List of ALL Bursaries in South Africa 2025

 

 
Welcome to SA Bursaries, South Africa’s largest bursary website – a platform with the most comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa, updated regularly. Our goal is to find as many bursary opportunities as possible throughout South Africa, and publish it all on one platform, to make them easily accessible for students. If you are looking to start or continue your tertiary studies but lack the funding to do so, bursaries could be the right option.

If you are looking to further your studies but lack the funding to do so, and you have a strong academic history which you have maintained throughout the year, you may be eligible to apply for a bursary. Bursaries are awarded to students currently in Matric and who will be studying at University or College the following year, as well as current tertiary student who cannot afford to continue paying for their studies.
 

POPULAR PAGES

• High School Bursaries and Scholarships
• Primary School Bursaries and Scholarships
• Bursary Tips and Advice

 

BURSARY TIPS & ARTICLES

• How to write a bursary motivational letter
• Preparing for a bursary interview
• Calculating your APS Score for university admission
• NBT tests for university entrance
• Tips to submitting your bursary application
• How to get free education in South Africa
• Vac Work – why you should work during your university holidays and companies offering vacation work

 

BURSARY CATEGORIES / FIELDS OF STUDY:

ACCOUNTING BURSARIES

(Auditing, Chartered Accounting, Financial Accounting, Finance & Financial Management, General Accounting)

ARTS BURSARIES

(Dance, Drama & Theatre, Fashion & Textile, Film & Motion Picture, Fine Art & Visual Art, Jewellery Design, Performing Arts, Music)

COMMERCE BURSARIES

(Asset Management, Business Related [Business Administration, Business Management, Business Science], Corporate Governance, Economics, Fiscal and Public Policy, General Commerce, Human Resources, Investment, Marketing, Purchasing & Buying, Risk Management, Sales & Retail, Transport Economics)

COMPUTER SCIENCE & IT BURSARIES

(Computer Engineering, Computer Sciences, Graphic Design & Game Graphics, Informatics & Information Systems, Information Technology, Information and Communications Technology, Multimedia & Interactive Media, Software Engineering & Software Development)

CONSTRUCTION & BUILT ENVIRONMENT BURSARIES

(Architecture, Building Science & Management, Construction & Building, General Built Environment, Land Surveying, Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Safety, Town and Regional Planning, Artisan/ Skilled Tradesmen [Bricklaying, Carpentry, Electrical/ Electrician, Fitter & Turner, Millwright, Painting, Plumbing, Welding])

EDUCATION BURSARIES

(Education & Teaching)

ENGINEERING BURSARIES

(Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Environmental Engineering, General Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Metallurgy & Metallurgical, Mine Surveying & Mineral Surveying, Mining Engineering, Rock Engineering & Rock Blasting, Sound Engineering, Structural Engineering, Systems Engineering)

GENERAL BURSARIES

(Cheffing & Cooking, Hospitality, Journalism, Language, Media & Communications, Operations & Operations Management, Political, Public Administration, Public Relations, Real Estate & Property, Social Work, Sports, Supply Chain & Logistics, Transport & Road, Travel & Tourism, Various)

GOVERNMENT BURSARIES

(Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape, Various)

LAW BURSARIES

(General Law)

MBA & POSTGRADUATE

(Doctoral, Honours, Masters, PhD, Postgraduate)

MEDICAL BURSARIES

(Audiology, Biochemistry, Dietetics & Nutrition, Dental & Dentistry, Emergency Medical Care, Ergonomics, General Medical, Health Science & Health Related, Hygiene, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Orthotics and Prosthetics, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Radiography, Speech & Hearing Therapy)

