BBD Bursary 2027, Requirements & Application

Key facts

Status: Applications open
Provider: BBD
Field of study: Informatics and Information Systems, Information Technology, Software Engineering
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

BBD keeps its bursary listing open year-round on its jobs page and reviews applications on a rolling basis, selecting most bursars for the following year between October and December.

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

BBD is a South African software company founded in 1984 by Tom Brune that builds systems for banks, insurers and retailers from offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and abroad. Its Bursary and Beyond programme funds computer science, informatics and engineering students, puts them to work on real products during the holidays and moves them into its graduate programme when they finish.

About the BBD Bursary

Fields: BSc informatics, BCom informatics, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and game design.
Covers tuition and study costs for the degree.
Includes a paid “vac week” build project in small teams and six weeks of paid vacation work in December and January designing and delivering a working product.
Exposure to BBD’s research and development team and to AI, machine learning, cloud architecture and modern front-end frameworks, with mentoring throughout.
A place on BBD’s graduate programme after graduating.

BBD Bursary eligibility requirements

South African citizen.
Studying, or accepted, full-time in a listed field at a South African university.
Strong results in Mathematics and in your degree modules.
A genuine interest in a software development career and willingness to do the vacation work.

How to apply for the BBD Bursary

Open the bursary programme listing at bbdsoftware.com/bursar-programme and follow the apply link to the jobs page.
Complete the online form and upload your ID, latest academic record or Matric results and a CV.
Shortlisted applicants complete a technical assessment and interviews before offers are made for the following year.

BBD Bursary closing date

No fixed date. Applications are accepted year-round and most 2027 bursars will be selected between October and December 2026.

Contact details

BBD: 011 532 8300, hr@bbd.co.za
Website: bbdsoftware.com

Software students should also apply to the BET Software bursary, the Accenture scholarship and the funders on our software engineering bursaries list.

FAQs

1. When does the BBD bursary close for 2027? +

BBD takes applications year-round on its jobs page and reviews them on a rolling basis, selecting most bursars for the following year between October and December. Apply as early as you can in the second half of 2026.

2. What is BBD? +

A South African software company founded in 1984 that builds systems for banks, insurers and retailers and has offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and abroad. Its Bursary and Beyond programme funds students and grows them into its graduate programme.

3. Which fields? +

BSc and BCom informatics, computer science, mechanical and electrical engineering and game design.

4. What does it cover? +

Tuition and study costs for the degree, a paid week-long 'vac week' build project, six weeks of paid vacation work in December and January building a real product, mentoring and a place on BBD's graduate programme after graduating.

5. Who qualifies? +

South African students with strong results in Mathematics and their degree modules who are studying, or accepted, full-time in a listed field at a South African university and want a career in software.

6. How do I apply? +

Through the bursary programme listing on bbdsoftware.com/jobs, uploading your ID, academic record and a CV. Shortlisted applicants do a technical assessment and interviews.

Update note (checked September 2026): BBD’s Bursary Programme listing on its jobs page takes online applications and gives no closing date. Source: bbdsoftware.com.

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

Apply on 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.