The Compensation Fund, part of the Department of Employment and Labour, pays out under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). Through its External Bursary Scheme, the Fund pays for the studies of workers left permanently disabled by an injury or disease at work, and for their children and the children of workers killed on duty. The Fund has not yet released forms for the 2027 academic year. It released the 2026 scheme on 26 September 2025.
Three groups the Fund will consider
- Unemployed COID beneficiaries with a permanent disablement who are of working age. The Fund backs programmes that help them return to work or become self-employed.
- Dependants of COID beneficiaries with a permanent disablement, aged 17 to 35.
- Dependants of employees who died from an injury at work, also aged 17 to 35.
It does not matter which pension administrator handles the claim. The form accepts beneficiaries of the Compensation Fund itself, Rand Mutual Assurance, Federated Employers Mutual Assurance and the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases. You will need the COID claim or pension number.
Applicants must already be accepted at a public TVET college, Community Education and Training (CET) college or university, and must study full-time. The Fund allows part-time study only for students with disabilities, and only in exceptional cases.
Tuition, books, a room and a monthly stipend
The bursary covers tuition fees, prescribed study material, accommodation and a monthly stipend. The Fund renews the award each year for the length of the programme, as long as your results hold up and money is available.
The form lists priority fields such as health sciences, ICT, engineering, statistics and data science, actuarial science, accounting, economics, maths and science teaching, maritime studies and environmental health. That list does not restrict the three COID groups above: they may choose any qualification.
Proving the link to a COID claim
Most of the 2026 form’s checklist is about showing your connection to the injured or deceased worker. Expect to attach:
- the completed application form;
- a certified ID or unabridged birth certificate that shows the beneficiary or deceased worker as your parent;
- if you have no unabridged birth certificate, a court guardianship or family court order, foster care confirmation, maintenance order, paternity test or similar official document (the Fund does not accept affidavits for this);
- certified IDs of your parents or guardians, and a death certificate if a parent has died;
- proof of the occupational disablement, such as the COID pension award, final medical report or proof of finding;
- proof of acceptance from the college or university.
The three COID groups do not need to send proof of household income.
Sending the form to the Fund
The Fund publishes its bursary flyer and application form as PDFs in the Department of Employment and Labour document centre, and Provincial Labour Centres hand out paper copies. In the 2026 scheme, applicants could email the completed form and documents to CFexternalbursaries@labour.gov.za, or post them to the Sub-Directorate: Vocational Rehabilitation, Compensation Fund, Private Bag X955, Pretoria, 0001. Since 1 April 2026 the Fund has worked from Compensation House, on the corner of Hamilton Street and Soutpansberg Road in Arcadia, Pretoria.
The 2026 scheme stayed open through the 2026 academic year, but the Fund asked people to apply by 31 March 2026. If you hear nothing within two months of applying, the Fund says to treat the application as unsuccessful. Bursary queries go to 012 319 9264, 012 319 5774 or 012 319 9124, or the toll-free line 0800 321 322.
While you wait for the 2027 forms, Gauteng students can look at the Gauteng City Region Academy bursary, and KwaZulu-Natal students at the KZN provincial government bursaries. The government bursaries hub lists other state funders.