Planning to study further or boost your career with a postgraduate qualification? The cost can be challenging, especially if you don’t have a steady income. Thankfully, there are several postgraduate bursaries in South Africa designed to help you continue your studies and reach your career goals without financial pressure.
These bursaries are available across various fields, from Business Administration to Environmental Science, and are offered by reputable providers. All you need to do is find the right bursary, meet the eligibility criteria, and apply. Explore the opportunities below and start your application today!
Bursary Form’s Top Pic Postgraduate Bursary Programmes
- Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP): Supports “missing middle” students, including postgraduates, for the 2026 academic year.
- Nedbank Bursary Programme: Funds Honours qualifications in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and Green Economy at South African public universities or universities of technology.
- Capitec Bursary Programme: Open to students pursuing postgraduate qualifications.
- ASSET Educational Trust Bursary Programme: Supports students studying towards a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE), funding approximately 500 students annually.
Fields Eligible for Postgraduate Bursaries
Postgraduate bursaries in South Africa cover a diverse range of disciplines, ensuring opportunities for students in various academic and professional fields. Some of the fields include:
- Business Administration
- Humanities
- Public Health
- Law
- Masters
- Business Management
- Education
- Medical Physics
- Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Commerce
- Conservation of the Built Environment
- Environmental Science
- Epidemiology
- Executive Education
- Marketing
- Physiotherapy
- Postgraduate Diploma in Quality
- Project Management
- Public Management
- Science Education
- Social Sciences
- Specialised Accountancy
- Theology
- Classical Studies
List of Postgraduate Bursaries for 2026
Below is a detailed table of over 50 postgraduate bursaries available in South Africa for 2026. Use the “Apply Now” button to visit the respective bursary provider’s page for more details and application instructions.
| Bursary Name | Apply |
|---|---|
| Ada & Bertie Levenstein Bursary | Apply Now |
| Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Analyze Consulting Bursary | Apply Now |
| Aon Bursary | Apply Now |
| AWS Skills Development Bursary | Apply Now |
| Babette Taute Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Baker Hughes Bursary | Apply Now |
| BANKSETA / UKZN Outstanding Student Debt Fund | Apply Now |
| Council for Geoscience Bursary | Apply Now |
| CPGR Bursary | Apply Now |
| Critical Food Studies Postgraduate Scholarship | Apply Now |
| CSIR Bursary | Apply Now |
| Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Department of Tourism Bursary | Apply Now |
| Department of Transport Bursary | Apply Now |
| Department of Water & Sanitation Bursary | Apply Now |
| DSI-CSIR Bursary | Apply Now |
| DSI-NRF Postgraduate Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Energy Mobility Education Trust Scholarship | Apply Now |
| FirstRand Foundation Honours Bursary | Apply Now |
| Fulbright Foreign Student Program South Africa | Apply Now |
| Garden Cities Bursary | Apply Now |
| Genesis Educational Foundation Trust (GEFT) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Gold Fields Ltd Bursary | Apply Now |
| Golder Bursary | Apply Now |
| GreenMatter Fellowship PhD at University of Cape Town | Apply Now |
| Guy Butler Research Award Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Harry Crossley Foundation Research Fellowship | Apply Now |
| HCI Foundation Bursary | Apply Now |
| HWSETA Postgraduate Bursary | Apply Now |
| IIE-Vega School Bursary Competition | Apply Now |
| Imfundo Enhle Education Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| Inscape Scholarship | Apply Now |
| INSETA Bursary | Apply Now |
| John Davidson Educational Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| Keaton Energy Mining Bursaries | Apply Now |
| LGSETA Bursary | Apply Now |
| Mandela Rhodes Foundation Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Mastercard Foundation Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Mhlathuze Water Bursary | Apply Now |
| MINDS Scholarship | Apply Now |
| MiWay Bursary | Apply Now |
| Netflix Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Poliomyelitis Research Foundation Bursaries | Apply Now |
