An Honours degree (NQF-8) is a postgraduate qualification pursued after completing an undergraduate degree. It combines research projects, coursework, and sometimes a thesis, focusing on a specialised area of study. An Honours qualification not only deepens academic knowledge but also prepares students for further study, such as a Masters or Doctorate degree.
Admission into Honours usually requires a strong GPA and a relevant undergraduate qualification. Since funding can be a challenge at this stage, various bursaries and scholarships are available to assist South African students.
Below is a list of 30+ Honours bursaries for 2026:
- Ada & Bertie Levenstein Bursary
- Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Bursary
- Analyze Consulting Bursary
- Aon Bursary
- AWS Skills Development Bursary
- Babette Taute Scholarship
- Baker Hughes Bursary
- BANKSETA / UKZN Outstanding Student Debt Fund
- Council for Geoscience Bursary
- CPGR Bursary
- Critical Food Studies Postgraduate Scholarship
- CSIR Bursary
- Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) Bursary
- Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Bursary
- Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Bursary
- Department of Tourism Bursary
- Department of Transport Bursary
- Department of Water & Sanitation Bursary
- DSI-CSIR Bursary
- DSI-NRF Postgraduate Scholarship
- Energy Mobility Education Trust Scholarship
- FirstRand Foundation Honours Bursary
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program South Africa
- Garden Cities Bursary
- Genesis Educational Foundation Trust (GEFT) Bursary
- Gold Fields Ltd Bursary
- Golder Bursary
- GreenMatter Fellowship PhD at University of Cape Town
- Guy Butler Research Award Scholarship
- Harry Crossley Foundation Research Fellowship
- HCI Foundation Bursary
- HWSETA Postgraduate Bursary
- IIE-Vega School Bursary Competition
- Imfundo Enhle Education Trust Bursary
- Inscape Scholarship
- INSETA Bursary
- John Davidson Educational Trust Bursary
- Keaton Energy Mining Bursaries
- LGSETA Bursary
- Mandela Rhodes Foundation Scholarship
- Mastercard Foundation Scholarship
- Mhlathuze Water Bursary
- MINDS Scholarship
- MiWay Bursary
- Netflix Scholarship
- Poliomyelitis Research Foundation Bursaries
- Potato Industry Development Trust Bursaries
- PwC Honours Bursary
- Quantum Foods Bursary
- Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) Bursary
- Rhodes Trust Scholarship
- Royal Bafokeng Holdings & Liquid Intelligent Technologies Bursary
- Rothschild & Co Foundation Scholarship
- RSM Education Trust Bursary
- SA Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA) Bursary
- SA WISE Angus Scholarship
- SAAFoST Aubrey Parsons Study Grant
- SAAFoST Foundation Bursary (Part-Time Students)
- SAMAC Bursary
- SANBI Biological Invasion Bursary
- SANBI Joan Wrench Scholarship
- SANRAL Bursary
- SANSA Bursary
- Sasol Bursary
- SARAO Postgraduate Scholarship
- Scatec Bursary
- South Africa International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) Bursary
- South African National Seed Organization (SANSOR) Bursary
- South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) Bursary
- South African Reserve Bank Scholarship
- SKA South Africa Bursaries
- South African Association of Botanists Scholarship
- Tomorrow Trust Bursary
- Toyota Tsusho Africa Bursary
- Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) Bursary
- UCT Centre for African Studies: Jack Simons Bursary
- UCT Department of Information Systems Bursary
- UCT International and Refugee Scholarship
- UFS Honours Bursary
- UKZN Archbishop Denis E. Hurley Scholarship
- Unisa Postgraduate Bursary
- UWC / INSETA Bursary
- WENOSA Scholarship
With over 50 Honours bursary options, students have multiple opportunities to secure funding for 2026. Always check individual closing dates and requirements on the official bursary pages before applying.
