The ABB Education Trust funds Black women studying engineering and related fields at South African universities. ABB, the Swiss-based electrification and automation group, set up the Trust as part of its social investment in South Africa; ABB’s own 2018 news release lists sponsoring electrical engineering students through the ABB Education Trust among its community projects. The Trust’s trustees issue each call for applications in their own name.
ABB Education Trust bursary status for 2027
We could not find a current call from the ABB Education Trust. Neither ABB’s South African website nor any university notice we checked carries an advert for 2026 or 2027 funding as of 1 October 2026. The last call we could verify invited applications for funding in the 2025 academic year and closed on 26 April 2025. The University of Venda’s student news page reproduced that call.
The timing matters. The Trust asked for proof of registration and a fees statement for the same year, which means it funds students who are already registered and in the middle of the academic year. A call for 2027 funding would therefore most likely appear during 2027, not now. Your university’s financial aid staff are the people most likely to hear first when the Trust issues fresh invitations.
Black women from second year onwards
The 2025 call set these mandatory criteria:
- Only Black female South African citizens may apply. “Black” follows the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and covers African, Coloured and Indian South Africans.
- Black women with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
- You must have completed your first year of study with an aggregate of at least 60%, so first-year applicants do not qualify.
- You must show financial need as well as proven academic results.
- The Trust does not pay for repeated courses or for fees owed from earlier years.
Engineering first, then eight other streams
The Trust gives preference to a Bachelor’s degree or Higher Diploma in Electrical, Mechanical or Industrial Engineering. It also considers a degree or Higher Diploma in:
- Management Sciences, Finance or Accounting
- Environment, Health and Safety, or Quality Assurance
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Supply Chain Management
Papers the Trust asked for last time
The 2025 call listed six documents. If you plan to apply next time, collect these early in the year:
- your full academic record since Grade 12
- proof of university registration for the funding year
- your university fees statement for that year
- proof of your student accommodation and its cost, or an estimate of travel costs if you live at home
- a copy of your South African ID card
- proof of your parents’ or guardian’s income
The copy of the call we could verify did not say where to send applications, so use only the submission route printed in a new call. Treat any contact details on other websites as unconfirmed. The Trust handles applicants’ personal information under its own privacy statement, which it supplies on request.
Students in electrical or mechanical engineering who do not want to wait for the Trust can compare the Eskom bursary and the Transnet bursary, or browse the engineering bursaries hub.