CIDA Empowerment Trust Bursary 2027: How to Apply

Key facts

Status: No current round published
Provider: CIDA Empowerment Trust
Study level: High school
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

The trust used an 18 June closing date, but the last widely published call was in 2018 and no 2027 call had appeared when we checked.

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The CIDA Empowerment Trust set out to tackle South Africa’s shortage of high school science and mathematics teachers by funding black science graduates through a part-time PGCE at the University of Johannesburg while they interned at two of Johannesburg’s top private schools, St John’s College and Roedean. The programme has not been advertised for several years, and this page records what it offered and where to look instead.

About the CIDA Empowerment Trust Bursary

Duration: two years of part-time PGCE study at the University of Johannesburg.
Covers tuition, accommodation, transport, living expenses, book, stationery and laptop allowances and a monthly stipend.
Includes a two-year teaching internship at St John’s College or Roedean School SA with a dedicated mentor.

Eligibility requirements

Black South African citizen with Matric.
A degree in mathematics, life sciences or biological sciences, or completing one.
Intending to teach high school science or mathematics and willing to study the PGCE part-time at UJ.
A strong academic record, a passion for teaching, and leadership and communication skills.

How to apply

Email cet@cfsim.co.za to confirm whether a 2027 round is planned.
If it is, complete the trust’s online application with a certified ID, Matric certificate, qualification certificates, full tertiary academic record, a motivation letter of no more than 500 words and a motivational video of no more than 90 seconds.
Submit before the closing date. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed by the trust and the partner schools.

Closing date

Historically 18 June. No 2027 date has been published.

Contact details

Telephone: 011 026 7261
Email: cet@cfsim.co.za

Future teachers should apply to the Funza Lushaka bursary (opens 1 October 2026) and see our education bursaries list.

FAQs

1. Is the CIDA Empowerment Trust bursary open for 2027? +

The trust has used an 18 June closing date, but the last widely published call was in 2018 and no new call had appeared when we checked. Email the trust to ask whether the programme is still running before planning around it.

2. What is the bursary? +

A two-year award from the CIDA Empowerment Trust for black science and mathematics graduates to complete a part-time PGCE at the University of Johannesburg while interning at St John's College or Roedean School in Johannesburg, so they qualify as high school science and maths teachers.

3. What does it cover? +

Tuition for the part-time PGCE, accommodation, transport, living expenses, book, stationery and laptop allowances and a monthly stipend over the two years, plus a mentor at the school.

4. Who qualifies? +

Black South African citizens with a degree in mathematics, life sciences or biological sciences (or completing one), a strong academic record, a passion for teaching and the leadership and communication skills to work in a classroom.

5. How did you apply? +

Through the trust's online form with a certified ID, Matric certificate, qualification certificates, full academic record, a motivation letter of up to 500 words and a motivational video of up to 90 seconds.

6. What are the alternatives? +

Funza Lushaka funds PGCE study in priority subjects at public universities and opens for 2027 on 1 October 2026.

Update note (checked September 2026): the trust used an 18 June closing date, but the last widely published call was in 2018 and no 2027 call had appeared when we checked. Email the trust to ask whether the programme is still running before planning around it, and apply to Funza Lushaka in the meantime. The details below are from the last published call.

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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.