying strict requirements.
It targets learners looking to study towards a Commerce, Science, Engineering, Law, Humanities or Health Science (Excluding Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry) degree at WITS, UJ, UCT, NMU, RU, UWC, SU, UP, UFS, UKZN and TSIBA.
Placements for 2020 are currently closed, but the applications for 2021 will open soon, with closing dates set for March (for matrics) and August (for university students)
You can start reading up about the programme here: https://www.allangrayorbis.org/entrepreneurship-development-programmes/fellowship/
Fulbright Foreign Student Programme
- 31 March 2020
The Fulbright Programme is the US government’s flagship international educational exchange and offers scholarships to students interested in pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree at any accredited tertiary institution in the United States.
The scholarships cover up to the full cost of tuition and living expenses in the US with applications closing on 31 March 2020.
In 2019, 23 South African students and scholars received fully-funded Fulbright scholarships to complete postgraduate studies at American academic institutions and to conduct research in the US.
The general requirements are:
- For Non-Degree (Visiting Student Researcher) studies: Must be registered for a PhD with a South African university
- Have a four-year bachelor’s degree, or a three-year bachelor’s degree plus honours year, or a four-year B-Tech degree when applying for Master’s
- Have a Master’s degree when applying for a Doctoral degree
Medical and MBA programmes are excluded for South African applicants.
More information on application can be found here: https://za.usembassy.gov/education-culture/fulbright-postgraduate/
PwC
- Closes 30 April 2020
PwC offers several bursaries and learnership programmes, with only the bursary option current open.
The auditing firm said that bursaries are awarded to students with an outstanding academic track record at school and/or university.
Notably, PwC’s bursaries do not generally cover the full costs of the tuition, accommodation and books and as a result applicants must be prepared to pay a portion of their tuition costs themselves.
Bursaries are also awarded on the condition that when you complete your studies successfully, you will be required to work for PwC on a training contract, gaining hands-on experience in the business.
Requirements include:
- For matrics: You must have a minimum of a Level 6 in Mathematics and English (1st or 2nd language), and an overall average of 70%.
- You must be intending to study full-time at a SAICA accredited institution
- If you are a first-year student you must be passing all University courses with an average of at least 65%
- If you are a second-year student you must be passing all University courses with an average of at least 60%
- Third and fourth year students must be passing all courses consistently and must qualify for honours according to the relevant university.
You can apply here: https://www.pwc.co.za/en/careers/learners/learners-bursaries.html
EY
- Opens 1 February, closes 31 July
EY (formerly Ernst & Young) has a number of bursaries available. All EY Programmes listed are open for application from 1 February every year and applications close on 31 July of every year.
These include bursary and graduate programmes for those studying in the Chartered Accounting field, focusing on Assurance Audit and Advisory Consulting.
Candidates need to qualify, or be registered for, a full-time BCom Accounting or equivalent degree at a SAICA-accredited university.
Prospective candidates can apply here: https://www.ey.com/en_za/careers/students-apply-here
Deloitte
- No closing date – open all year
Deloitte’s bursaries are awarded to those studying in or planning to study in the Chartered Accounting stream. It’s open to applicants from South Africa and Namibia that have matriculated or are in matric.
Requirements include:
- Completed Mathematics in matric (not Mathematical Literacy);
- Studying or intend to study at a SAICA accredited University;
- Meets the academic requirements for an Accounting major;
- In first or second year of study, achieve an overall average of 70% or higher;
- In third year of study, achieve an overall average of 65% or higher.
Interested candidates can apply at www.joindeloitte.co.za/Information/Bursaries
KPMG
- No closing date – open all year
KPMG offers two types of bursaries – a Pure Merit Bursary (based on acedemic results) and a Merit Bursary with Financial Needs (based on academic performance and financial need). The latter bursary is targeted at students who cannot afford to attend university.
According to KPMG, both bursaries require good academic results, which needs to be maintained over the course of studying.
On completion of studies, the student will be required to serve a 3 year training contract/ learnership.
You can apply here: https://home.kpmg/za/en/home/careers/bursaries.html
International Scholarships
The Department of Higher Education and Training keeps an updated list of international scholarships open to South Africans.
The majority of scholarships are for postgraduate (masters, doctoral and postdoctoral) studies, however, a small number of undergraduate (bachelor’s degree) scholarships are available.
Some of the bachelor’s scholarships include: