VerifiedData science and statistics are funded together. No scheme on this site funds statistics on its own: it always appears on the same call as data science, mathematics or actuarial science. So this page covers both, and lists every funder that names either.
The money comes from three places that barely overlap: the state research institutions, which fund postgraduate work; the banks and insurers, which fund undergraduates they intend to employ; and the technology academies, which fund training rather than degrees.
Closing 30 September 2026: Amazon, Investec, Standard Bank, Old Mutual Imfundo Trust, Absa BMI and the Reserve Bank undergraduate bursary. The Reserve Bank data science master’s scholarship closes 31 October 2026.
South African Reserve Bank scholarship
The South African Reserve Bank runs a scholarship specifically for a Master’s in Data Science and Machine Learning. It is the most directly targeted postgraduate funding in this field in the country.
It is applied for online through the SARB bursary manager, using the promotional code SARBDSM27, and closes on 31 October 2026 for 2027 study. The bank also runs a separate external undergraduate bursary covering economics, statistics, mathematics and actuarial science, which closes a month earlier on 30 September 2026.
Research institution bursaries
| Funder | What it funds | Last confirmed closing |
|---|---|---|
| CSIR | Undergraduate and postgraduate study across the sciences, with full cover including accommodation and a living allowance | Watch the CSIR careers pages |
| DSI-CSIR Inter-Programme bursary | Science, technology and innovation priority areas including data and advanced computing | 15 September 2026 at 23:59 |
| AIMS | The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. Postgraduate, and the strongest mathematical route into data science | Opens mid-year for the August intake, closes in the last quarter |
| NMU AIDC | Postgraduate research at the Automotive Industry Development Centre in the Eastern Cape | 18 November 2025 |
AIMS is worth a separate look if you are strong at mathematics. It is a structured taught master’s with a full bursary, and it feeds directly into data science and quantitative research careers.
Technology company bursaries
- The Amazon bursary is open and closes on 30 September 2026. It funds computer science, computer engineering and data science.
- The Accenture scholarship for 2027 is open on the Accenture careers portal.
- The ExploreAI Academy bursary funds data science and machine learning training rather than a university degree. Check what qualification it leads to before you commit.
- The Exness Fintech Scholarship funds postgraduate fintech study. Its last round opened in March and closed on 30 January.
- The MultiChoice bursary funds data and technology qualifications. It closes 30 September.
Bank and insurer bursaries
These fund data science and statistics as part of a quantitative stream that also includes actuarial science, mathematics and computer science.
| Funder | Last confirmed closing |
|---|---|
| Capitec | 12 August 2026 |
| Nedbank | 31 August 2026 |
| Investec | 30 September 2026 |
| Standard Bank | 30 September 2026 |
| Absa BMI | 30 September 2026 |
| Old Mutual Imfundo Trust | 30 September 2026 |
| Momentum Investments | 31 October 2025 |
| INSETA | The insurance SETA. Watch its site |
Government and state-owned bursaries
- The Compensation Fund names data science alongside accounting, economics and actuarial science. It runs a March cycle.
- The Industrial Development Corporation funds computer science, information systems, actuarial science, mathematics and statistics, and limits postgraduate funding to a short list that includes them.
- The Gauteng Department of e-Government funds the digital and data skills the province needs. Applications are hand-delivered.
- The City of Cape Town external bursary funds the scarce skills a metro needs, which now include data analysis.
- The Transnet bursary funds data and analytics alongside its engineering fields.
Broad scholarships that fund data science
- Moshal Scholarship Program — names computer science, data science and information systems. Closes 31 December 2026.
- Hollywood Foundation and the Hollywood Bets Foundation — wide field lists, large intakes, and consistently under-applied for.
- Sasol — data and computing alongside its engineering fields. Closes 15 September.
- Exxaro — its Social Scheme funds high-demand fields including information technology and data, for host communities. Closes 31 October 2026.
- SIOC Community Development Trust — names statistics among its business and economics specialisations. Closes 30 November 2026.
Qualifications funded
- BSc Data Science and BCom Data Science, offered at a growing number of universities and named directly on the technology calls.
- Mathematical statistics and BCom Statistics, the degrees the Reserve Bank, the IDC and SIOC-CDT name.
- Econometrics, funded on the economics calls. See our economics bursaries page.
- Applied mathematics, the AIMS route, and the strongest preparation for postgraduate data science.
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence, usually postgraduate, and the target of the Reserve Bank scholarship.
- Business intelligence and data analytics diplomas, funded by the SETAs and the academies rather than by the research institutions.
When to apply
| Period | Action |
|---|---|
| August – 15 September | Capitec, Nedbank and Sasol close. The DSI-CSIR call closes 15 September at 23:59. |
| 30 September | Amazon, Investec, Standard Bank, Absa BMI, Old Mutual Imfundo Trust, MultiChoice and the Reserve Bank undergraduate bursary close. |
| October – December | The Reserve Bank data science scholarship closes 31 October. Exxaro closes 31 October. Apply to NSFAS by 31 October. SIOC-CDT closes 30 November. Moshal closes 31 December. |
| January – March | Exness closes 30 January. The Compensation Fund closes 31 March. |
| Mid-year | AIMS opens for the August intake. Watch the CSIR careers pages. |
See also our computer science bursaries page, actuarial science bursaries, and science bursaries.