Medical & Health Sciences Bursaries
Bursaries for South African students pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, radiography and allied health sciences. Government, foundation and private healthcare-sector funders.
17 medical bursaries
- Medical Closed (08 Dec 2025)
ADSA Dietetics Bursary
Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA)
The Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA) awards an annual bursary to financially disadvantaged South African students studying towards an undergraduate BSc Dietetics degree. Worth up to R30,000 per year for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of study, it is aimed at first-year (or just-completed-first-year) students who show a genuine passion for food science, nutrition and health. Recipients also receive free ADSA student membership for the duration of the bursary.
Up to R30,000 per year, paid directly to the student's university account, for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of study (covering registration fees, textbooks, accommodation and other study-related expenses)View details → - Medical Closed (30 Sept 2025)
Afrirad Medical Imaging (ARMI) Student Radiography & Ultrasound Bursary
Afrirad Medical Imaging (ARMI) (administered in-house; studies completed through the University of Johannesburg, where ARMI is an accredited clinical training facility)
Afrirad Medical Imaging (ARMI), a diagnostic radiology services provider, offers a full bursary to South African students who want to train as diagnostic radiographers or sonographers through a 4-year Bachelor's degree at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The bursary covers all tuition fees plus textbooks, uniforms, vaccinations and a monthly living allowance, and rewards distinctions with a performance incentive. In return, recipients commit to a 32-month work-back period (8 months for each year of study) at ARMI.
Full bursary (value not stated as a fixed figure) — covers all tuition fees plus a monthly living allowance and a performance incentive for year-end distinctionsView details → - Medical Closes 30 Sept 2026
Aspen Pharmacare Bursary
Aspen Pharmacare
Aspen Pharmacare, Africa's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, awards bursaries to South African students studying BPharm and other pharmaceutical-sector qualifications including chemical engineering and related sciences. The programme is open to both new applicants and children of Aspen employees, and supports up to full cost of study at approved institutions.
Up to full cost of study (varies by qualification)View details → - Medical Closed (17 Feb 2026)
Cipla Bursary Programme
Cipla South Africa (Pty) Ltd (administered in-house via the Cipla careers/TurboHire online application system)
The Cipla Bursary Programme is a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary bursary run by pharmaceutical company Cipla South Africa, covering tuition, accommodation, meals, books and a one-time laptop allowance for high-achieving South African students. Established in 2017 as a strategic skills pipeline, it supports scarce and critical skills across Pharmacy, Health Sciences, Engineering, Supply Chain and more, and offers a pathway into the Cipla Graduate Skills Programme after graduation. Applications are submitted exclusively online through Cipla's careers (TurboHire) portal.
Comprehensive bursary covering tuition, accommodation, meals, books and a one-time laptop allowance up to R8,000 (funds paid directly to the institution around 30 March annually)View details → - Medical Closes 31 Oct 2026
Clicks Foundation Bursary
Clicks Foundation (Clicks Group Limited)
The Clicks Foundation, the corporate social investment arm of JSE-listed retail-pharmacy group Clicks Group Limited, awards merit-based bursaries to South African students pursuing a BPharm (Pharmacy) degree. The fund targets scarce and critical skills in retail and pharmaceutical healthcare, covering registration, tuition, prescribed textbooks and study aids for the year of registration. Preference is given to persons with disabilities and applicants from designated Employment Equity groups.
Comprehensive cover for the year of registration (registration fees, tuition, prescribed textbooks and study aids)View details → - Medical Closed (20 Feb 2026)
HWSETA Postgraduate Research Bursary for Unemployed Persons
Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) (administered through public universities and universities of technology — institutions apply on behalf of students)
The HWSETA Postgraduate Research Bursary funds unemployed South Africans pursuing Honours, Master's or PhD research in the health and welfare sector at a public university or university of technology. The bursary covers tuition and research funding of up to R100,000 per learner, with a separate disability stream funding up to R240,000 per learner. Applications are submitted by the institution on behalf of eligible students, so students should approach their university financial aid office to be included in the submission.
