UP Doctoral Research Bursary 2027: How to Apply

Key facts

Status: Applications open Closes 18 September 2026
Provider: University of Pretoria
Study level: University, Postgraduate
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

UP opened applications for its 2027 Doctoral Research Bursary in September 2026.

Reviewed & verified by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education EditorVerified

The University of Pretoria (UP) funds its full-time doctoral candidates through an internal Doctoral Research Bursary, alongside the National Research Foundation scholarships it administers. The bursary is aimed at candidates who will devote themselves to research, and it requires them to have applied for external funding as well.

About the UP Doctoral Research Bursary

Value: R135 000 a year, paid to full-time doctoral candidates.
Renewal: annual, subject to satisfactory progress reports.
Administration: through UP’s Internal Grants and UP Funded Application Portal.

UP also administers six NRF scholarships for 2027, from Honours to doctoral level, each with its own criteria and closing dates on the UP funding site.

UP Doctoral Research Bursary eligibility requirements

A prospective or currently registered full-time doctoral student at the University of Pretoria, with a valid UP student number.
Not already holding a doctoral degree.
Employed for no more than 12 hours a week while holding the bursary.
Evidence of applications for external funding, such as the NRF.
A strong academic record and a supervisor and faculty willing to endorse the application.

How to apply for the UP Doctoral Research Bursary

Apply for admission to the doctoral programme and obtain a UP student number if you are a new applicant.
Log in to the Internal Grants and UP Funded Application Portal through up.ac.za/funding-site and complete the application, uploading your academic record, research proposal and evidence of external funding applications.
Submit by 18 September 2026 so that your supervisor (by 23 September) and deputy dean (by 1 October) can complete their sections.

UP Doctoral Research Bursary closing dates

Applicant submission: 18 September 2026.
Supervisor submission: 23 September 2026.
Deputy dean approval: 1 October 2026.
Provisional results: early December 2026.

Contact details

UP funding site: up.ac.za/funding-site
Postgraduate funding office: 012 420 5892

Doctoral candidates should also apply to the NRF and the industry-funded scholarships on our postgraduate bursaries list.

FAQs

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

Applicants must submit by 18 September 2026, supervisors by 23 September 2026 and deputy deans must approve by 1 October 2026. Provisional results are due in early December 2026.

2. How much is it? +

R135 000 a year for full-time doctoral research at the University of Pretoria.

3. Who qualifies? +

Prospective or registered full-time doctoral students at UP with a valid student number, who do not already hold a doctorate, are employed for no more than 12 hours a week while funded, and can show that they have also applied for external funding such as the NRF.

4. How do I apply? +

Through the University of Pretoria's Internal Grants and UP Funded Application Portal, with your supervisor and faculty completing their sections by their deadlines.

5. What about NRF scholarships? +

UP also administers six NRF scholarships for 2027 from Honours to doctoral level, with their own closing dates on the UP funding site.

6. Who do I contact? +

The UP funding office through the funding site at up.ac.za/funding-site, or the postgraduate office in your faculty.

Update note (checked September 2026): UP opened applications for its 2027 Doctoral Research Bursary in September 2026. Applicants must submit by 18 September 2026, supervisors by 23 September 2026 and deputy deans must approve by 1 October 2026. Provisional results are expected in early December 2026. Earlier rounds closed on 30 September.

Checked the requirements and closing date? Apply directly with the provider.

Apply on the provider’s website

About University of Pretoria

Public university (research-intensive)

The University of Pretoria (UP), known to students as Tuks or Tukkies, is one of South Africa's largest public research universities. UP began in 1908 as the Transvaal University College and became a full university in 1930. Its…

Read the full University of Pretoria profile →

Website: up.ac.za

Student funding in numbers

2025811 011students funded by NSFAS580 000 at universities, 231 000 at TVET colleges, on a budget of R48.7 billion.

20261 026 091students approved for NSFAS funding609 403 first-year applicants qualified and 416 688 continuing students met the progression criteria, out of 893 847 applications.

2027 projectedR53.4bnbudgeted for NSFASThe allocation rises from R48.7 billion in 2025 to R51 billion in 2026 and R53.4 billion in 2027. Student numbers for 2027 are not published yet.

Figures from the Minister of Higher Education’s Budget Vote of 3 July 2025 and the NSFAS statement of 2 January 2026. NSFAS is the largest funder, not the only one – we track the rest.