Key facts
- Status
- Applications closed Closed 16 April 2026
- Provider
- Uyinene Mrwetyana
- Study level
- University, Undergraduate
- Academic year
- 2027
- Last checked
- September 2026
The scholarship is advertised to registered first-year Humanities students early in the academic year.
VerifiedThe University of Cape Town established the Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship in 2019 in memory of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a first-year film and media student whose murder that August became a national turning point in the fight against gender-based violence. The scholarship funds one woman in the Faculty of Humanities for her entire undergraduate degree, and the first recipient graduated in April 2025.
About the Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship
- A full-cost scholarship covering tuition, residence, textbooks and learning materials, and health and wellness support.
- Average value of about R150 000 a year, for the full three or four years of the degree.
- Renewed each year on a minimum 65% overall average.
- Open to all Faculty of Humanities undergraduate degrees: BA, BSocSci, BA in fine art, theatre and performance, film and media production, Bachelor of Music, BSocSci in philosophy, politics and economics, and Bachelor of Social Work.
Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship eligibility requirements
- A woman, including gender non-conforming women.
- Completed Matric and registered as a first-year undergraduate in UCT’s Faculty of Humanities.
- Demonstrated leadership in social justice and activism, at school or in the community.
- Financial need.
How to apply for the Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship
- Register for your first year in the Faculty of Humanities and watch the UCT student funding pages and faculty notices for the call.
- Prepare a full CV, a certified copy of your Matric results, a motivation letter describing your leadership and activism, and a reference letter from someone who can attest to it.
- Email everything to uyinenemrwetyana.scholarship@uct.ac.za with the subject line “Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship” followed by your full name, before the closing date.
Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship closing date
16 April 2026 for 2026 (closed). Expect mid-April 2027 for the 2027 round.
Contact details
- Scholarship email: uyinenemrwetyana.scholarship@uct.ac.za
- Undergraduate Student Funding: 021 650 5013
- Student Financial Aid Office: 021 650 3545, financialaid@uct.ac.za
UCT first-years should also apply to NSFAS or ISFAP and see the Mastercard Foundation scholarship and our arts bursaries section.
FAQs
1. When does the Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship close for 2027? +
UCT advertises the scholarship to registered first-year Humanities students early in the academic year: the 2026 round closed on 16 April 2026. Expect the 2027 round to open in February 2027 and close in mid-April 2027.
2. What is the scholarship? +
A full-cost undergraduate scholarship UCT established in 2019 in memory of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a first-year film and media student murdered in Cape Town that year. It funds one woman in the Faculty of Humanities for her whole degree.
3. What does it cover? +
Tuition, residence, textbooks and learning materials, and health and wellness support, to an average value of about R150 000 a year for three or four years, provided the recipient keeps a 65% average.
4. Who qualifies? +
Women, including gender non-conforming women, registered as first-year undergraduates in UCT's Faculty of Humanities (BA, BSocSci, fine art, theatre, music, PPE, social work, film and media) who can show leadership in social justice and activism at school or in their community, with financial need.
5. How do I apply? +
Email a full CV, certified Matric results, a motivation letter about your leadership and activism, and a reference letter attesting to it to uyinenemrwetyana.scholarship@uct.ac.za with the subject line 'Uyinene Mrwetyana Scholarship' and your full name.
6. Who do I contact? +
UCT's Undergraduate Student Funding office on 021 650 5013 or financialaid@uct.ac.za.
Update note (checked September 2026): the scholarship is advertised to registered first-year Humanities students early in the academic year. The 2026 round closed on 16 April 2026. Expect the 2027 round to open in February 2027, once first-years have registered, and close in mid-April 2027. The details below are from the 2026 call.