VerifiedThis list shows bursaries you can still apply for in time for the 2027 academic year. Every row was checked on the funder’s own website or its official application platform, not copied from another listing, and each one drops off the list the day after it closes. If a bursary is not here, it is either closed or we have not been able to confirm its date with the funder.
Open now, soonest closing first
Every bursary on our confirmed list has closed. New rounds are added here as funders open them.
Opening soon
| Harmony Gold BursaryHarmony says its 2027 intake opens in October 2026. | Not open yet | Official page |
| Funza Lushaka BursaryNot announced yet. Last year's round opened on 7 October 2025. | Not open yet | Official page |
Every date checked on the funder’s own website or application platform on 22 September 2026. Funders can extend or close early, so confirm on the official page before you apply.
Why so many close on 30 September
Late September is the end of the main bursary season for the following year. StudyTrust, which runs applications for several corporate and community trusts, closes most of its programmes on 30 September, and the large law firms that recruit through Leaply close on the same day. If you are applying to more than one, finish the StudyTrust applications first: they ask for the most documents.
Deadlines are cut-offs, not targets. Portals slow down on the last day, and an application that is still uploading at midnight is late.
Bursaries we have not been able to confirm
Some bursaries appear on other listings as open with a 30 September or 15 October closing date, but the funder does not publish the date where we could see it. These include SANSA, Deloitte, the Department of Agriculture and the Auditor-General. They may well be open. Check the official application page before you rely on a date, and apply as early as you can.
If the bursary you wanted has closed
- Look at your field. Our pages for engineering, commerce, law, education and postgraduate study list funders by subject, including those that open later in the year.
- Check the government schemes. NSFAS and Funza Lushaka run on their own cycles, and Funza Lushaka usually opens in early October.
- Try a SETA. Several SETAs fund study in their sector. See SETA bursaries.
- Diarise next year. Most funders open on the same months every year, so a bursary you missed now is often open again next winter.
Before you submit
- Certified copies dated within three months are the usual rule. Old certifications are a common reason for rejection.
- Your latest results, not your best. Upload the most recent report or transcript, even if an earlier one looks better.
- Proof of household income for needs-based bursaries: payslips, a SASSA letter or an affidavit if your parents are unemployed.
- A motivation that answers the funder’s own question. Read what the application asks and answer that, in your own words.
- A screenshot of the confirmation page. If the funder loses your application, it is your only proof you applied.