Starke Ayres Bursary 2027, Requirements & Application

Key facts

Status: Check with the provider
Provider: Starke Ayres
Study level: Undergraduate, Postgraduate
Academic year: 2027
Last checked: September 2026

Starke Ayres' own bursary page is accepting applications through its online portal but shows no closing date.

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

Starke Ayres is one of South Africa’s longest-established seed companies. Its bursaries develop plant scientists, breeders and soil scientists, from undergraduate to PhD level.

About the Starke Ayres Bursary

Fields: plant science, genetics and breeding, microbiology and plant pathology, plant production and soil science.
Levels: BSc to PhD.
Past cover: registration, tuition, books and residence up to an annual limit.

Eligibility requirements

South African citizen.
Full-time study in agriculture or a related field.
Strong academic results and financial need.
A passion for agriculture.

How to apply

Open the bursary page on starkeayres.com and follow the application link.
Register on the graduate portal and upload your ID, academic record and CV.
Submit your application and watch for feedback.

Closing date

No closing date is shown on Starke Ayres’ page.

Contact details

Starke Ayres: 011 748 3588
Contact page: starkeayres.com/contact

Agriculture students should also see the Hortgro bursary, the Westfalia Fruit bursary and the ARC bursary.

FAQs

1. When does the Starke Ayres bursary close for 2027? +

Starke Ayres' own bursary page does not show a closing date. Apply through its online graduate portal as soon as possible and check the page for updates.

2. What is Starke Ayres? +

A long-established South African seed company that breeds and sells vegetable, flower and pasture seed.

3. Which fields? +

Plant science and physiology, genetics, plant breeding and biotechnology, microbiology, plant pathology and postharvest technology, and plant production, soil science, plant nutrition and horticulture.

4. Which levels? +

BSc, BSc Agriculture, honours, MSc and PhD.

5. Who qualifies? +

South African citizens studying full-time in agriculture or a related field, with strong academics, financial need and a passion for agriculture.

6. What does it cover? +

Past rounds covered registration, tuition, prescribed books and residence up to a set annual limit. Confirm the current value when you apply.

Update note (checked September 2026): Starke Ayres’ own bursary page is accepting applications through its online portal but shows no closing date. Apply as soon as possible and check the page for updates.

Checked the requirements and closing date? Apply directly with the provider.

Apply on the provider’s website

About Starke Ayres

Private company (vegetable, flower and lawn seed)

Starke Ayres is a vegetable, flower and lawn seed company founded in South Africa in 1877. Headquartered in Johannesburg, Starke Ayres describes itself as the leading vegetable seed supplier in Africa and a preferred international supplier of premium…

Read the full Starke Ayres profile →

Phone: 0860 782 753
Email: hr@starkeayres.co.za
Website: starkeayres.com

Student funding in numbers

2025811 011students funded by NSFAS580 000 at universities, 231 000 at TVET colleges, on a budget of R48.7 billion.

20261 026 091students approved for NSFAS funding609 403 first-year applicants qualified and 416 688 continuing students met the progression criteria, out of 893 847 applications.

2027 projectedR53.4bnbudgeted for NSFASThe allocation rises from R48.7 billion in 2025 to R51 billion in 2026 and R53.4 billion in 2027. Student numbers for 2027 are not published yet.

Figures from the Minister of Higher Education’s Budget Vote of 3 July 2025 and the NSFAS statement of 2 January 2026. NSFAS is the largest funder, not the only one – we track the rest.