Postgraduate Bursaries
Funding for Honours, Master's and PhD students. Includes the NRF's flagship scholarship, the Claude Leon Foundation, Canon Collins Trust, and dedicated programmes for actuarial science and AI research.
22 postgraduate bursaries
- Postgraduate Closes 01 Dec 2026
Agbiz Centenary Bursary
Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) - administered directly by Agbiz
The Agbiz Centenary Bursary funds one academic year of postgraduate study (Master's or PhD) for South African students researching agribusiness management and related fields. Established to celebrate Agbiz member organisations that have reached 100 years, it supports high-level academic research and offers guidance from Agbiz in shaping the research topic. Typically one deserving student is funded per cycle.
R47,500 per academic year (for the 2026 academic year)View details → - Postgraduate Closed (06 Mar 2026)
AIMS Google DeepMind AI for Science Scholarship
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Google DeepMind
The AIMS Google DeepMind Scholarship is a fully residential one-year Master's programme at AIMS South Africa, training African students in AI for Science - combining artificial intelligence and machine learning with real scientific research problems.
Fully funded Master's (tuition + accommodation + living expenses + medical insurance + flights)View details → - Postgraduate Closes 02 Sept 2026
Canon Collins RMTF Scholarship
Canon Collins Trust
The Canon Collins RMTF Scholarship funds postgraduate study at South African universities in Justice, Education and Humanities - open to nationals of 10 southern African countries pursuing Master's or PhD research with a focus on social change.
Between R20,000 and R100,000 per year (depending on circumstances)View details → - Postgraduate Closes 03 Nov 2026
Chevening Scholarship (South Africa)
Chevening (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, administered by the Chevening Secretariat)
The Chevening Scholarship is the UK government's flagship, fully funded award for emerging leaders to complete a one-year taught master's degree at any UK university. South Africa has a dedicated country programme, and the scholarship is open to South African citizens in any field of study who plan to return home and contribute to their country. It covers full tuition, a living stipend, return flights and more.
Fully funded — full tuition + living stipend + return flights + allowances (no fixed cash figure published)View details → - Postgraduate Closes 31 Dec 2026
Claude Leon Foundation Funding
Claude Leon Foundation
Important: the Claude Leon Foundation does not run a bursary that individual students can apply for. Its well-known postdoctoral fellowship programme in the sciences closed in 2021. Its Honours support is allocated by the Foundation directly to selected universities (students cannot apply individually), and the only postgraduate funding it currently offers is in Public Interest Law through Stellenbosch University. This entry is kept for information only.
Not applicable - no direct student applicationView details → - Postgraduate Closed (14 Oct 2025)
Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) (nominated for South Africa via the Department of Higher Education and Training; promoted by the British Council South Africa)
The Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships fund South African and other Commonwealth citizens to complete a full Master's or PhD at a participating university in the United Kingdom. Run by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and funded by the UK FCDO, the award covers full tuition, a monthly living stipend, return airfare and additional grants, and is aimed at talented students who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK. South African applicants are nominated through the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
Full scholarship (no fixed cash amount): full UK tuition + monthly living stipend (approx. GBP 1,452, or approx. GBP 1,781 in London) for 2026/27, plus return airfare and additional grantsView details → - Postgraduate Closes 31 Oct 2026
DAAD Scholarships for Study and Research in Germany
DAAD - German Academic Exchange Service / Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD Information Centre Johannesburg, hosted at the University of the Witwatersrand, responsible for South Africa and Southern Africa)
The DAAD Scholarships are funded by the German government's academic exchange service to support South African and Sub-Saharan African graduates to complete a Master's or PhD in Germany. The portfolio includes the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme (Master's in Public Policy and Good Governance), Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS), and DAAD Research Grants for doctoral and bi-nationally supervised study. Awards cover a monthly stipend, tuition, travel, insurance and a funded German language course, with the DAAD Information Centre Johannesburg providing free information and consultation sessions.
Monthly stipend (EPOS 2026/27 rates): approx. EUR 992 per month for Master's candidates and EUR 1,300 per month for doctoral candidates; the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme and Research Grants carry comparable DAAD standard rates, plus tuition, travel, insurance and language-course fundingView details → - Postgraduate Closes 30 Oct 2026
Discovery Foundation Awards
Discovery Foundation
The Discovery Foundation Awards are grants for qualified medical professionals and institutions, not an undergraduate bursary. They fund academic-medicine training, sub-specialist qualifications, and healthcare in rural and underserved areas. Eligibility is restricted to registrars, senior doctors and specialists, and universities or faculties; undergraduate students cannot apply.
