MICT SETA Bursary Programme

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) pays for students to study full time in fields that serve its industries, from software and telecommunications to film and advertising. Unlike a company bursary, the MICT SETA bursary has no public application form and no student closing date. The SETA channels the money through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and through the universities and TVET colleges it partners with, so students reach it through their institution.

Five sub-sectors the bursary serves

MICT SETA’s bursaries page says it funds South African citizens studying full time “within any of the fields that fall within its sectors”. The SETA defines those sectors as five linked sub-sectors:

• Advertising
• Film and Electronic Media
• Electronics
• Information Technology
• Telecommunications

Information technology is by far the largest: MICT SETA’s sector profile puts it at about 47% of the 32 870 employers registered with the SETA in 2025, ahead of telecommunications at 18% and advertising at 12%. The SETA does not publish a list of qualifying courses, so whether a particular diploma or degree counts is decided with the institution administering the funds.

Who the SETA says it is funding

The bursaries page names three conditions: South African citizenship, full-time study, and financial need (“deserving and financially challenged individuals”). MICT SETA does not publish a household income limit, a minimum mark, the value of a bursary, what it covers, or whether recipients owe any work in return. The SETA’s 2024/25 annual report does mention “timely payment of fees” as one reason more bursary holders finished their studies, but it gives no amounts per student.

The same annual report describes bursary funding for students pursuing undergraduate, Master’s and PhD degrees in partnership with universities and university research chairs, under the SETA’s Integrated Digital Skills Strategy. It also says the SETA ran roadshows to persuade universities to take part in the bursary programme for needy students.

How many bursaries MICT SETA has funded

MICT SETA’s annual report for 2024/25 gives three years of audited results for bursaries awarded to unemployed learners, that is, students rather than working employees:

Separately, the SETA funded 78 new bursaries for employed workers in 2024/25. In its discretionary grant window for 2025/26 it set targets of 360 new bursary enrolments for unemployed learners, 77 for workers and 80 bursaries for TVET lecturers. Public universities, TVET colleges and other higher education institutions registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training are among the organisations allowed to apply for that grant funding.

Getting MICT SETA funding as a student

Because students do not apply to the SETA directly, the route runs through two places:

1. Your university or TVET college’s financial aid or bursary office. Ask whether the institution holds MICT SETA bursary funding for your qualification this year and how it selects students.
2. NSFAS, the SETA’s other named partner. Apply to NSFAS in the normal way if you meet its criteria; our NSFAS 2027 application guide explains the process.

Employed people in the sector are funded through their employers, which claim discretionary grants from the SETA. For direct applications to other funders in the same industries, see our lists of ICT bursaries and film production bursaries.

MICT SETA’s head office is at Block 2, Level 3 West, Gallagher Convention Centre, 19 Richards Drive, Halfway House, Midrand, telephone 011 207 2600. It also lists regional offices in Durban (031 307 7248), Cape Town (021 461 3926) and East London, and a satellite office at Vuselela TVET College in Klerksdorp (010 055 7996).

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