The Foschini Group (TFG), the retailer behind brands such as Foschini, Markham, Totalsports and the Bash shopping app, funds a two-year fellowship for South Africans doing a Master’s in data science. TFG launched the Data Science and Leadership Fellowship in 2023 and hands the application process to StudyTrust, the bursary administrator that also runs several other company schemes. The season for the 2027 intake opened on 1 June 2026 and ended on 30 September 2026.
What a TFG fellow receives
The fellowship funds the first and second years of a Master’s degree and pays:
- full tuition fees
- a living allowance and a meal allowance
- equipment and textbooks
- coaching and mentoring support
- a networking and learning event at TFG’s head office in Cape Town
TFG reported in May 2025 that it spends more than R2 million a year on the programme. That year’s group held 12 fellows: six newcomers and six in their second year.
Which Master’s degrees qualify
Both research and coursework Master’s degrees in data science, or in a closely related qualification, are eligible. The study must take place at one of five designated “Tier One” South African public universities. StudyTrust’s page does not name the five, so confirm your university with StudyTrust before you apply. The fellowship does not fund undergraduate study or Honours.
How StudyTrust picks fellows
Every South African may apply, and TFG gives preference to candidates from under-represented groups. Selection rests on academic excellence plus clear evidence of innovation, creativity and leadership, so use the application to show projects you led, problems you solved with data, and roles outside the classroom.
Applicants fill in StudyTrust’s general bursary form, which serves every sponsor on its books. Its general instructions ask for a full academic record including your most recent results (for the 2027 season, first-semester 2026 results), and stress that your details must be accurate because the first screening applies each sponsor’s criteria automatically. Read the StudyTrust bursary applications page before the next season opens, and send questions to apply@studytrust.org.za.
Where earlier fellows ended up
All four fellows in the first intake completed their Master’s degrees. TFG has since hired two of them, and a third has gone on to postdoctoral research. Fellows have applied their data skills to water quality, HIV treatment and how responsive health services are, which shows that TFG does not limit research topics to retail.
Planning for the 2028 intake
Because the fellowship’s window runs from the start of June to the end of September every year, final-year and Honours students aiming for a 2028 Master’s should have transcripts and references ready by June 2027. Keep an eye on the TFG Data Science and Leadership Fellowship page on StudyTrust, which carries the link to StudyTrust’s application form while the season is open.
Data science postgraduates have other funders to compare. The Reserve Bank’s data science scholarship for Master’s students and the AIMS Google DeepMind scholarship both fund Master’s study in the field, and the postgraduate bursaries list covers other disciplines.