Up to R100,000 per learner for the Postgraduate Research Bursary (Honours/Master's/PhD); the separate HWSETA disability bursary stream funds up to R240,000 per learnerView details → - Medical Closed (10 Jan 2026)
IMASA Health Science Bursary Fund
Islamic Medical Association of South Africa (IMASA) (administered in association with Baytul Nur)
The IMASA Health Science Bursary Fund is a needs-based, Zakaat and donation-funded bursary that helps financially disadvantaged South African students pursue health science qualifications such as medicine, dentistry, nursing and pharmacy. Administered by the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa in association with Baytul Nur, it provides partial or full tuition support together with mentorship from established healthcare professionals. It is aimed at academically capable students who have genuine financial need and are enrolled, or intending to enrol, in a recognised health science programme.
Partial or full tuition coverage (needs-based, not a fixed value)View details → - Medical Closes 31 Jul 2026
Life Healthcare Nurse Bursary
Life Healthcare (Life College of Learning)
This is a nursing-only bursary, not a broad medical bursary. It is offered through Life Healthcare's nursing college (Life College of Learning / Life Healthcare Nursing College), which is accredited by the South African Nursing Council (SANC). It funds tuition for previously disadvantaged South African students who cannot afford to pay for one of the college's three nursing qualifications and who commit to working for Life Healthcare after graduating.
Covers tuition; no monetary figure published by the providerView details → - Medical Closes 31 Jul 2026
Mediclinic / ER24 Bursary
Mediclinic Southern Africa / ER24 (applications via the Mediclinic SuccessFactors careers portal)
The Mediclinic / ER24 Bursary supports financially needy South African students pursuing Nursing, Pharmacy or Emergency Medical Care at accredited tertiary institutions. ER24 is a Mediclinic subsidiary, so this is a single joint programme that covers full tuition plus a living stipend and feeds qualified graduates into the wider Mediclinic / ER24 group. Applications open annually around early May and close on 31 July, with studies starting the following January.
Full tuition (course fees) for the academic year, plus a monthly stipend towards living expensesView details → - Medical Closes 31 Dec 2026
Netcare Bursary
Netcare
Netcare offers bursaries to academically gifted students who lack the financial means to fund tertiary studies, with a focus on Pharmacy and Commerce qualifications that feed into Netcare's hospital and operational pipeline. Applications are open year-round, making it one of the more flexible programmes in South Africa's healthcare sector.
Full cost of study (tuition, textbooks, accommodation, living allowance)View details → - Medical Closes 11 Oct 2026
PSSA Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (FPE) Bursary
Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA) — administered through its Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (FPE)
The Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa runs the Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (FPE) bursary scheme to support South African pharmacy students. Undergraduate awards help full-time BPharm students from their second year onward, while postgraduate awards support Honours, Masters and Doctorate pharmacy studies. Bursaries are granted on a combination of financial need, academic merit and other assistance already received, and are renewable each year on reapplication.
Not published as a fixed rand value — awards cover one academic year based on financial need, academic merit and other assistance received, and are renewable on annual reapplicationView details → - Medical Closes 30 Sept 2026
SAMA Medical Education Bursary
South African Medical Association (SAMA)
The South African Medical Association awards medical education bursaries to South African citizens studying towards an MBChB or equivalent medical degree at a South African medical school. The bursary is non-exclusive — recipients may hold other bursaries at the same time — making it a useful top-up for students already funded elsewhere.
R20,000 per year (R10,000 in January, R10,000 in August)View details → - Medical Closed (16 Feb 2026)
SASLHA Myrtle L Aron Bursary Fund
South African Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SASLHA) — administered via its Myrtle L Aron Bursary Fund
The Myrtle L Aron Bursary Fund is awarded annually by the South African Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SASLHA) to one deserving student from a disadvantaged background studying towards an undergraduate degree in Speech-Language Therapy/Pathology and/or Audiology at an accredited South African university. Named after a pioneer of the professions in South Africa, the bursary supports students entering their 3rd or 4th year on the basis of academic merit and demonstrated financial need. Applicants must be SASLHA student members (membership is free).
