HCI Foundation Bursary 2027: How to Apply

Key facts

Status: No current round published
Provider: HCI Foundation
Study level: Postgraduate, Undergraduate
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

The HCI Foundation has permanently discontinued its online application platform.

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The HCI Foundation, linked to Hosken Consolidated Investments, funds honours and postgraduate diploma students from low-income families. It now works directly with selected universities.

About the HCI Foundation Bursary

For honours and postgraduate diploma students.
Continuing support for existing HCI bursars.
Applications by university invitation only.

Eligibility requirements

South African citizen, refugee or asylum seeker.
At a listed public university or university of technology.
Family income below R38 000 a month.
Aged 35 or younger.

How to apply

Read the notice on hcifoundation.co.za.
Ask your university’s financial aid or postgraduate office whether it nominates HCI candidates.
Respond to any invitation from February 2027.

Closing date

Applications reopen in February 2027, by invitation.

Contact details

HCI Foundation: hcifoundation.co.za

Postgraduate students should also see the DSI-NRF scholarship, the FirstRand Foundation honours bursary and the OMT scholarship.

FAQs

1. How do I apply for the HCI Foundation bursary for 2027? +

The HCI Foundation has permanently closed its online application platform. Applications are now by invitation through selected universities, and the foundation says applications reopen in February 2027. Ask your university's financial aid or postgraduate office.

2. Who is it for? +

New honours and postgraduate diploma students at listed public universities and universities of technology, and current HCI bursars finishing undergraduate studies.

3. What are the income and age limits? +

Gross family income below R38 000 a month, and aged 35 or younger.

4. Who can apply? +

South African citizens, refugees and asylum seekers who meet the criteria.

5. What is the HCI Foundation? +

The social investment arm of Hosken Consolidated Investments.

6. Can I still use the old portal? +

No. The digital portal has been discontinued.

Update note (checked September 2026): The HCI Foundation has permanently discontinued its online application platform; applications are now by invitation through selected universities and reopen in February 2027. No closing date is published. Source: hcifoundation.co.za.

This round is not open right now. Check the provider’s own site for the next round.

Visit the provider’s website

About HCI Foundation

Corporate foundation (black empowerment investment company)

The HCI Foundation is the corporate social investment arm of HCI, a black empowerment investment company whose origins lie in the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union. The HCI Foundation says its primary concern is uplifting all…

Read the full HCI Foundation profile →

Address: Suite 801, 76 Regent Road, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8005
Phone: +27 21 481 7560
Website: hcifoundation.co.za

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.