Bursaries and Scholarships Administered

Since 2018 the South African tertiary funding landscape has changed dramatically. The introduction of “fee-free higher education” now ensures that every South African citizen from a family with a combined income of less than R350,000 per annum who for the first time gained admission to a study programme at a university or university of technology, potentially qualifies for a bursary awarded by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) administered by NSFAS. This bursary does not only cover the full fees account (not capped), but also accommodation (capped), books (capped) and a monthly food allowance (capped).

Students who entered higher education before 2018 are still serviced by what previously were NSFAS-administered study loans – now changed into grants. The rules of the loans administered by NSFAS still apply to the grants – as they are being phased out: Only students from families with a combined income of less than R122,000 per annum qualify, and the maximum loan amount is capped at R86,000 per year.

The majority of students and prospective students who traditionally applied for a StudyTrust-administered bursary or scholarship are therefore encouraged to also apply for a DHET bursary. If they are awarded a StudyTrust-administered bursary this might be used to supplement the capped categories of the DHET bursary, while successful candidates will participate in StudyTrust’s mentoring and holistic support programme.

Students who do not qualify for a DHET bursary will now have a better chance than in the past to be awarded a StudyTrust-administered bursary:
• Students from households with a combined income of between R350,000 and R500,000
• Post-graduate students: especially students admitted to Honours and B Tech programmes not funded by NSFAS, and even a limited number of students in Master’s programmes designed to deliver high-level critical and scarce skills to segments of the economy.

These two categories of students, not previously prioritised in the StudyTrust selection process, are now encouraged to apply.

As in the past, applications for StudyTrust-administered bursaries and scholarships will be considered for all opportunities for which applicants qualify. StudyTrust administers a number of corporate bursaries, of which some are recruitment bursaries and others do not entail a work-back obligation.

Click on the bursary sponsor below for more information on the opportunities available through StudyTrust. Our online bursary application platform, powered by Leaply, will tell applicants for which bursary opportunities they qualify – based on crucial information provided.