VerifiedMost geology bursaries in South Africa are funded by mining companies. A smaller number come from national science institutions, from the mining SETA, and from firms outside mining. This page lists every geology funder on this site, with what each covers and when it closes.
Conditions attached to mining bursaries
A mining company bursary usually covers tuition, registration, residence, books, a laptop and a living allowance. Most carry some combination of four conditions:
- Work-back obligation. One year of employment for each year funded. Leaving early converts the bursary to a debt.
- Compulsory vacation work. December and July holidays are spent at the mine.
- Host-community preference. Many schemes exist to meet a social and labour plan, a legal commitment tied to the mining right, and are reserved for applicants from named municipalities near the mine.
- Commodity-cycle risk. Intakes shrink or stop when the metal price falls. A scheme that funded thirty students two years ago may fund none this year.
National science bursaries
These four are not tied to a single mine.
| Funder | What it funds | Last confirmed closing |
|---|---|---|
| Council for Geoscience | Geology, geophysics, hydrogeology and related fields, first year to postgraduate, with a laptop and field work | January |
| Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) | Geology, mining and metallurgical engineering, mine surveying, analytical chemistry and occupational health | September |
| Mintek | Geology majoring in mineralogy, petrology or applied geology, with extractive metallurgy and process engineering | Varies |
| CSIR | Undergraduate and honours study across the sciences, with full cover including accommodation and a living allowance | September |
The Council for Geoscience is the national geoscience institution. It maps the country, runs the seismology network and does groundwater and hazard work. Its bursary carries a work-back to the CGS rather than to a mining company.
The MQA runs a bursary that students apply for directly, rather than routing all its funding through employers as some SETAs do.
Mining company bursaries
Closing months come from each funder’s last confirmed round and indicate when to start watching, not when the next intake will open.
| Funder | Notes | Typical closing |
|---|---|---|
| Sasol | Lists geology alongside its engineering and chemistry fields for 2027 | September |
| IDC | Geology within a wide engineering and science list | September |
| Anglo American Coal | Continues under Thungela, administered by Career Wise | August |
| Thungela | Mining-related fields including geology and environmental science | August |
| Jones & Wagener | A consulting engineering firm: civil engineering, geology, geochemistry, environmental science | July |
| Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum | Geology with metallurgy, mining and mechanical engineering, ventilation and rock engineering | June |
| African Rainbow Minerals | Split by campus between the University of Pretoria and North-West University | March |
| Mbuyelo | Khashani Colliery, with preference for the Ga-Nala community | March |
| Harmony | Geology among its core technical fields | February |
| Samancor Chrome | Run through its Khuphuka centre, leading into the graduate programme | February |
| Tharisa | Full funding plus a graduate internship, preference for host communities | February |
| Marula Platinum | A social and labour plan scheme for host communities, with vacation work at the mine | January |
| Assmang | Geology and rock engineering alongside mining and electrical engineering | December |
| Kumba Iron Ore | Preference for the Northern Cape and the communities around the mines | October |
These fund geology without a recently confirmed date: Gold Fields at honours level, Sibanye-Stillwater, which sets its fields by company need each year, Impala Platinum for mining and exploration geology, Keaton Energy, Imerys, Rosond, Kropz Elandsfontein and Rio Tinto Richards Bay Minerals. Check each page for its current status.
Host community bursaries
Social and labour plan bursaries are restricted to applicants from named municipalities, so the pool of eligible applicants is far smaller than for national schemes.
| Funder | Where you must be from | Typical closing |
|---|---|---|
| SIOC Community Development Trust | Sishen Iron Ore host communities, Northern Cape | 30 November |
| Joe Morolong / Assmang | Joe Morolong, Northern Cape | November |
| Seriti | Communities around the Seriti mines | December |
| Marula Platinum | Marula host communities, Limpopo | January |
| Mbuyelo | Ga-Nala, next to Khashani Colliery | March |
Bursaries outside mining
- Oil and gas. The Upstream Training Trust funds geology, geophysics, chemical engineering and mathematics tied to the upstream oil and gas industry.
- Consulting and engineering geology. Jones & Wagener funds geology and geochemistry for work on dams, landfills and contaminated land.
- Groundwater. Hydrogeology is funded within the Council for Geoscience bursary and several water-sector schemes.
- Students with a disability. The Bradshaw LeRoux bursary names geology among its fields.
Qualifications funded
- Geology. The general BSc, majoring in geology with chemistry, physics or mathematics. This is what most bursaries mean.
- Geophysics. Subsurface imaging. Funded by the Council for Geoscience and the oil and gas schemes, less often by mines.
- Hydrogeology. Groundwater, usually an honours or master’s specialisation rather than an undergraduate degree.
- Engineering geology and geochemistry. The consulting route, funded by firms such as Jones & Wagener.
- Mine surveying. A separate qualification from geology. See our mine and mineral surveying bursaries page.
Most calls require mathematics and physical science at a good level and a BSc entry point rather than a diploma. Several mining companies fund only at the universities they recruit from, so check whether a call names specific campuses.
Professional registration
Geologists register with SACNASP, the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions, which is the statutory body and keeps the public register of scientists. Graduates register as candidate natural scientists and move to professional natural scientist after the required supervised experience.
The Geological Society of South Africa is the professional society, not a registration body. It holds an agreement with SACNASP under which members log their continuing professional development credits, and it offers student membership.
A work-back year at a mine or at the Council for Geoscience counts towards the supervised experience required for professional registration.
When to apply
| Period | Action |
|---|---|
| August – September | Sasol, IDC, MQA, CSIR and Thungela close. |
| October – December | Kumba, Joe Morolong, SIOC-CDT, Assmang and Seriti close. Community schemes cluster here. |
| January – March | Council for Geoscience, Marula, Harmony, Tharisa, Samancor and ARM close. |
| Any time | Apply to NSFAS as a fallback. Mining intakes are small and can be cut. |
See also our mining engineering bursaries page, the science bursaries list, and engineering bursaries for the disciplines that appear alongside geology on most of these calls.