This list shows South African bursaries whose current application round is open, sorted by closing date so the most urgent deadlines sit at the top. We build it from the status on each bursary’s own page on Bursary Forms. Each status comes from the funder’s own website, advert or application portal, and the list updates itself every day: a bursary drops off the moment its closing date passes.
Click a bursary to see who qualifies, what it pays for and exactly how to apply. Each page also shows the date we last checked the funder’s notice, with a link to that notice.
Deadlines in November 2026
- Free State Premier’s Bursary 2027 13 Nov · 4 days Government
The Free State Office of the Premier funds unemployed Free State youth in scarce-skills fields. How its new online bursary system works and what to upload.
- NRF Honours Funding 2027 23 Nov · 14 days General
DSTI-NRF funding pays up to R180,000 for a full-time Honours year at a public university. Who qualifies, the 65% rule and how to apply on NRF Connect.
- Bakwena Bursary 2027 for Senior Students Near the N1 and N4 30 Nov · 21 days General
Bakwena pays up to R35,000 of tuition for second-year and senior university students, preferably living near its N1/N4 toll route.
- SIOC-CDT Bursary 2027 30 Nov · 21 days General
The Sishen Iron Ore Company Community Development Trust funds post-matric study for residents of five Northern Cape and Limpopo municipalities.
Deadlines in December 2026
- PSG Bursary 2027 20 Dec · 41 days Postgraduate
PSG Financial Services funds final-year and postgraduate students in actuarial, computer and maths sciences, engineering and two BCom fields.
- FirstRand Empowerment Foundation Bursary 2027 31 Dec · 52 days Science
FirstRand Empowerment Foundation funds first-year degrees through StudyTrust and first Honours degrees through Feenix. Fields, income cap and how to apply.
Deadlines in January 2027
- DENOSA Bursary 2027 31 Jan · 83 days Medical
DENOSA's Study Fund Committee gives small once-off bursaries to members of two years or more for post-basic nursing study.
- Funza Lushaka Bursary 2027 31 Jan · 83 days Education
Funza Lushaka pays for a BEd in priority teaching subjects in return for teaching in a public school. Marks needed, excluded subjects, how to apply.
- beVisioneers Mercedes-Benz Fellowship 2027 31 Jan · 83 days General
beVisioneers, funded by Mercedes-Benz, backs South Africans aged 18 to 28 with planet-positive projects: coaching, stipends and project scholarships.
Deadlines in February 2027
- SAAFoST Aubrey Parsons Study Grant 2027 for Honours and B-Tech 26 Feb · 109 days Science
A once-off R20 000 SAAFoST grant for one top honours or B-Tech food science or food technology student per department, nominated by the department head.
- SAAFoST Brian Koeppen Memorial Scholarship 2027 26 Feb · 109 days Postgraduate
SAAFoST's Koeppen scholarships pay R35 000 a year to one Master's and one doctoral food science student, nominated by their head of department.
- PRF Virology Bursaries 2027 28 Feb · 111 days Medical
The Poliomyelitis Research Foundation funds Honours, MSc and PhD research in virology.
Rounds announced but not open yet
- Wells Mountain Initiative Scholarship 2027 Opens 1 Dec 2026 General
WMI gives partial scholarships of US$300 to US$3,000 a year to students aged 35 or under taking a first degree or diploma in their home country.
- Mandela Rhodes Scholarship Opens 9 Mar 2027 Postgraduate
The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship funds Honours or Master's study in South Africa for young Africans aged 19 to 29, with a compulsory leadership programme.
Before you apply
- Open the funder’s own advert or portal from the bursary page and confirm the closing date there. Funders sometimes extend a deadline, and occasionally bring one forward.
- Gather certified copies of your ID, your latest results and your household’s proof of income early. These take the longest to arrange.
- Submit a few days before the deadline. Portals slow down on the last day, and late applications are almost never accepted.
- No genuine bursary asks you to pay an application fee. Our guide to spotting fake bursaries explains the warning signs.
Missed a deadline? The full list of 2027 bursaries shows every funder we track, including those that have not announced their next round yet, and our NSFAS guide covers government funding for public universities and TVET colleges.