Individual research-support awards up to R25,000; senior medical doctor and institutional grants of R250,000 to R500,000 (one-year, institutions may apply up to three years)View details → - Postgraduate Closed (19 Feb 2026)
FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship for International Postgraduate Study
FirstRand Foundation (administered in-house by the FirstRand postgraduate scholarship office; coordinator Giselle Ras)
The FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship funds exceptional young South Africans to pursue a Master's or PhD in any field at an international university of their choice. The flagship "any-field" award offers up to R1.5 million for a Master's and up to R2 million for a PhD, with personal interest and mentorship from Laurie Dippenaar himself. It is open to South African citizens (preference for those under 35) who commit to returning to and working in South Africa for at least five years after graduating.
Up to R1.5 million for a Master's degree and up to R2 million for a PhDView details → - Postgraduate Closed (08 Apr 2026)
Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship (South Africa)
U.S. Department of State (administered by the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in South Africa, Fulbright Office)
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is a fully funded U.S. government scholarship that sends South Africans to accredited universities in the United States for postgraduate study. It covers Master's, PhD and Visiting Student Researcher placements in almost any field, including tuition, a living stipend, airfare, visa sponsorship and health insurance. It targets high-achieving South African graduates with strong academic records and leadership potential.
Full grant: tuition + monthly living stipend + airfare + visa + health insuranceView details → - Postgraduate Closes 03 Dec 2026
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Gates Cambridge Trust (University of Cambridge; funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation endowment; administered via the University of Cambridge Graduate Application Portal)
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is a prestigious, full-cost award that funds outstanding postgraduate students from outside the UK - including South Africans - to study a full-time PhD, MLitt or one-year Master's at the University of Cambridge. Funded by a donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it covers the full University Composition (tuition) Fee, a generous annual maintenance allowance, airfares, visa costs and more. Around 80 scholarships are awarded each year to applicants who combine intellectual excellence with leadership and a commitment to improving the lives of others.
Full-cost scholarship: full University Composition (tuition) Fee plus a maintenance allowance of GBP 22,050 for 12 months (2025-26 single-student rate; pro rata for shorter courses; PhD awards run up to 4 years)View details → - Postgraduate Closed (10 Mar 2026)
HCI Foundation Bursary Programme
HCI Foundation (corporate social investment arm of Hosken Consolidated Investments Ltd, administered by the HCI Foundation Bursary Department in partnership with university Financial Aid / Advancement offices)
The HCI Foundation Bursary Programme offers partial postgraduate funding to financially needy, academically strong South African students completing Honours degrees or Postgraduate Diplomas at approved universities. The bursary covers up to 75% of tuition fees, capped at R40,000 per year, with no repayment and no work-back obligation. It is administered by the HCI Foundation Bursary Department together with the Financial Aid and Advancement offices of partner universities including UCT, Wits, UP, Stellenbosch and UKZN.
Partial bursary covering up to 75% of tuition fees, capped at a maximum of R40,000 per annum, paid directly into the student's fee account at their institution (around July each year)View details → - Postgraduate Closed (14 Apr 2026)
Mandela Rhodes Scholarship
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation
The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship is one of Africa's most prestigious postgraduate awards. It funds African citizens to complete a one-year Honours or two-year Master's degree at a recognised South African university, alongside an immersive Leadership Development Programme that runs throughout the scholarship.
Full tuition + accommodation + living stipend + leadership programmeView details → - Postgraduate Closed (31 Oct 2025)
Meat Industry Trust (MIT) Bursary Scheme
Meat Industry Trust (MIT) and Red Meat Research and Development Trust (RMRDT) (administered by the Bursary Working Committee (BWC) via Agri Levy)
The Meat Industry Trust (MIT) Bursary Scheme funds South African Master's and Doctoral students whose research applies to red meat species — cattle, sheep and goats — across fields such as animal nutrition, genetics, animal health, food safety, meat science and environmental sustainability. Funded jointly by the Meat Industry Trust (MIT) and the Red Meat Research and Development Trust (RMRDT), it awards R60,000 per annum and is renewable for the duration of the degree. Selection is based on academic record, the scientific quality of the project proposal and the contribution the research could make to the red meat industry.
R60,000 per annum. Master's degree: maximum R120,000 over 2 consecutive years. Doctorate: maximum R180,000 over 3 consecutive years.View details → - Postgraduate Closes 21 Aug 2026
SAMRC Research Capacity Development Scholarships and Funding
South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)
This is not an undergraduate or MBChB bursary. The SAMRC funds postgraduate health research only, through programmes such as the Postgraduate Research Associate Programme (Masters and PhD), the Bongani Mayosi National Health Scholars Programme, the Clinician Researcher Development Programme and the Researcher Development Award. It is for South African Masters and PhD students who have secured a committed supervisor within an SAMRC research unit to host and mentor them for the full degree.
