Bursary Applications

We’re here to help fund your future.

StudyTrust manages a range of bursaries and scholarships on behalf of trusts, foundations, and private and corporate donors. Each opportunity has its own selection criteria. You can explore all of them on our Bursaries page.

You only have to apply once – we will consider you for all bursaries you qualify for.

One application. Many opportunities. We’ll match your application to every sponsor you’re eligible for, simply and straightforwardly.

We also encourage you to apply for bursaries outside of StudyTrust to maximise your chances, for example NSFAS. Cast your net wide!

Take your time. A great application makes a real difference.

Before you submit, please read through the eligibility criteria for each bursary carefully. You won’t be able to submit your application until all required information has been filled in and supporting documents have been uploaded, so it’s worth getting everything ready in advance.

The information you provide, including your answers to the essay questions, will be used to build your personal application profile and present it to potential sponsors. Here are a few tips to help you put your best foot forward:

•  Be accurate. Make sure all your details are correct. We receive 1000s of applications and the initial screening involves applying relevant selection criteria to the data. For instance, if we administer a bursary that is exclusively for students who will be studying towards an Accounting degree in their 3rd year of studies in 2027 who will graduate that year, you will not be considered if you gave the wrong information.
• Be thoughtful. Essay questions are your chance to tell your story. Take them seriously.
• Check your spelling. Words should be spelt correctly and names and surnames should start with capital letters.
• Write it yourself. This is really important: your essays must be your own original, personally written work. You’re welcome to use AI tools to check your spelling or grammar, but please do not use AI to write your essays for you. Sponsors want to hear your voice, your story and your reasons in your own words and applications written by AI will not be considered.

Remember: a bursary can be an investment in your education of up to half a million rand. Sponsors are looking for applicants who show care, effort, and attention to detail. Make your application count!

This application starts with you giving us consent to gather, store and share your data with designated third parties (in accordance with the POPI Act).

The rest of the form follows the sequence of document upload first and then your confirmation that our document reader accurately presented the relevant data, with some data to be captured by you manually.

The data we need are: Personal information; study programme information and academic achievement; and family income information.

The income selection criteria of the bursaries we administer vary: Some sponsors cover students who qualify for a NSFAS-administered bursary and others exclusively focus on funding students from “missing middle” households. “Missing middle” is also not a fixed category – some define it as households where the combined annual gross income is between R350,000 and R700,000. We do not have bursaries available for applicants from families where the combined annual income is more than R850,000.