| Potato Industry Development Trust Bursaries | Apply Now |
| PwC Honours Bursary | Apply Now |
| Quantum Foods Bursary | Apply Now |
| Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Rhodes Trust Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Royal Bafokeng Holdings Bursary | Apply Now |
| Rothschild & Co Foundation Scholarship | Apply Now |
| RSM Education Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| SA Cultivar & Technology Agency (SACTA) Bursary | Apply Now |
| SA WISE Angus Scholarship | Apply Now |
| SAAFoST Aubrey Parsons Study Grant | Apply Now |
| SAAFoST Foundation Bursary (for Part-Time Students) | Apply Now |
| SAMAC Bursary | Apply Now |
| SANBI Biological Invasion Bursary | Apply Now |
| SANBI Joan Wrench Scholarship | Apply Now |
| SANRAL Bursary | Apply Now |
| SANSA Bursary | Apply Now |
| Sasol Bursary | Apply Now |
| Scatec Bursary | Apply Now |
| South Africa International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) Bursary | Apply Now |
| South African National Seed Organization (SANSOR) Bursary | Apply Now |
| South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) Bursary | Apply Now |
| South African Reserve Bank Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Sibanye-Stillwater Bursary | Apply Now |
| SKA South Africa Bursaries | Apply Now |
| South African Association of Botanists Scholarship | Apply Now |
| South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Tomorrow Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| Toyota Tsusho Africa Bursary | Apply Now |
| Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) Bursary | Apply Now |
| UCT Centre For African Studies: Jack Simons Bursary | Apply Now |
| UCT Department of Information Systems Bursary | Apply Now |
| UCT International and Refugee Scholarship | Apply Now |
| UFS Honours Bursary | Apply Now |
| UKZN Archbishop Denis E. Hurley Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Unisa Postgraduate Bursary | Apply Now |
| UWC/ INSETA Bursary | Apply Now |
| African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Bursaries | Apply Now |
| African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Africa Wetu Foundation Bursary | Apply Now |
| Agbiz Centenary Bursary | Apply Now |
| Astron Energy Bursary | Apply Now |
| Canon Collins Trust Mail & Guardian Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Canon Collins RMTF Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Canon Collins Scholarship for Economic Justice | Apply Now |
| Canon Collins Sol Plaatje Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Canon Collins Tom Queba Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Canon Collins Trust and University of London Scholarships for Distance Learning | Apply Now |
| Cecil Renaud International Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Cenfri Bursary | Apply Now |
| CETA Thapelo Madibeng Bursary | Apply Now |
| Council for Geoscience Bursary | Apply Now |
| David and Elaine Potter Fellowship | Apply Now |
| Doug Banks Renewable Energy Vision (DBREV) Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Dudley D’Ewes Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Embassy of France Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Erika Theron Trust Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| FoodBev SETA Bursary | Apply Now |
| HENSOLDT South Africa Bursary | Apply Now |
| Imperial Stellenbosch University Bursary | Apply Now |
| Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme | Apply Now |
| KAS-SAIIA-Scholarship | Apply Now |
| MANCOSA Bursary | Apply Now |
| Mintek Bursary | Apply Now |
| Mpumalanga Provincial Government Bursary | Apply Now |
| Maize Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| Master Builders Association Western Cape (MBAWC) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Meat Industry Trust (MIT) Bursary | Apply Now |
| National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) Bursary | Apply Now |
| NESP Scholarship | Apply Now |
| NMU/ AIDC Postgraduate Bursary | Apply Now |
| NMU/ AIDC PostDoctoral Fellowship | Apply Now |
| NRF Scholarship at UJ | Apply Now |
| Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships (QECS) | Apply Now |
| Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) Bursary | Apply Now |
| SAAFoST Brian Koeppen Memorial Scholarship | Apply Now |
| SACCCS Bursary | Apply Now |
| SAMAC Bursary | Apply Now |
| SAMRC Internship Scholarship | Apply Now |
| SAMRC Scholarship | Apply Now |
