AstraZeneca Bursary 2027, Requirements & Application

Key facts

Status: Applications closed Closed 15 January 2021
Provider: AstraZeneca
Study level: Undergraduate, Postgraduate
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

The last widely advertised round closed on 15 January 2021, and no 2027 call had been published when we checked.

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

No open round · the last round we could find closed on 15 January 2021 Latest update ↓

AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, has funded final-year science students at the University of Johannesburg and Wits through a corporate social investment bursary administered by Fundi. The bursary targeted black, Coloured and Indian students in the biological and physical sciences that feed the pharmaceutical industry. It has not been advertised for several years, and this page records what it offered and where to look instead.

About the AstraZeneca Bursary

Fields: biochemistry, biotechnology, genetics, medical science and physics.
Level: the final undergraduate year or honours year.
Universities: University of Johannesburg and University of the Witwatersrand.
Covered registration, tuition and exam fees, prescribed textbooks, meals and accommodation.

AstraZeneca Bursary eligibility requirements

South African citizen of African, Coloured, Indian or Asian descent from a previously marginalised family.
Completed Matric and studying full-time at UJ or Wits.
In the final undergraduate or honours year of a listed science degree.
Demonstrated financial need.

How to apply for the AstraZeneca Bursary

Email astrazeneca@fundi.co.za to ask whether a 2027 round is planned.
If a call opens, register on the Fundi bursary portal at bsp.fundi.co.za and complete the AstraZeneca application.
Upload a certified ID and Matric certificate, an academic record on the university’s letterhead, proof of registration, a recent fee statement, a motivation letter of no more than 500 words and proof of family income.

AstraZeneca Bursary closing date

The last confirmed closing date was 15 January 2021. No 2027 date has been published.

Contact details

Fundi bursary administration: astrazeneca@fundi.co.za
AstraZeneca South Africa: www.astrazeneca.co.za

Science students should apply instead to the DSI-NRF postgraduate scholarship, the Nedbank bursary and the funders on our biochemistry bursaries and science bursaries lists.

FAQs

1. Is the AstraZeneca bursary open for 2027? +

No new call had been published when we checked; the last widely advertised round closed on 15 January 2021. Email the Fundi administrator to ask whether a 2027 round is planned, and apply to other science funders in the meantime.

2. What is the AstraZeneca bursary? +

A corporate social investment bursary from the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca South Africa, administered by Fundi, for final-year science students at the University of Johannesburg and Wits.

3. Which fields? +

Biochemistry, biotechnology, genetics, medical science and physics, in the final undergraduate or honours year.

4. What does it cover? +

Registration, tuition and exam fees, prescribed textbooks, meals and accommodation for the final year.

5. Who qualifies? +

South African citizens of African, Coloured, Indian or Asian descent from previously marginalised families, studying full-time in their final undergraduate or honours year in a listed science at UJ or Wits.

6. How did you apply? +

Online through the Fundi bursary portal at bsp.fundi.co.za with a certified ID and Matric certificate, an academic record on letterhead, proof of registration, a recent fee statement, a motivation letter of up to 500 words and proof of family income.

Update note (checked September 2026): the last widely advertised round closed on 15 January 2021, and no 2027 call had been published when we checked. Email the Fundi administrator to ask whether the bursary will return, and apply to the alternatives below. The details below are from the last published call.

This round is not open right now. Check the provider’s own site for the next round.

Visit the provider’s website

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.