Financial support towards undergraduate tuition (monetary value not publicly disclosed by SASLHA)View details → - Medical Closes 15 Nov 2026
SASP National Bursary
South African Society of Physiotherapy (SASP) (administered directly by the SASP Bursary Committee / SASP Head Office)
The South African Society of Physiotherapy awards the SASP National Bursary to South African citizens studying towards a Physiotherapy qualification at a South African university. It provides partial tuition funding paid directly to your university, and is reserved for students entering their 3rd and 4th years of study. The bursary is awarded year-to-year and must be re-applied for annually, and recipients commit to remaining SASP members and volunteering at SASP events after graduating.
Covers a portion of tuition fees only (no fixed value); funds are paid directly to the university. Awarded year-to-year and must be re-applied for annually.View details → - Medical Closed (02 Jun 2026)
SAVF Veterinary Science (BVSc) Bursary
South African Veterinary Foundation (SAVF), in partnership with Lakato (Pty) Ltd veterinary wholesalers (self-administered; bursary queries to Dr Quixi Sonntag, general office contact Ms Debbie Breeze)
The South African Veterinary Foundation (SAVF), in partnership with veterinary wholesaler Lakato (Pty) Ltd, awards R12,000 cash bursaries to BVSc (Veterinary Science) students at the University of Pretoria. Typically four bursaries are awarded each year — two to 4th-year and two to 5th-year students — to students with strong academic results, demonstrated financial need, and active involvement in student life. There is no service contract or work-back obligation on completion of studies.
R12,000 per recipient. Typically 4 bursaries awarded annually (2 to 4th-year students and 2 to 5th-year students).View details → - Medical Closed (28 Feb 2026)
SCP Radiology Student Bursary
SCP Radiology (Stellenbosch Cluster of Practices; bursaries administered in-house via the SCP Radiology Recruitment department)
The SCP Radiology Student Bursary supports South African students studying BSc Diagnostic Radiography or BSc Diagnostic Ultrasound (Sonography) at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). SCP, a Western Cape radiology practice, offers two tiers: a Standard Bursary covering tuition, a stipend and an SCP-branded uniform, and a Comprehensive Radiography Bursary for first-year students with financial need that also funds accommodation and other educational expenses. Recipients gain practical training in SCP's HPCSA-accredited clinical units and work back one year for every year of study sponsored.
Two tiers. Standard Bursary: tuition fees plus a monthly stipend, an SCP-branded uniform and clinical training placement (no fixed rand amount published). Comprehensive Radiography Bursary (first-years with financial need): stipend, tuition, accommodation and other educational expenses up to a maximum agreed amount for the 2026 academic year.View details → - Medical Closed (31 Dec 2025)
Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) Health Science Bursary Programme
Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF)
The UYDF Health Science Bursary Programme is a top-up funding and student-support scheme that helps disadvantaged students from rural KwaZulu-Natal (and parts of the Eastern Cape) qualify as health professionals. It is layered on top of NSFAS, covering costs NSFAS does not, paying a monthly allowance, and providing mentoring so students complete their degrees. In return, graduates commit to working in rural public-sector hospitals to ease the shortage of healthcare workers in underserved communities.
NSFAS top-up funding (covers costs not included in NSFAS) plus a monthly allowance reported around R3,800; no fixed total amount is publishedView details →
Medical bursaries in South Africa - what to know
The MBChB squeeze
South African medical schools admit roughly 2,000 students per year against tens of thousands of applicants. Securing a bursary alongside university admission is a separate challenge - most medical bursaries pre-select students and pay tuition directly to the university.
Allied health pays well too
Physiotherapy, radiography, occupational therapy and pharmacy bursaries are less competitive than MBChB funding and offer real career stability. Discovery Foundation and Life Healthcare in particular fund a wide range of allied health professions.
Provincial health departments
Every provincial department of health runs a bursary scheme with a work-back commitment in the public sector. These are large-scale and often less competitive than corporate bursaries.