UJ Orange Carpet and UJenius Merit Bursaries

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) pays its own merit bursaries at two stages of an undergraduate degree, and both are credited against tuition fees rather than paid out in cash. First-year students are rewarded for their final Grade 12 marks through the Orange Carpet programme. From second year onward, the Senior Undergraduate Merit Bursary and the UJenius Merit Bursary reward university results. Nobody applies for these bursaries in the usual sense: Orange Carpet status follows from the admission application and the Matric results, and senior awards follow from the previous year’s marks.

For the 2027 intake, the Orange Carpet initiative closes with all UJ undergraduate applications on 31 October 2026. The first-year figures below come from UJ’s Orange Carpet 2027 brochure and 2027 undergraduate prospectus; the senior amounts come from UJ’s 2024 bursary booklet, the latest edition UJ has left online.

Orange Carpet 2027 for first-year students

UJ counts the Admission Point Score (APS) over the six best final Grade 12 subjects, leaving out Life Orientation. Each subject scores from 7 (80-100%) down to 2 (30-39%). The bursary is a share of the tuition fees for the chosen programme:

The top band needs at least 80% in each of the six best subjects (excluding Life Orientation) and 90% in at least one. Student Finance allocates Orange Carpet bursaries between April and August of the first year, and every benefit has to be used in that year.

What each tier adds beyond the bursary

• Platinum (APS 40 and above): admission to the programme of choice if its criteria are met, the academic registration fee waived so the student registers without paying, a R2,000 voucher for textbooks, stationery or a tablet from one of UJ’s main suppliers, and eligibility for a sport bursary for anyone who competed at provincial level or higher.
• Orange Carpet (APS 37 to 39): applicants are ranked on final Grade 12 results and available places. If admitted, they also get the registration fee waiver and sport bursary eligibility.

UJ’s brochure warns that registration cannot be guaranteed at either tier because of the enrolment plan, and that the programme covers tuition only: no residence fees, accommodation, travel or daily living costs. Below APS 42 the bursary leaves part of the tuition unpaid, so UJ tells candidates to apply for NSFAS or other funding during their Grade 12 year.

Only first-time undergraduates who have never studied at another tertiary institution qualify, and only South African and SADC citizens. The applicant must still meet the subject requirements of the programme, such as Physical Science for the Bachelor of Mine Surveying. UJ holds a Top Achievers Open Day in the second half of each year; candidates who qualify and want an invitation can email their final Grade 11 results to orangecarpet@uj.ac.za.

Senior Undergraduate Merit Bursary in second and third year

From second year, UJ uses the credit-weighted aggregate of the previous year’s June and December examinations across the full prescribed course load. Marks in individual modules do not earn anything on their own. The 2024 booklet set these amounts:

Merit bursaries cover three undergraduate years at most. On four-year degrees such as the LLB, BEng, BOptom and BCur, the fourth year attracts a bursary equal to an Honours award instead, but BEd students receive nothing in the fourth year. Only students on a first higher-education qualification, and only South African and SADC citizens, are evaluated. Students who transfer from another university must apply at the UJ Bursary Office with a certified academic record.

The UJenius Club and its merit bursary

Orange Carpet students become UJenius Club members after first-year registration, but staying in the club, or joining it later, depends on marks: a year average of 75% on a full course load with no module below 70%. Membership is reviewed every year. Under the 2024 booklet, club members received a UJenius Merit Bursary of 100% for an average of 85% or more, 75% for 80% to 85%, and 50% for 75% to 80%. The 2027 prospectus also lists postgraduate-level library privileges, invitations to UJ events and workshops, and preference for study-abroad programmes after three consecutive years of membership. UJenius queries go to ujenius@uj.ac.za.

When the money reaches the fee account

UJ credits merit bursaries in the second semester, so students must pay the first minimum payment and the April instalment themselves, and UJ does not reverse interest charged on overdue amounts. According to the booklet, qualifying students are evaluated automatically, but the onus is on the student to check that the bursary appears on the account by 31 August; UJ does not backdate awards. The UJ internal bursaries page also points registered students to its online merit bursaries portal. Students whose other funding already exceeds UJ’s annual maximum get no merit bursary, while partly funded students can receive a top-up, and cancelling studies mid-year cancels part or all of the award.

UJ’s third-party and faculty-administered bursaries are listed on our UJ bursaries page, and the UJ provider profile gathers other UJ funding.

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