UCT Vice-Chancellor’s and Entrance Scholarships 2027

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The University of Cape Town rewards its strongest first-year entrants with two kinds of merit award: the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship, worth R100,000 a year, and faculty Entrance Scholarships worth R20,000 to R60,000 for the first year. Neither has an application form. UCT picks recipients from the information in their applications for admission and their final school results, so the only step a school leaver could take was to apply to study at UCT for 2027 by 31 July 2026. Awards for 2027 will be made after the final results come out in January 2027.

R100,000 a year for the very top applicants

UCT offers a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship to 2027 applicants in four groups:

• the top ten winners of the Mathematics, English or Computer Science Olympiads in 2026;
• the top ten applicants from Western Cape Education Department schools who write the NSC in 2026;
• the top 15 applicants from schools outside the Western Cape who write the NSC set by the Department of Basic Education;
• the top five applicants from Independent Examination Board (IEB) schools.

The scholarship is worth R100,000 a year and runs for three years if the student is named on the Dean’s Merit List in their faculty at the level that faculty sets. A student who misses the list keeps the first year’s award only. It replaces rather than adds to an entrance scholarship, and in later years it cannot be held with a faculty scholarship. Students entitled to staff tuition rates receive a pro-rated amount, and UCT will not pay the award, and may reclaim it, if a student enrols in 2027 and then withdraws.

Faculty Entrance Scholarships for 2027

Each faculty sets its own value and threshold, based on the Faculty Points Score (FPS) and, in most faculties, the National Benchmark Tests (NBT). Awards are split between an open pool and redress pools, with redress for entrance awards measured by the applicant’s disadvantage factor. Apart from the performing and creative arts, UCT guarantees an Entrance Scholarship to anyone who reaches the published threshold.

How Health Sciences shares its 21 awards

Health Sciences pro-rates its entrance awards to planned enrolment: 11 for MBChB, three each for Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, and two each for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Awards go to the top applicants within each of three redress categories, and two MBChB awards are in the open pool. The Dean can add discretionary awards, including for top students who wrote non-NSC exams.

Auditions and portfolios in the arts

Humanities gives 70% of its entrance awards to the BA, BSocSc and BSW, 10% to extended programmes and 20% to the performing and creative arts. Fine Art applicants are ranked on their portfolio rating, Music applicants on their audition, and Theatre and Performance applicants on audition, NSC results and NBT scores weighted equally. At least half of the arts awards go to redress applicants.

Conditions that cancel or halve an award

Entrance Scholarships are open only to South African citizens and permanent residents unless a faculty says otherwise; EBE also considers international applicants writing the NSC, and a small share of each faculty’s budget is kept for top students with international school-leaving results. The award covers the first year only. A student who cancels registration before the mid-year exams loses it entirely, and one who cancels after them keeps half. An offer is valid for the year it is made: someone who defers must meet the threshold of the year they register, although faculties may roll over an offer for a gap year.

From second year, UCT faculties award separate one-year Faculty Scholarships to returning students with a full workload and no failed courses, so a strong first year can lead to further funding.

Steps left before January 2027

Several thresholds depend on NBT results, and UCT’s key dates page names 3 October 2026 as the last NBT sitting for admission in 2027. Applicants finishing school in 2026 must also submit their Grade 12 interim results by 31 October 2026. After that, nothing needs to be done: UCT writes to students who receive an award. The full rules are on UCT’s Entrance Scholarships page and Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarships page.

For UCT’s other funding, see our University of Cape Town profile. The guide to APS scores for university entrance explains how school marks turn into admission points, and the undergraduate bursaries list covers funding based on need rather than marks.

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