UFS Doctoral Bursary 2027, Requirements & Application

Key facts

Status: Applications closed Closed 30 November 2024
Provider: University of the Free State
Study level: Postgraduate
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

The Centre for Graduate Support opens its call on 1 August and closes it on 30 November for the following academic year.

Reviewed & verified by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education EditorVerified

The University of the Free State funds doctoral students through a Doctoral Tuition Fee Bursary administered by its Centre for Graduate Support, alongside the larger research-chair fellowships that individual faculties advertise from time to time. This page covers the recurring tuition fee bursary, which any registered UFS doctoral student without other funding can apply for, and notes the bigger fellowship that was last advertised in 2023.

About the UFS Doctoral Tuition Fee Bursary

Value: R14 630 towards tuition in the last published call, credited to the student’s UFS account after registration.
Duration: the first three years of the doctorate, with a new application and a progress report each year.
Not covered: any balance of tuition, study guide fees, residence fees, levies and outstanding fees from previous years.

Recipients must attend five Research Capacity Development workshops during the year and be available for 120 hours of service to the university if needed. The bursary is reversed if the student cancels, is excluded for misconduct or does not meet these conditions.

UFS Doctoral Bursary eligibility requirements

Registered, or registering, for a doctorate at UFS with an internal UFS supervisor assigned.
At least 65% for the Master’s degree for first-time entry. Returning students attach a progress report from the Graduate Research Management system.
No other source of funding for the year.
South African and international students may apply. UFS staff and their family members on study remission may not.
Students who registered for the doctorate more than about two and a half years before the funding year are excluded (the 2025 call excluded registrations before July 2022).
Preference for research that contributes to the UFS research agenda. Awards depend on available funds.

How to apply for the UFS Doctoral Bursary

Download the call for applications from the Centre for Graduate Support pages on ufs.ac.za after 1 August.
Complete the form with your student number, degree, faculty, supervisor details and a two-sentence summary of your research.
Attach your Master’s academic record in PDF (first-semester results if you are still completing it, with final results by 30 November), or your annual progress report if you are a returning student.
Email everything to postgradfunding@ufs.ac.za by 30 November. Provisional feedback is given within two weeks of a complete application.

The UFS full-time doctoral fellowship

In 2023 the SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development at UFS advertised a full-time doctoral fellowship worth R180 000 a year, including R30 000 for research costs, for up to three years. It required a Master’s degree passed at 70% within the previous five years in education, development studies, higher education, philosophy, politics or sociology, relocation to Bloemfontein and no full-time employment. That call closed on 30 August 2023 and has not been repeated on the same terms. Watch the UFS research pages for similar research-chair fellowships.

UFS Doctoral Bursary closing date

30 November each year for the following academic year. Expect 30 November 2026 for 2027.

Contact details

Centre for Graduate Support: postgradfunding@ufs.ac.za, 051 401 7161
Address: 205 Nelson Mandela Drive, Park West, Bloemfontein, 9301

Doctoral candidates should also apply to the DSI-NRF postgraduate scholarship. See the UFS postgraduate diploma bursary and our postgraduate bursaries list.

FAQs

1. When does the UFS doctoral bursary close for 2027? +

The Centre for Graduate Support opens its call on 1 August and closes it on 30 November for the following year; the 2025 call closed on 30 November 2024. Expect the 2027 call to close on 30 November 2026.

2. How much is the UFS doctoral tuition fee bursary? +

R14 630 towards tuition in the last published call, credited to the student's UFS account after registration, for each of the first three years of the doctorate. Students remain liable for any balance, levies and residence fees.

3. Who qualifies? +

Registered UFS doctoral students, South African or international, with at least 65% for the Master's degree, an internal UFS supervisor and no other funding. Students who registered for the doctorate more than about two and a half years earlier, and UFS staff or family on study remission, are excluded.

4. What are the conditions? +

Attend five Research Capacity Development workshops in the year and be available for 120 hours of service to the university if needed. Cancelling your studies reverses the bursary.

5. Is there a larger UFS doctoral scholarship? +

Yes, from time to time. The SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development advertised a full-time doctoral fellowship worth R180 000 a year for three years in 2023, requiring a 70% Master's average and relocation to Bloemfontein. Watch the UFS website for similar research-chair calls.

6. How do I apply? +

Email the completed form from the call with your Master's academic record (or a progress report if you are a returning student) to postgradfunding@ufs.ac.za by 30 November.

Update note (checked September 2026): the Centre for Graduate Support opens its call on 1 August and closes it on 30 November for the following academic year. The 2025 call closed on 30 November 2024. The 2027 call is expected to close on 30 November 2026, with bursaries confirmed by mid-December. The details below are from the 2025 call.

About University of the Free State

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The University of the Free State (UFS) is a public university based in Bloemfontein, with campuses in Qwaqwa and on its South Campus in Bloemfontein. UFS traces its origins to 1904, when classes began at Grey College in…

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