VerifiedDedicated journalism funding in South Africa has shrunk. Several of the named journalism scholarships have not run for years, and the media companies that once paid for cadet reporters mostly no longer do. That is the honest position, and it should change how you plan.
What still works is a public university place funded by NSFAS, a small number of live scholarships, the university’s own internal awards once you are postgraduate, and the film and broadcast funding on the production side.
NSFAS
NSFAS funds journalism and media studies degrees at public universities in full for students who qualify, and it applies no field exclusion. For most journalism students this is the funding, not a fallback. It closes on 31 October 2026 for the 2027 academic year.
The journalism schools worth knowing are at Rhodes, Wits, Stellenbosch, the University of Johannesburg and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. All are public, so all are covered.
KAS-SAIIA scholarship
The KAS-SAIIA scholarship is run by the South African Institute of International Affairs with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. It funds young researchers and writers working on international affairs, which is the most reliable route into foreign and policy reporting.
Its 2027 programme opened on 29 July 2026 and closed on 1 September 2026, so it runs on a mid-year cycle rather than the October to January cycle most bursaries use.
University awards
Once you are doing postgraduate work, the universities themselves are the most consistent funders. The Guy Butler Research Award at Rhodes University is the best known in this field and closed on 15 September 2026.
Check your own institution’s internal funding pages rather than only searching for national bursaries. Faculty and departmental awards are small, are advertised badly, and have far fewer applicants.
Media company bursaries
| Funder | What it is | Last confirmed closing |
|---|---|---|
| UFS Matriculant of the Year | A competition run with Media24 titles that awards a University of the Free State bursary | 1 August 2026 |
| Paarl Media Bursary Fund Trust | From Novus Holdings, the printing and publishing group | No 2027 call published |
| Netwerk24 scholarship | Advertised through the Media24 community papers, mostly at school level | Varies |
Private media schools
Two private institutions run their own funding. Check the accreditation of the qualification before you commit, because NSFAS funds public institutions rather than private ones.
- Boston Media House funds media and multimedia qualifications at its own campuses. It does not publish a fixed closing date, so apply directly.
- Revolution Media Academy funds media, music and information technology qualifications.
- The Arena Academy bursary funded media studies at Boston Media House alongside management and marketing. Its last confirmed round awarded 13 bursaries worth R2.5 million and closed in January 2023.
Film and broadcast funding
The production side of media is funded much better than the reporting side, largely by the state.
- The National Film and Video Foundation bursary is the national scheme. Its 2027 round closed on 31 August 2026 at 17:00.
- The Gauteng Film Commission and the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission fund students from their own provinces.
See our film production bursaries page for the full list, and interactive multimedia bursaries for the digital side.
Advertising and communications
If you are willing to work in communications rather than newsrooms, the field is wider.
- The Brand South Africa internship places graduates at the national marketing agency. It is advertised on the agency’s vacancies page, usually early in the year.
- The Dentsu SA bursary funded art direction, brand communications, copywriting, digital marketing and journalism. Its last widely published round was for 2024 and closed in September 2023.
- The Canon Collins Mail & Guardian scholarship funded postgraduate study with a November closing date. It is dormant.
- The SAMNET bursary last listed a round for 2022 to 2023.
Four of the schemes on this page are dormant rather than closed for the year: Dentsu SA, Canon Collins Mail & Guardian, SAMNET and Mondia Media. They are listed because the pages still rank and readers still find them, and it is better to know a scheme has stopped than to wait for an advert that is not coming. Checked September 2026.
Qualifications funded
- BA Journalism and BJourn, the degrees the journalism schools offer.
- Media studies and communication science, broader and more widely funded on the general arts and commerce calls.
- Public relations and corporate communication, funded on the marketing and commerce lists.
- Film and television production, funded by the NFVF and the provincial film commissions.
- Photojournalism and multimedia, usually a diploma, and often funded through the film and multimedia schemes rather than the journalism ones.
When to apply
| Period | Action |
|---|---|
| July – September | KAS-SAIIA opens in late July and closed 1 September. The NFVF closed 31 August. The UFS Matriculant of the Year competition closed 1 August. The Guy Butler award closed 15 September. |
| October – November | Apply to NSFAS by 31 October. Check your own university’s internal postgraduate funding pages. |
| Early in the year | Brand South Africa advertises its internship. The private media schools take applications directly. |
See also our arts bursaries page, film production bursaries, and commerce bursaries for the communications and public relations funders.