Key facts
- Status
- Check with the provider
- Provider
- Stellenbosch University
- Study level
- Undergraduate, University
- Academic year
- 2027
- Last checked
- September 2026
SU's Bursaries and Loans 2027 Yearbook confirms the automatic merit awards for the 2027 intake; there is no application or closing date.
VerifiedStellenbosch University (SU) rewards strong Matric and university results through five merit awards that nobody applies for. Four of them, grouped as the undergraduate Excellence Awards, go to first-years: the Vice-Chancellor’s Award, the Achiever Award, the Excel Award and the Access Award. The fifth, the Senior Merit Award, is for second-year to final-year students. SU picks recipients by an automatic, computerised process and writes to them once results are out. The details below are from the Bursaries and Loans 2027 Yearbook (Part 2), published by SU’s Registrar in July 2026.
Four first-year awards and what each pays
| Award | Who is selected | Once-off value |
|---|---|---|
| Vice-Chancellor’s Award | 15 first-years with outstanding final Grade 12 results in the NSC, IEB, Cambridge or another international examination SU recognises | R100,000 |
| Achiever Award | 20 first-years: the top ten across all recognised examinations, plus the top ten who passed the NSC at a quintile 1 to 4 school | R75,000 |
| Excel Award | The top 5% of first-time entering first-years in each faculty | R25,000 |
| Access Award | Every registered first-year from a quintile 1 to 4 school who passed the NSC with an average above 80% | R5,000, R7,500 or R10,000 |
The Access Award rises with the Matric average: R5,000 for 80% up to 85%, R7,500 for 85% up to 90%, and R10,000 for 90% or more. For the Excel and Access Awards, SU calculates the average the same way as in its Admission Policy. In the Achiever Award’s second category, a quintile 1 to 4 learner who already ranks for the Vice-Chancellor’s Award or the first Achiever category is skipped, and the next learner on the list moves up, so the 20 places go to 20 different students. The chair of SU’s Bursaries and Loans Committee approves the final Vice-Chancellor’s list.
Twelve conditions attached to the Excellence Awards
The Yearbook lists twelve conditions. The ones that decide whether a matriculant is considered at all:
- Only South African citizens and permanent residents qualify.
- The first year at SU must be the student’s first registration at any higher education institution; a student who started elsewhere and transferred is out.
- Matric must have been passed no more than two years before the first year of study, so one gap year still counts.
- Final Grade 12 results are used and re-marks are not considered.
Each award is paid once, into the Student Fees Account. A student who de-registers in the first semester loses the whole award, and one who de-registers during the second semester loses half. Children of SU staff who receive a staff tuition rebate get a pro-rated share. A Vice-Chancellor’s or Achiever awardee cannot also receive an Excel or Access Award, but the Excel and Access Awards can be combined. All four may be held with outside bursaries, subject to those funders’ own rules.
The awards settle fees first. Where money is left over, a Vice-Chancellor’s or Achiever awardee may use it for accommodation, meals, textbooks and travel, or have it paid out. Excel and Access awardees may use the credit for the same allowances but SU does not pay it out to them. A credit still on the account at year-end carries forward to the student’s next year of registration.
The Senior Merit Award from second year
From second year to the final year of an undergraduate programme, SU gives the Senior Merit Award to the top 5% of achievers in each faculty, provided they reached a weighted aggregate of at least 75% in the previous academic year. It is a once-off tuition rebate capped at 20% and excludes module or programme costs. It lasts one year and cannot be carried forward, and final-year results never earn it, because there is no following undergraduate year to reward.
Students who spent the previous year at another institution must send their results to SU’s Centre for Undergraduate Bursaries and Loans (CUBL) before 15 February of the current academic year to be considered. SU contacts Senior Merit recipients once faculty registrations close. The same forfeiture rules apply on de-registration, and any credit after fees may go to living costs or be paid to the student.
Where merit stops and need-based funding starts
Merit awards are separate from SU’s need-based bursaries. Those require an online application during the annual Stellenbosch University Funding Opportunities (SUFO) period, and SU says the dates are announced on its official channels before each academic year. Households earning under R600,000 a year are normally considered, and those earning R600,000 to R1 million may be considered depending on how many dependants are studying. The Yearbook also mentions a 10% fee rebate when three or more children from one family study at SU at the same time, and sport bursaries handled by Maties Sport (021 808 4642).
Bursary questions go to SU Client Services on +27 21 808 9111 or info@sun.ac.za. Our Stellenbosch University profile collects the donor bursaries tied to SU, and the university bursaries list covers funders that pay at any campus.
FAQs
Checked the requirements and closing date? Apply directly with the provider.
Apply on the provider’s website
About Stellenbosch University
Public university (research-intensive)
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…
Read the full Stellenbosch University profile →- Website
- sun.ac.za