SCIENCE BURSARIES

(Aviation, Air Traffic & Pilot, Actuarial Science, Agriculture & Agricultural, Related Studies, Analytical Chemistry & General Chemistry, Animal Science, Anthropology and Archaeology, Biology & Biological Science, Biomedical, Botany & Plant Studies, Econometrics, Environmental, Farming, Food Science & Food Technology, Forestry, Genetics, Geography & Geographic, Geo Related [Geomatics, Geophysics, Geohydrology, Geochemistry, Geo-Informatics], General Science, Geology, Grain & Crop Studies, Horticulture, Hydrology & Hydrogeology, Marine Biology, Oceanography, Aquatic Science, Maritime Studies & Related Studies, Mathematics [Business Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Statistics, Financial Mathematics], Materials Science, Microbiology, Natural Science, Physics, Soil Science, Statistics & Statistical Science, Technology, Veterinary Science & Related Studies, Water, Waste & Sanitation, Weather & Climate, Zoology, Entomology & Nematology)

If you are looking for a bursary in a particular field of study not listed above, please use our search bar to find what you are looking for.

 

COMMON BURSARY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

WHO QUALIFIES FOR A BURSARY?

The requirements are different for each bursary programme, and those requirements will be specified in each bursary listing, but here are some common requirements that are seen across most bursary programmes:

• You must be a South African citizen (some bursaries even fund South African permanent residents)
• You must be either in Matric or have completed Matric
• You must have a strong academic record (in Matric and at tertiary level if currently studying) – depending on your field of study, you may also be required to show strong academic results in Mathematics, Science or languages
• You must be studying or have applied to study at a recognized tertiary institution in South Africa (including public and private institutes – TVET colleges, Universities and Universities of Technology)
• You must be studying or have applied to study for full time studies (part time studies and correspondence studies are sometimes also funded but most bursaries only cover full time studies)
• You must be able to prove financial need

Read more common bursary FAQ’s here

 

HOW TO APPLY FOR A BURSARY?

On each bursary listing, you will see instructions on how to apply for the specific bursary programme. Some bursaries have an online bursary application, while others require students to download an application form, which will then be submitted via email, fax, post or hand delivery.

Students are always required to submit supporting documentation when applying, and this may include (but is not limited to):

• A certified copy of your South African ID document (or South African permanent residence if applicable)
• A certified copy of your academic records (Matric latest results if currently in Matric, Matric certificate if completed Matric, full academic record if currently studying at tertiary level)
• Proof of tertiary application, registration or acceptance (on the institutions letterhead)
• A motivational letter explaining why you should be selected for the bursary award
• Proof of household income showing financial need (this will include your parents/ guardians proof of income or proof of unemployment)
• Proof of residence – this only applies if the bursary specifies that it only covers students residing in a certain region

 

WHAT EXPENSES/ FEES DOES A BURSARY COVER?

Bursaries can be either partial or full. A partial bursary means only a certain amount or portion of your study-related expenses will be covered, while full-cover bursaries usually cover all study related expenses, including: tuition fees, examination fees, prescribed books and study materials, meals, accommodation, transport and sometime a laptop.

Some bursary providers also allow students to complete vacation work at the company, which is required for some degree qualifications.

Read more about which expenses bursaries cover here

 

DO I HAVE TO PAY BACK A BURSARY?

No – bursary recipients will NOT be required to pay back their bursary.
Some bursary providers require students to work for their company after graduation, for an equal duration of time as funding received. This is beneficial to both the bursary provider and the bursary recipient, as the student has guaranteed employment after completion of their studies and the chance to gain invaluable work experience.
 

HOW DO I KNOW IF A BURSARY IS LEGITIMATE OR A SCAM?

At SA Bursaries, we aim to ensure that every bursary we publish is legitimate. If you are ever asked to pay money to submit a bursary application, this is an indication that the bursary is not legitimate. If the bursary application requires you to send your application forms and documents to a free email account (ie gmail, yahoo, hotmail etc), then it is likely a scam – application emails will always be required to be sent to the companies official email addresses. If you ever have any concern that a bursary could be a scam, please let us know so that we can further investigate this.
 

WHERE CAN I FIND BURSARIES FOR THE 2025 ACADEMIC YEAR?

To apply for a bursary for the 2025 academic year, please scroll down this page until you find your field of study, see which bursaries are open for your field and follow the detailed instructions to apply.
Please note that you can apply for as many bursaries as you qualify for.
Students can also visit the All bursaries currently open for application section.
 

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