Harold and Doris Tothill Scholarship at Wits

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The Harold and Doris Tothill Scholarships are a small, named fund at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) for research in English studies. They go to full-time Master’s and PhD students in English or English-related fields, and Wits closes applications on 31 March each year. There is no published value: a committee decides each amount, and awards depend on how much money the fund has that year. Of the awards on Wits’s central scholarships page, it is the only one tied to a single discipline.

English, applied language study and African literature

Wits’s scholarships and bursaries page describes the fund as open to “English or English-related fields”. The application form is more specific: it says the scholarship is only for English, Applied Language Study and African Literature, and it asks the applicant to explain why the proposed project meets the criteria of an award “given specifically for work in the field of English Studies”. A Master’s or doctoral project in one of those three areas is the clearest fit. Students in neighbouring disciplines, such as linguistics or media studies, should check with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office before applying.

Two further limits appear on the form. Applicants must study full-time, and Wits staff in half-time positions are not eligible for Tothill grants. A staff member who applies must say whether they intend to resign or have been granted long leave.

What the Tothill application form asks for

The application form that Wits still links is an older edition, marked 2018 in its file name, and reads more like a research grant application than a bursary form. Besides personal and contact details and a Wits person number, it asks for:

• every university, college or employer since leaving school, with the course or position;
• published papers, with journals, page numbers and dates;
• conferences attended and papers presented;
• previous scholarships, with value and tenure, and any other funding applied for and whether it was granted;
• the title and outline of the proposed project, including why the research is valuable. The form strongly advises working on this section with the research supervisor.

Three confidential references from independent scholars or teachers must accompany the form. Degree certificates, certified by a Commissioner of Oaths, are needed only for degrees completed at another university. The form says any outstanding information must arrive by 1 May or the application will not be considered, and that renewal applications need referee and supervisor reports. Those instructions date from the older form, so applicants should confirm them with the office.

Emailing the application before 31 March

The printed form gives a postal and hand-delivery address at Senate House, but Wits’s current page says applications must be emailed to Whitney.Madzivhandila@wits.ac.za and Siphiwe.Maluleke@wits.ac.za. Follow the page: send the completed form to both addresses by 31 March. The form’s telephone line for enquiries is (011) 717 1078.

Because the value is set by committee and may be modest, Tothill funding works best alongside other support. The same Wits page lists the University Postgraduate Merit Award, which in 2026 paid tuition up to R71,900 for full-time Honours, Master’s and PhD students on academic merit, with University Council funds allocated by the end of March. Our Wits profile collects other funding tied to the university, the postgraduate bursaries list covers national funders, and our arts bursaries hub includes humanities awards.

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