Key facts
- Status
- Check with the provider
- Provider
- African Scholars Fund
- Study level
- High school
- Academic year
- 2027
- Last checked
- September 2026
The fund has used a mid-September closing date, most recently 15 September.
VerifiedThe African Scholars Fund works on a simple premise: many bright learners drop out of school not because they cannot cope but because their families cannot cover fees, uniforms and stationery. The fund pays a small annual amount towards those costs at about fifty partner schools in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, and mentors the learners through to Matric.
About the African Scholars Fund Bursary
- Value: R1 000 a year, paid in two instalments.
- The first payment, in February, covers school fees, uniforms and stationery. The second, mid-year, depends on meeting the fund’s academic criteria.
- Grades: entry at Grade 7 or Grade 8, with support continuing to Matric.
- Provinces: the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, at about fifty ASF-supported schools. The fund also mentors learners and monitors their progress.
Eligibility requirements
- Attending an ASF-supported school in one of the three provinces.
- Grade 7 applicants: an overall average of 60% and at least 60% in every subject. Grade 8 applicants: 50% overall and at least 50% in every subject.
- School fees of no more than R4 500 a year, and total household income of no more than R10 000 a month.
- Not older than 21 in your Matric year.
How to apply
- Download the application form from asf.org.za or get it from your school.
- Attach your June school report, proof of household income (payslips, an affidavit or pension and grant receipts), a handwritten letter about yourself and your family, and a stamped empty envelope addressed to yourself.
- Post everything to the African Scholars Fund Head Office, PO Box 18097, Wynberg 7824, Cape Town, before the closing date.
Closing date
15 September in the last confirmed round. Confirm the 2027 date with the fund.
Contact details
- Telephone: 021 689 9094
- Email: office@asf.org.za
Learners looking for school funding should also see the Allan Gray Orbis high school scholarship and the AISCT high school scholarship.
FAQs
1. When does the African Scholars Fund bursary close for 2027? +
The fund has used a mid-September closing date, most recently 15 September. Contact the office from July 2026 to confirm the 2027 date and to check whether your school is on the supported list.
2. What is the African Scholars Fund? +
A Cape Town non-profit that helps learners from low-income families stay in school, by paying part of their fees, uniforms and stationery and mentoring them through to Matric.
3. How much is it? +
R1 000 a year, paid in two instalments. The first, in February, covers school fees, uniforms and stationery. The second, mid-year, depends on meeting the fund's academic criteria. The fund also provides mentoring and monitors progress.
4. Which grades and provinces? +
Learners entering Grade 7 or Grade 8 at one of the roughly 50 ASF-supported schools in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, with support continuing to Matric.
5. Who qualifies? +
Learners at a supported school who will not be older than 21 in their Matric year, whose school fees are no more than R4 500 a year and whose total household income is no more than R10 000 a month. Grade 7 applicants need an overall average of 60% and at least 60% in every subject; Grade 8 applicants need 50% overall and at least 50% in every subject.
6. How do I apply? +
Post the completed form with your June school report, proof of household income, a handwritten letter about yourself and your family, and a stamped empty envelope addressed to yourself, to the African Scholars Fund, PO Box 18097, Wynberg 7824, Cape Town.
Update note (checked September 2026): The African Scholars’ Fund asks for applications to reach it before the end of September but does not give a dated deadline for a specific year. Only learners at the schools on its supported list can apply. Source: asf.org.za.
Checked the requirements and closing date? Apply directly with the provider.
Apply on the provider’s website