The National Research Foundation (NRF) funds full-time Honours, Master’s and doctoral students at South African public universities on behalf of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, which is why the NRF now calls the programme DSTI-NRF Postgraduate Student Funding. For the 2027 academic year, the only general call still open is for Honours: the NRF opened it on 7 July 2026 and closes it on 23 November 2026.
The first-time Master’s and doctoral calls for 2027 closed on 3 July 2026, and the NRF-SARAO Honours call (for astronomy and related fields) closed on 14 August 2026. Students in those groups will need to wait for the NRF’s 2028 call.
Your university’s deadline comes first
Applications go through the NRF Connect system, but the NRF routes each one to the university where you plan to register. A review committee at that university scores applications using NRF scorecards, and only recommended applicants are sent on to the NRF. Many postgraduate funding offices set an internal closing date earlier than 23 November, so confirm the date with your own university before you start.
The 65% rule and other conditions for Honours
- Only South African citizens and permanent residents may apply for Honours funding.
- You need an average of at least 65% for your major subjects in the final year of your undergraduate degree, or 65% across a postgraduate certificate at NQF level 7. Graduates since 2021 need a numerical mark, not just “Pass”.
- You must register full-time at a South African public university and may not have registered for your Honours before July 2026.
- The NRF does not fund students who work more than 12 hours a week, students on a postgraduate diploma or PGCE, or any qualification without research as a core part. Holding a postgraduate diploma already also rules you out of Honours funding.
There is no age limit at the application stage, but the NRF sets aside 80% of funding for Honours students who are 28 or younger on 31 December 2026. The remaining 20% has no age restriction.
Full Cost of Study or Partial Cost of Study
The NRF funds students at one of two levels. Full Cost of Study (FCS) pays R180,000 for the Honours year plus a once-off R10,000 study device allowance. Partial Cost of Study (PCS) pays R140,000. Students living with a disability may claim up to R20,000 for an assistive technology device.
FCS is open to three groups: exceptional achievers with a 75% average, students with a disability, and financially needy students from households earning no more than R350,000 a year. Former NSFAS or ISFAP students prove need by attaching a university-stamped financial statement or their signed NSFAS or ISFAP agreement. Students without that proof go through a means test run with ISFAP; the NRF asked Honours applicants who need the test to apply by 24 August 2026, so anyone applying now without proof of NSFAS or ISFAP funding is likely to be considered for PCS. Former Funza Lushaka bursars must also take the means test. The NRF may still award PCS to an FCS-eligible student if the budget runs short.
Applying on NRF Connect
- Choose the university where you will register for Honours in 2027.
- Create a profile and complete the Honours application on the NRF Connect system. The NRF accepts no manual applications.
- Attach the documents listed in the NRF’s application guide, including your academic record and, for FCS, proof of financial need.
- Submit before your university’s internal deadline and no later than 23 November 2026.
The NRF publishes the NRF Postgraduate Funding Framework for 2027 (PDF) and the full timetable on its 2027 postgraduate funding call page. Queries go to postgraduatequeries@risa.nrf.ac.za, and NRF Connect technical problems to supportdesk@nrf.ac.za.
Moving from Honours to a funded Master’s
NRF Honours funding lasts one year. The NRF tries to keep funding students through to the doctorate, but only if they finish Honours in that year, register for a Master’s straight away and submit a fresh application for each new level. Students heading into a data science Master’s can also look at the Reserve Bank’s data science Master’s scholarship, and Honours students in commerce fields can compare the FirstRand Foundation Honours bursary or our postgraduate bursaries list.
Can international or SADC students get NRF Honours funding?
Not under the general Honours call for 2027. The NRF limits Honours funding to South African citizens and permanent residents; international students can apply at Master’s and doctoral level, where they share 5% of the funding.
I missed the 3 July deadline for Master’s funding. Is there another round?
The NRF has not announced a second first-time Master’s call for 2027. The 2027 Master’s call opened on 16 April 2026, so check the NRF website in the first half of 2027 for the 2028 call.