Key facts
- Status
- Applications closed Closed 14 August 2026
- Provider
- Canon Collins Sol Plaatje
- Study level
- Postgraduate
- Academic year
- 2027
- Last checked
- September 2026
The trust's 2027 scholarship round closed on 14 August 2026 at 16:00; the 2025 round closed on 22 July 2024.
VerifiedClosed · applications closed on 14 August 2026 Expect the 2028 round to open around May 2027 and close in July or August 2027. Latest update ↓
The Canon Collins Trust, the education charity founded in London during the anti-apartheid struggle and now based in Johannesburg too, funds postgraduate students who are committed to social justice in southern Africa. Its Sol Plaatje scholarships, run with the Sol Plaatje Educational Project, pay for Master’s and doctoral study in education, the humanities and justice fields at South African universities, with climate justice as the current priority.
About the Canon Collins Sol Plaatje Scholarship
- Value: R20 000 to R100 000 a year depending on need.
- Duration: up to two years for a Master’s and three years for a PhD, renewed on satisfactory progress.
- Fields: education policy and practice; the humanities (arts, anthropology, history and literature); and justice (economics, climate justice, law and politics). Climate justice research, including in the sciences, receives top priority.
- Scholars join the Canon Collins network of alumni and take part in its social justice programmes.
Canon Collins Sol Plaatje Scholarship eligibility requirements
- A national of, or a refugee in, South Africa, Namibia or Zimbabwe, living in one of those countries.
- A completed first degree at upper second class level (or equivalent), or completing one in the year of application.
- Studying, or intending to study, a Master’s or PhD at a South African university, full-time, part-time or by distance learning.
- A demonstrated commitment to social justice.
How to apply for the Canon Collins Sol Plaatje Scholarship
- Read the scholarship guidelines on canoncollins.org and open the online application portal when the call is open.
- Upload a certified ID, passport or birth certificate, refugee papers if applicable, degree certificates, academic transcripts, a CV, a PhD proposal for doctoral applicants and two recent payslips if you are employed.
- Submit before the closing time. Shortlisted candidates provide two reference letters and are interviewed in October or November.
Canon Collins Sol Plaatje Scholarship closing date
14 August 2026 for 2027 (closed). Expect July or August 2027 for 2028.
Contact details
- Canon Collins Trust: 010 500 2303, scholarships@canoncollins.org
- Website: canoncollins.org
See also the Canon Collins scholarship for economic justice, the Canon Collins Thekgo bursary and the DSI-NRF postgraduate scholarship.
FAQs
1. When does the Canon Collins Sol Plaatje scholarship close for 2027? +
The Canon Collins Trust's 2027 scholarship round closed on 14 August 2026 at 16:00, and the 2025 round on 22 July 2024. Expect the 2028 round to open around May 2027 and close in July or August 2027.
2. What is the scholarship? +
A postgraduate award from the Canon Collins Trust, the London and Johannesburg-based education charity founded in the anti-apartheid struggle, for Master's and PhD students committed to social justice in southern Africa. The Sol Plaatje scholarships are funded with the Sol Plaatje Educational Project.
3. How much is it? +
Between R20 000 and R100 000 a year depending on need, for up to two years of a Master's or three years of a PhD, renewed on satisfactory progress.
4. Which fields? +
Education policy and practice; the humanities (arts, anthropology, history and literature); and justice (economics, climate justice, law and politics), with priority for climate justice research.
5. Who qualifies? +
Nationals of, or refugees in, South Africa, Namibia or Zimbabwe who live in one of those countries, hold a first degree at upper second class level or better and will study a Master's or PhD at a South African university, full-time, part-time or by distance.
6. How do I apply? +
Online through the Canon Collins scholarship portal with a certified ID or passport, refugee papers if applicable, degree certificates, transcripts, a CV, a PhD proposal for doctoral applicants and recent payslips if employed. Shortlisted candidates submit two reference letters and are interviewed in October or November.
Update note (checked September 2026): the trust’s 2027 scholarship round closed on 14 August 2026 at 16:00; the 2025 round closed on 22 July 2024. Interviews take place in October and November 2026 and applicants hear back in December. Expect the 2028 round to open around May 2027 and close in July or August 2027. The details below are from the latest calls.
This round is not open right now. Check the provider’s own site for the next round.
Visit the provider’s website