The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the state agency that funds South Africa’s screen industry, runs a national bursary for students who want to work in film and television. The NFVF pays for full-time diplomas and degrees at accredited institutions inside South Africa. The most recent round ran from 2 June until 17:00 on 31 August 2026, so it is finished.
This page covers study at home. If you have a place on a postgraduate film course overseas, the NFVF runs a different scheme with its own deadline: see the NFVF international bursary for postgraduate study abroad.
Film and TV only: what the NFVF will not fund
The bursary covers undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas and degrees in film and television disciplines. The NFVF excludes performing arts courses outright, which means acting, music and dance students must look elsewhere. Students in those fields can start with our list of arts bursaries.
The NFVF prefers students at public institutions. Its advert warns that if you win the bursary at a public institution and later move to a private one, the NFVF cancels the award.
Tuition for everyone, living costs for first years
- Tuition fees for the qualification.
- Accommodation, meals, textbooks, computers and software, capped at R50 000 a year. The NFVF pays these extras for first-year students only.
- Travel costs are not covered.
The NFVF’s income line and 60% mark
You must be a South African citizen who has passed matric and is registered, or provisionally registered, for full-time film or TV study at an accredited South African institution. The NFVF treats an applicant as being in financial need when the parents or guardians earn a combined income below R600 000 a year. Students already at college or university need an aggregate of at least 60%.
Selection weighs financial need, marks, the motivation letter and demographics (gender, race, disability and province), in line with the NFVF’s transformation goals.
Paperwork the NFVF asked for in 2026
- A letter of acceptance from your institution
- A one-page motivation letter
- Your ID and your matric certificate or latest results, each certified within the last six months
- A fee breakdown from the institution
- Proof of household income, such as payslips, bank statements or an IRP5; applicants who are minors add their parents’ income proof, and where relevant social grant evidence or death certificates
Applying through the NFVF grants portal
The NFVF accepts applications only on its online system, the NFVF grant management portal; it rejects faxed and emailed forms. The 2026 call is still on the NFVF website’s national bursary advert for reference.
For the next round, watch the NFVF’s news page from late May. The NFVF published both its 2025 and 2026 national calls on 2 June, although the closing date moved from 31 July (2025) to 31 August (2026). The advert gives no date for announcing results.
For questions, phone the NFVF on 011 483 0880 or email one of the two officers who handle bursaries: Manti Sekwakwa Mmalebati (mantim@nfvf.co.za) or Thandekile Hlatshwayo (thandekileh@nfvf.co.za). Media students can also compare the eMedia bursary for film, TV and radio study.