Free Bursary Guide

Funding your studies in South Africa doesn’t have to mean taking on debt. Every year, thousands of students have their tuition, accommodation, and living costs covered through bursaries — funding that, in most cases, never needs to be repaid in cash. But with government schemes like NSFAS, dozens of corporate funders, provincial department programmes, and private trusts all operating differently, it’s easy to waste time applying to the wrong places or missing a deadline simply because you didn’t know it existed.

This guide brings the whole process into one place: how bursaries actually work, the different types available, what funders look for, and — importantly — what you’re agreeing to when you accept an offer, including bonding and work-back commitments that many students only discover after they’ve signed. It also breaks down where to look by field of study, from engineering and accounting to medicine, teaching, and IT, so you’re not searching blind.

Whether you’re a matriculant weighing your options for the first time, already partway through a degree and looking for postgraduate funding, or trying to understand a bond contract you’ve just been offered, this guide is built to answer the questions that actually come up at each stage — with links through to a full, dedicated breakdown on every topic it covers.