Note: This roundup is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current, active bursary programmes. Funding amounts, requirements, and deadlines change year to year, so always confirm the latest details directly with each funder before applying. For general application guidance that applies across all of these, see our step-by-step guide to applying for a bursary.
South Africa has a genuinely strong range of bursary funding available across nearly every field of study, but knowing where to actually look, and which programmes are consistently well funded, saves a lot of wasted searching. This roundup pulls together the country’s leading bursary programmes by sector, along with what each typically funds and who runs it, so you can build a shortlist worth applying to.
Government and Need-Based Funding
NSFAS
The largest source of student funding in South Africa by volume, covering tuition, accommodation, and living costs for students from financially needy households at public universities and TVET colleges. For most currently qualifying students, NSFAS now functions as a full bursary rather than a loan. See our full NSFAS guide for eligibility and how to apply.
Engineering
Engineering remains one of the best-funded fields in the country, with major mining houses, energy companies, and state-owned enterprises like Eskom and Transnet running some of the largest engineering bursary schemes available, alongside numerous private sector manufacturing and construction firms. Coverage is typically comprehensive, often including vacation work placements alongside full tuition and living costs. See our full engineering bursaries guide for the complete funder landscape and requirements.
Accounting and Finance
South Africa’s major audit firms and banks run some of the country’s most structured and long-term bursary pathways, particularly SAICA-linked programmes that fund students from undergraduate study through to their postgraduate CTA year and training contract toward becoming a chartered accountant. These are highly competitive but among the most comprehensive bursaries available in any field. See our full accounting and finance bursaries guide for how the SAICA pathway works and who funds it.
Medical and Health Sciences
Every one of South Africa’s nine provincial Health Departments runs its own bursary scheme for medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions, making this one of the most consistently available bursary categories nationally, even though individual programmes are highly competitive given limited university places, particularly for medicine. See our full medical and health sciences bursaries guide for how provincial funding works and what each typically covers.
Teaching
Funza Lushaka
The Department of Basic Education’s national teaching bursary, funding BEd and PGCE study with a strong emphasis on priority subjects like Mathematics, Physical Science, and Foundation Phase teaching. Unlike NSFAS, Funza Lushaka doesn’t apply a household income test, making it accessible to a wider range of applicants provided they meet the academic and commitment requirements. See our full teaching bursaries guide for eligibility and how to apply.
IT and Technology
Major banks, insurers, and telecommunications companies fund a significant number of computer science, software engineering, and IT students each year, often including laptop allowances and structured vacation work alongside standard tuition and living cost coverage. State-owned entities like SITA also fund IT students specifically to support government’s digital infrastructure needs. See our full IT and technology bursaries guide for the full funder landscape.
Postgraduate Study
NRF Funding
The National Research Foundation remains the largest single funder of postgraduate study in South Africa, supporting Honours, Masters, and PhD students across the sciences, engineering, humanities, and social sciences based on academic merit and research quality, without the work-back commitments typical of undergraduate corporate bursaries. See our full postgraduate bursaries guide for NRF and other postgraduate funding sources.
Bursaries for Women, Disability and Underrepresented Groups
Alongside general programmes, a meaningful number of funders, particularly in engineering, mining, and technology, run dedicated bursary streams or set-aside quotas for women and students with disabilities as part of broader transformation and access commitments. NSFAS also makes specific additional provision for students with disabilities. See our full guide to bursaries for women, disability and underrepresented groups for where to find these programmes.
How to Choose Which Bursaries to Apply For
Rather than applying to every bursary on this list, focus on the ones that genuinely match your field of study, academic results, and financial situation. A sensible approach for most students is to apply for NSFAS as a baseline if you qualify financially, while also applying to two or three corporate or government department bursaries specifically in your intended field. See our full guide to bursary requirements in South Africa to quickly check where you stand before investing time in any specific application.
Before accepting any offer, make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to, particularly around work-back or bonding commitments, which apply to almost every corporate and government department bursary on this list. Our guide to bursary bonding and work-back obligations covers exactly what to check before you sign.
Where to Find Live Opportunities
This roundup covers the major, well-established bursary programmes and categories, but new opportunities and specific intakes open throughout the year. For actively updated, current bursary listings across every field covered here, check our bursaries and scholarships listings page regularly rather than relying on a single search done once.
This page is part of our complete guide to bursaries in South Africa. Read the full pillar guide here for links to every guide in this series, including how to apply, what to expect at interview, and application deadlines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best bursary to apply for in South Africa?
There’s no single best bursary — it depends entirely on your field of study, academic results, and financial situation. NSFAS is the strongest starting point for financially needy students regardless of field, while corporate bursaries in engineering, accounting, and IT tend to offer the most comprehensive funding for students who meet their academic thresholds.
How many of these bursaries can I apply for at once?
You can apply to as many as you’re eligible for, and doing so is a sensible strategy given how competitive individual bursaries can be. Most funders will require you to withdraw from other offers once you accept theirs, so you won’t be able to hold multiple full bursaries simultaneously.
Do these bursaries get updated every year?
Yes. Funding amounts, specific requirements, and application deadlines shift from year to year, and some programmes pause or change their intake size depending on the funder’s needs. Always confirm current details directly with each funder, and check our listings page for the latest live opportunities.
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