Key facts
- Status
- Applications open
- Provider
- University of the Free State
- Study level
- Undergraduate, University
- Academic year
- 2027
- Last checked
- September 2026
UFS allocates 2027 first-year merit awards (R6,000 to R20,000 for AP 35+) automatically after registration; applications for non-selection programmes close on 30 September 2026.
VerifiedThe University of the Free State (UFS) pays new first-years an academic merit award of R6,000, R10,000, R15,000 or R20,000, depending on the admission point (AP) score from their final Grade 12 results. The award starts at an AP of 35. There is no form to fill in: UFS allocates the award automatically and places it on the student’s class-fee account once the student has registered. The one thing a matriculant must do is apply to study at UFS in time. For most programmes starting in 2027, applications close on 30 September 2026.
Four award bands from AP 35 upwards
The scale below appears both in the UFS 2027 undergraduate prospectus and in the merit award rules published by the UFS Financial Aid office:
| UFS admission point (AP) | Merit award |
|---|---|
| 35 to 37 | R6,000 |
| 38 to 40 | R10,000 |
| 41 to 43 | R15,000 |
| 44 and above | R20,000 |
UFS uses its own AP scale, and it differs from the plain NSC achievement levels at the top. Six academic subjects are scored: 90% to 100% earns 8 points, 80% to 89% earns 7, and each lower band earns one point less, down to 2 points for 30% to 39%. Below 30% earns nothing. Life Orientation adds a single point, and only if the learner scores 60% or more in it. The prospectus’s own example is a learner with 60% in five subjects, 50% in a sixth and 60% in Life Orientation, who reaches an AP of 30, below the AP of 35 at which merit awards start.
The prospectus calls applicants with an AP of 35 or more “Top Achievers”. They receive a conditional admission offer together with the merit bursary, provided they meet the requirements of their chosen programme. The conditional offer does not extend to programmes with a separate selection process. The award itself still depends on final matric results and on registering as a first-year in 2027.
Students in access programmes and at Varsity College
The Financial Aid office’s rules also extend merit awards to qualifying students in the University Access Programmes: the University Preparation Programmes, Extended Programmes, and the Higher Certificates in Humanities, BCom and BAdmin. This matters because the same office notes that NSFAS does not fund the University Access Programmes. UFS LLB students at Varsity College receive half the award a Bloemfontein Campus student would get, on the same terms.
Who is excluded, and when UFS takes the money back
- Transfers: a first-year who first registered at another higher education institution, dropped out and then enrolled at UFS gets no merit award in that first UFS year.
- Long gaps: a gap of more than five years between the last examination and the year of the award disqualifies the student.
- Occasional and BML students: neither occasional students nor students in the Baccalaureus in Management Leadership can earn an award on those studies.
- Studying elsewhere: by accepting the award, the student undertakes to complete the degree at UFS. If the student does not, Council may reclaim all or part of the award, and UFS says it treats each case on merit.
- Failing a year: a recipient who must repeat a full year or semester has the award converted into a study loan that must be repaid. UFS can also withdraw an award for unsatisfactory behaviour, diligence or progress.
UFS’s two documents describe dropping out differently. The prospectus says the award is recovered pro rata, meaning any credit on the class-fee account, up to the value of the award, is removed. The Financial Aid office’s updated rules document is stricter. It reverses the full award if a student discontinues before 31 March and half of it for cancellations after 31 March, “irrespective of the account balance”. The same document lets a student whose award was cancelled in full contact the Financial Aid office on re-registering within five years. Anyone considering deregistering should confirm with Financial Aid which rule applies.
Using the award at registration
The award is never paid out as cash. According to the prospectus, a student may use the merit award allocation towards registration. If the award is smaller than the required registration payment, the student pays the difference. UFS also warns that some bursaries pay out late and advises students to line up money for registration, books, meals, accommodation and transport from the time they apply. Merit award questions go to Financial Aid on +27 51 401 9111 (option 3) or finaidbursaries@ufs.ac.za.
2027 application deadlines that decide eligibility
Applications for 2027 opened on 1 April 2026 on the UFS online application system. The prospectus sets these closing dates, and says applications received late will not be considered:
- 31 May 2026: MBChB and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences programmes such as Physiotherapy and Optometry.
- 31 July 2026: selection programmes including Nursing, Social Work and Architecture.
- 31 August 2026: undergraduate applications from international students.
- 30 September 2026: all non-selection programmes, plus Forensic Sciences, Fine Arts, Drama and Theatre Arts, and the construction management and quantity surveying programmes.
Top matriculants can also apply for other UFS awards that do require an application. Bursaries for culture, art and leadership, which need an AP of 30, close on 30 November 2026. Sport merit bursaries close on 30 September for the first round and 30 November for the second. Students who also need need-based funding should apply to NSFAS separately. Our UFS profile and the university bursaries list cover the university’s other funding.
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About University of the Free State
Public university
The University of the Free State (UFS) is a public university based in Bloemfontein, with campuses in Qwaqwa and on its South Campus in Bloemfontein. UFS traces its origins to 1904, when classes began at Grey College in…
Read the full University of the Free State profile →- Website
- ufs.ac.za