Stellenbosch University (SU)

Stellenbosch University (SU) is a public research-intensive university in the town of Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands. Stellenbosch grew from the Stellenbosch Gymnasium and Victoria College, and received full university status in 1918. Its students are widely known as Maties.

Registered name

Stellenbosch University (SU)

Type

Public university (research-intensive)

Fields funded

Postgraduate scholarships and fellowships, and university-linked bursaries

Website

sun.ac.za

More than one campus

Most students study on the main campus in Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch also runs the Tygerberg Campus in Cape Town’s northern suburbs, home to its Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences next to Tygerberg Hospital; the Bellville Park Campus, home to the Stellenbosch Business School; and a campus at Saldanha, where its Faculty of Military Science trains officers for the South African National Defence Force.

A research university

Stellenbosch is one of South Africa’s leading research universities, strong in fields such as agriculture and wine science, engineering, health sciences and economics. That research profile explains why so much of the funding linked to Stellenbosch on BursariesAfrica is postgraduate: doctoral scholarships such as the Harry Crossley Scholarship and the university’s Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, the Andrew W Mellon Foundation scholarship, the Lisa Maskell scholarship, and postdoctoral fellowships advertised by individual faculties and centres.

Stellenbosch’s Faculty of Engineering has also hosted the GEM Elite PhD Scholarships, which admitted cohorts in 2024, 2025 and 2026; a 2027 call had not been published when BursariesAfrica checked. An earlier partnership bursary with logistics group Imperial last advertised an intake for 2022.

Financial aid timing

Stellenbosch separates its academic and financial aid applications. Undergraduate and residence applications for 2027 closed on 31 July 2026, while financial aid applications open on 1 October 2026 and close on 31 October 2026, according to our application guide. Stellenbosch’s scholarship and financial assistance applications for 2027 also close on 31 October 2026.

Admission scores and Stellenbosch deadlines

Applicants need an NSC or equivalent with at least a rating of 4 in four 20-credit subjects and at least 30% in the language of learning and teaching, English or Afrikaans, and Stellenbosch calculates an admission score from the six best subjects, excluding Life Orientation. The applicant portal guide below shows where Stellenbosch tracks both your academic and residence applications.

Confirming Stellenbosch details yourself

Stellenbosch’s website blocked automated reading when BursariesAfrica checked, so open it in a browser and confirm dates on the official pages. Postgraduates should contact their intended department early, since many scholarships depend on supervisor support.

See our Postgraduate Bursaries list.