PhD approx R200,000-R250,000/year; Masters approx R160,000-R200,000/year; Researcher Development Award up to R250,000 once-offView details → - Postgraduate Closes 23 Nov 2026
NRF Postgraduate Scholarship
National Research Foundation (NRF) / Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
The NRF Postgraduate Scholarship is South Africa's flagship public research funding - a Full or Partial Cost of Study scholarship for Honours, Master's and PhD students at South African universities, awarded across all major disciplines and prioritising financial need, disability and exceptional academic achievement.
Full Cost of Study (FCS) or Partial Cost of Study (PCS) - value depends on level and funding categoryView details → - Postgraduate Closed (31 Mar 2026)
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Postgraduate Scholarship
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust (OMT)
The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust funds Master's, Doctoral and Postdoctoral study for academically excellent scholars intending to pursue careers in academia, research and development in South Africa. Awards are discretionary and may be partial (co-funding), based on a budget submitted by each applicant. Funding is tenable mainly at South African universities, and in exceptional cases internationally for highly specialised disciplines not available locally.
Value is not fixed - awarded at the Trustees' discretion, often on a co-funding (partial) basis, against a budget covering tuition, living costs, travel and booksView details → - Postgraduate Closes 03 Aug 2026
Rhodes Scholarship for Southern Africa
Rhodes Trust (administered by the Southern Africa Regional Secretariat, Johannesburg)
The Rhodes Scholarship for Southern Africa is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious postgraduate awards, fully funding outstanding young leaders to study at the University of Oxford. It covers all Oxford tuition fees plus a generous living stipend for up to two years (three for a DPhil), and is open to citizens and long-term residents of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and eSwatini. It is distinct from the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, which is run by a separate foundation for study within South Africa.
Full Oxford tuition + GBP 20,400 annual stipend (GBP 1,700/month for 2025-26)View details → - Postgraduate Closes 30 Sept 2026
SACTA NPC Trust Bursary
South African Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA) NPC (administered by Agri Manage Solutions (Pty) Ltd)
The SACTA NPC Trust Bursary funds South African postgraduate students whose research advances the country's grain and oilseed breeding and technology industry, covering Honours, Master's and Doctoral studies in fields such as plant breeding, agronomy and seed technology. Master's by dissertation students receive R99,750 per year for up to two years and Doctoral researchers R131,250 per year for up to three years. The bursary is funded from statutory breeding and technology levies on self-pollinated grain and oilseed crops and carries a work-back obligation in the South African grain and oilseed industry.
Master's by Dissertation: R99,750 per annum for up to 2 years | Doctoral Research: R131,250 per annum for up to 3 yearsView details → - Postgraduate Closes 30 Sept 2026
SANSA Postgraduate Bursary Programme
South African National Space Agency (SANSA)
The SANSA Postgraduate Bursary Programme funds Honours, Master's and Doctoral students pursuing STEM qualifications linked to South Africa's space sector, including space science, Earth observation, remote sensing, GIS and engineering. It targets financially needy, high-achieving students under the age of 32 who want to build a career in the country's growing space industry.
Honours: R150,000 p.a. | Master's: R160,000 p.a. | Doctoral: R170,000 p.a.View details → - Postgraduate Closes 09 Sept 2026
Schwarzman Scholars (South Africa)
Schwarzman Scholars Foundation (hosted at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, Beijing)
Schwarzman Scholars is a prestigious, fully funded one-year master's programme that brings outstanding young leaders from around the world to study at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University in Beijing. South African nationals are eligible to apply for the Master of Management Science in Global Affairs, which welcomes graduates from any undergraduate field. The award covers full tuition, accommodation, travel, health insurance and a personal stipend, alongside an immersive leadership-development experience in China.
Fully funded for one year (full tuition and fees, room and board, travel, health insurance plus a USD $4,000 personal stipend)View details → - Postgraduate Closed (31 Jan 2026)
Skye Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship
Skye Foundation (Skye Foundation Trust and Skye International Foundation Trust, founded 1997 by the Zylstra family; administered directly by the Skye Foundation Trust, with jointly-funded awards run alongside the Cambridge Trust and the Oxford Clarendon Fund)
The Skye Foundation funds outstanding young South Africans of exceptional merit to pursue postgraduate study and research under leaders in their field, at top South African universities or, at the trustees' discretion, at world-leading institutions abroad. The scheme is nomination-only: candidates cannot apply directly and must be nominated by their faculty dean and supported by academic leaders in their discipline. Jointly-funded routes include the Skye Cambridge Scholarship (with the Cambridge Trust) and the Skye Foundation Oxford Clarendon Scholarship.
Generous, variable awards. For SA study, may cover tuition, living expenses and other costs; the jointly-funded Skye Cambridge Scholarship covers the University composition fee, college fee and an annual stipend for up to 3 years.View details →