Absa Bank Limited (Absa Group)

Absa Bank Limited operates in South Africa as a wholly owned subsidiary of Absa Group Limited, which is listed on the JSE. The Absa Group reports a presence in 15 African countries, with offices in the United Kingdom and the United States as well. Absa’s head office stands at Absa Towers West, 15 Troye Street, in central Johannesburg.

Registered name

Absa Bank Limited (Absa Group)

Type

Private company (banking and financial services)

Fields funded

Accounting, actuarial science, data science, finance, cybersecurity and business, mathematics and informatics

Website

absa.co.za

Email

absa@absa.co.za

Phone

0860 008 600

Four different Absa opportunities

Absa funds students through programmes that work very differently from one another, and choosing the wrong one wastes an application. The general Absa bursary supports degrees the bank recruits into, such as accounting, actuarial science, data science and finance, and closed for 2027 on 30 August 2026. The Absa BMI bursary funds top matriculants in North-West University’s Business, Mathematics and Informatics programmes at Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark, and stays open until 30 September 2026.

The Absa Fellowship Programme targets young leaders rather than a single field, and its 2027 intake closed on 10 September 2026. The Absa Cybersecurity Academy, launched with the Maharishi Invincibility Institute, recruits cohorts when funding and capacity allow; a Johannesburg cohort started in July 2024, and the most recent Hein Wagner intake closed on 28 April 2025.

What Absa expects in return

The Absa bursary ties funding to the bank’s future workforce. Absa expects recipients of its bursary to work back part of the funding through employment at the bank after graduation. The fellowship and the academy have their own terms, so read each agreement separately.

Absa lists access to quality education among its corporate goals, alongside increasing employment and sustainable livelihoods. Beyond South Africa, the Absa Group owns banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, which gives graduates a route into careers across the continent.

Before you apply

Absa accepts bursary applications on its careers portal, and each programme opens on its own schedule. Confirm the current closing date on absa.co.za rather than on third-party listings, which often mix up the general bursary with the BMI bursary.

Commerce students can compare Absa’s programmes with other banks on our Commerce Bursaries page.