The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the state-owned development finance institution, funds students through its External Bursary Scheme. The IDC aims the scheme at unemployed South African citizens aged 26 or younger who need financial help and who study, or plan to study, one of a fixed list of finance, science, engineering, IT and law qualifications.
The 2027 IDC round ran from 1 June to 30 September 2026
The IDC opened applications for the 2027 academic year on Monday, 1 June 2026, and set Wednesday, 30 September 2026 as the closing date. That deadline has now passed. The IDC has not yet published dates for the 2028 intake, so Grade 11 learners should keep checking the IDC bursaries page; the IDC has not said whether the next round will also open in June.
What an IDC bursary pays for
- Full tuition fees
- University residence, or off-campus accommodation that the university has accredited
- A laptop, given once
- A meal allowance
- A transport allowance
The IDC’s closed list of qualifications
The IDC states in capitals that it will reject any qualification not on its list. The 2027 list fell into four groups:
- Finance and management: Accounting (CA), Financial Management, Financial Accounting, Internal Audit, Cost and Management Accounting, Investment Management, Risk Management, Transport or Logistics Management, Supply Chain Management, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Economics, Econometrics, Business Management and Financial Engineering.
- STEM: Industrial, Chemical, Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Mechatronic, Mining, Metallurgical and Civil/Construction/Quantity Survey Engineering; Analytical Chemistry; Geology; Physics; a Bachelor of Science; Biotechnology; Environmental Science; Agricultural Studies; Actuarial Science; Data Science; Quantitative Risk Management; Mathematics or Statistics; Computer Science or Information Science; BCom Information Systems; and Information Technology.
- Law: BCom Law, LLB and the Diploma in Law.
- Honours: Law, Mathematics or Statistics, Actuarial Science and the Accounting CTA.
Apart from those Honours fields, the IDC funds only a first, undergraduate qualification. Students working on a second qualification or any other postgraduate degree do not qualify.
Marks, age and household income
- South African citizens only, no older than 26, and not employed.
- Matriculants need an APS of at least 75%. Students already at university need an average of at least 65% in their latest results and must keep a GPA of 60% for as long as the IDC funds them.
- Your place must be at a public university or a university of technology in South Africa. That rules out TVET colleges and private colleges.
- The scheme targets households earning up to R350 000 a year combined. Families earning between R350 000 and R600 000 may still apply, and the IDC then runs an affordability assessment.
The IDC scores applications with a weighting system. Applicants living with a disability get first preference, and so do learners who studied or matriculated at Quintile 1, 2 or 3 public schools, schools in previously disadvantaged communities or rural schools.
Certified copies the IDC asks for
Every certification must be less than three months old when you submit. The 2027 round required:
- Your certified South African ID and certified IDs of both parents
- 2026 mid-year or latest results; matriculants used Grade 11 final and June Grade 12 results, and anyone who has finished school added the matric certificate
- Proof of household income: payslips and three months of bank statements for employed parents, an affidavit stating annual income for unemployed parents, six months of bank statements for self-employed parents, and a SASSA letter if the family receives grants
- Death certificates for deceased parents, and a divorce certificate or a sworn statement if parents are separated
- Certified proof of residence
Applying through the IDC bursary portal
The IDC takes applications online only, through the bursary portal linked from the Apply Now button on the IDC website’s bursaries section. Besides uploading the documents, applicants complete an interview questionnaire on the portal. The IDC notifies successful applicants by email. For queries, the IDC lists Noluthando Baepi on 011 269 3374, noluthandob@idc.co.za, or ExternalBursaryQueries@idc.co.za.
Other funders for the same fields
Economics and finance students who missed the IDC deadline can read about the South African Reserve Bank bursary, while engineering students should look at the Eskom bursary. Our commerce bursaries page lists more funders.