| South African Road Federation (SARF) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Southern African Development Community (SADC) Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Sorghum Trust Scholarship | Apply Now |
| South African-German Centre for Development Research (SA-GER CDR) Scholarship | Apply Now |
| South African Journal on Human Rights (SAJHR) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Stellenbosch University Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Tiso Foundation Scholarship | Apply Now |
| TFG Fellowship Bursary | Apply Now |
| UCT Archive and Public Culture Postgraduate Bursaries | Apply Now |
| Umgeni Water Postgraduate Bursary | Apply Now |
| University of Johannesburg W&RSETA Bursary | Apply Now |
| UKZN College of Agriculture, Engineering, and Science Bursary | Apply Now |
| UKZN Ethekwini Maritime Cluster Bursary | Apply Now |
| UKZN Mellon Spatial Humanities Scholarship | Apply Now |
| UKZN Richard AD Turner Bursary | Apply Now |
| UWC Faculty of Education Bursary | Apply Now |
| Winter Cereal Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Bongani Mayosi National Health Scholars Programme (BM-NHSP) | Apply Now |
| EP Bradlow Bursary at Stellenbosch University | Apply Now |
| L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science South Africa Grant | Apply Now |
| Stellenbosch University Doctoral Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Stellenbosch University GEM Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Stellenbosch University Lisa Maskell Scholarship | Apply Now |
| Tiso Foundation Archibald Mafeje PhD Scholarship | Apply Now |
| UFS and South African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP) Fellowship | Apply Now |
| University of Free State (UFS) Doctoral Scholarship | Apply Now |
| UKZN Doctoral Research Scholarships | Apply Now |
| AMSOL Bursary | Apply Now |
| Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Hollywood Foundation Bursary | Apply Now |
| ILASA Bursary | Apply Now |
| Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Bursary | Apply Now |
| ISFAP Postgraduate Bursary | Apply Now |
| Kuehne + Nagel Inzuzo Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund (LPFF) Bursary | Apply Now |
| Lesedi Bursary | Apply Now |
| LRF Dr Michael Bradfield Bursary | Apply Now |
| Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sports Foundation Bursary | Apply Now |
| Moses Kotane Institute Bursary | Apply Now |
| Mulilo Bursary | Apply Now |
| NFVF Bursary | Apply Now |
| NFVF International Bursary | Apply Now |
| NYDA Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund | Apply Now |
| Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa Bursaries | Apply Now |
| Robben Island Museum (RIM) Bursary | Apply Now |
| SA Maths and Science Teacher Intern Programme Bursary | Apply Now |
| Sanlam CA Trainee Bursary | Apply Now |
| Santam Bursary | Apply Now |
| SAOTA Bursary | Apply Now |
| SOLTRAIN Postgraduate Bursary | Apply Now |
| SANS Killie Campbell Bursary | Apply Now |
| Southern African Weed Science Society Bursary | Apply Now |
| Standard Bank Bursary | Apply Now |
| Tegkor/ Nelson Mandela University Bursary | Apply Now |
| The Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme | Apply Now |
| UFS Postgraduate Diploma Bursary | Apply Now |
| Upstream Training Trust Bursary | Apply Now |
| UWP Consulting Bursary | Apply Now |
| VGI Consulting Bursary | Apply Now |
| Western Cape Department of Agriculture Bursary | Apply Now |
| Western Cape Provincial Treasury Bursary | Apply Now |
How to Apply for Postgraduate Bursaries
Applying for a postgraduate bursary is straightforward but requires careful attention to detail. Follow these steps to increase your chances of success:
- Research: Identify bursaries that align with your field of study and eligibility criteria.
- Check Requirements: Review the specific requirements for each bursary, such as academic performance, financial need, or citizenship.
- Prepare Documents: Gather necessary documents, including academic transcripts, ID, proof of income, and recommendation letters.
- Apply Early: Submit your application well before the deadline to avoid last-minute issues.
- Follow Up: Monitor your application status and respond promptly to any additional requests from the bursary provider.
🎓 Download Our Bursary Application Checklist
Download our free Application Checklist to make sure you do not miss any required documents. Submitting a complete application is key to being shortlisted.
📥 Download Checklist (PDF)