VerifiedTeaching is funded differently from most careers in South Africa. One state bursary, Funza Lushaka, pays for the majority of new teachers, and it sets conditions that no other bursary on this site imposes: a criminal record check against three national registers, a list of school subjects it refuses to fund, and an obligation to apply for a public school post after graduating.
Everything else is small by comparison: a handful of fellowships, two private school groups, provincial education departments and a few subject-specific trusts.
Funza Lushaka bursary
The Funza Lushaka bursary is run by the Department of Basic Education. Applications are made online through the e-Gov portal at eservices.gov.za. Hard-copy applications are not accepted, and an applicant who does not apply online is not considered.
Qualifications it funds
- A four-year Bachelor of Education specialising in the Foundation Phase (Grade R to 3), Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 to 6), or Senior and Further Education and Training phase (Grade 7 to 12).
- A four-year Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Care and Education, for Grade RR to R.
- Students must specialise in at least two priority subject areas, which the provinces and the Department of Basic Education identify as subjects where schools are short of teachers.
What it does not fund
The 2026 application notes are explicit on three exclusions that catch applicants out:
- The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is offered at higher education institutions but was not funded in 2026.
- Extended programmes and additional qualifications, including the Higher Certificate in Education, honours, master’s and doctoral programmes.
- Applicants who already hold a teaching qualification.
It also refuses to fund teaching subjects the department records as oversupplied, based on its data on unemployed teachers. In the 2026 notes those subjects are history, geography, accounting, economics, business studies, economic and management sciences, life orientation and physical education.
The department separately advises graduates from other faculties not to register for a PGCE in the Foundation or Intermediate Phase at all, because those phases require specialised training across four years rather than one. For a Senior or FET phase PGCE it advises that you must have passed two teaching subjects in your degree, preferably two content subjects rather than one language and one content subject. Source: Funza Lushaka application notes 2026.
Criminal record checks
Applicants must check their records with three bodies before applying:
- The South African Police Service, at any police station, for a police clearance record, which is a fingerprint report.
- The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, to confirm you are not on the National Register for Sex Offenders.
- The Department of Social Development, to check you do not appear on the National Register for Child Offenders.
If your name appears on any of the three and the offence is less than ten years old, you are not eligible to study teaching or to apply for this bursary. If the offence is more than ten years old, you can apply to the Department of Justice for expungement.
Academic requirements
First-time entrants need a matric pass with endorsement, or a Grade 12 bachelor’s pass, with at least level 4 (50%) in the two subjects they will specialise in teaching. Each phase then adds its own minimum:
| Phase | Minimum in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Foundation Phase | Mathematics at level 2 (30%) or Mathematical Literacy at level 4 (50%), plus Home Language at level 4 (50%) |
| Intermediate Phase | Mathematics at level 3 (40%) or Mathematical Literacy at level 5 (60%), plus Home Language at level 4 (50%) |
| Senior and FET Phase | Level 4 (50%) in two priority subject areas |
| Technical subjects, including CAT | At least level 4 in Mathematics or Technical Mathematics if the subject was not taken at matric |
First-time applicants must be under 30. The notes put it precisely: applying on 7 October, you must be 29, or turning 30 before 1 October.
Renewing the bursary
Students already at university who re-apply for second, third or fourth year must have passed every module studied in the previous year that falls in a Funza Lushaka priority subject area, achieved at least a 55% average across that year, achieved at least 66.5% in the modules directly related to their teaching specialisation, and be progressing to the next year of study with a full load and few failed modules. Institutions may set higher requirements than these, and where they do, the higher one applies.
Service obligation
A Funza Lushaka graduate must purposefully apply for a teaching post at a public school within six months of graduating, and must be able to show evidence that those applications were made.
The notes are equally clear about what the bursary does not promise: there is no preferential placement by a provincial education department, and Funza Lushaka graduates compete for employment on the same footing as everyone else. See our page on how to find out whether you got the bursary.
Dates
Checked 23 September 2026 on the official Funza Lushaka site: the last published cycle is 2026, which opened on 7 October 2025, closed to new applications on 1 February 2026 and closed to re-applications on 30 November 2025. No 2027 cycle had been advertised. On the 2026 pattern the 2027 round would open in early October 2026.
Teaching fellowships
Two schemes fund a teaching qualification and then place the graduate, which is what Funza Lushaka explicitly does not do.
- The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship funds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at a partner university, followed by a placement. It closes at the end of July.
- The SA Maths and Science Teacher Intern Programme combines study with internships at ISASA member schools.
Private school group bursaries
- The ADvTECH student teacher bursary adds mentorship, a practical component at ADvTECH schools where possible, and paid school activities such as sports coaching and teaching assistance.
- The STET bursary funds teaching qualifications for young black women.
Provincial education department bursaries
- The Eastern Cape Department of Education funds unemployed youth and aspiring educators from the province.
- Free State government bursaries include teaching qualifications in mathematics, science, technology and other shortage subjects.
University and subject-specific bursaries
- The UWC Faculty of Education bursary is a merit award for education students at the University of the Western Cape.
- The SACEE Norah Taylor bursary comes from the South African Council for English Education, which has promoted English teaching since 1955. It closes at the end of July.
- The Brain-Jar Skills Development bursary funds skills development study.
If Funza Lushaka turns you down
NSFAS funds education degrees at public universities like any other qualification, and it does not apply the subject exclusions or the age limit that Funza Lushaka does. It closes on 31 October 2026 for the 2027 academic year.
If your teaching subject is on the oversupply list, NSFAS is the realistic route, and you should plan on applying for posts yourself rather than expecting placement.
When to apply
| Period | Action |
|---|---|
| October | Funza Lushaka opened on 7 October in the last cycle. Watch the official site from the start of the month. |
| October – November | Apply to NSFAS. Funza Lushaka re-applications for existing bursars closed 30 November in the last cycle. |
| February | Funza Lushaka new applications closed 1 February in the last cycle. |
| July | The Jakes Gerwel Fellowship and the SACEE Norah Taylor bursary close. |
See also our government bursaries page and the undergraduate bursaries list.
