UKZN Prestige Sports Scholarships 2027

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) awards Prestige Sports Scholarships that pay full tuition for South African athletes who have competed at provincial or national level. The scholarships cover three groups: school leavers entering first year, current undergraduates and postgraduate students. UKZN Sport’s 2027 page says applications are open and close on 30 September 2026, and the 2027 application form gives the same date.

UKZN’s general “Study at UKZN” funding page still gives 31 October as the sports scholarship deadline. The sport department’s 2027 page, the form and the conditions of award all say 30 September, so treat 30 September 2026 as the deadline.

Full tuition, not a fixed rand amount

UKZN’s conditions of award say the scholarship covers full tuition at UKZN. The university decides the number of awards each year. The scholarship does not fund postgraduate diplomas, postgraduate certificates, part-time study or self-funded programmes such as the MBA. It is paid into the student’s fee account after registration. Awards are decided by the end of November before the year of study.

The award can be renewed for the minimum length of the qualification the student first registered for. Renewal depends on meeting the minimum academic progression rules and keeping up the sporting requirements, and the scholarship committee decides.

Provincial or national colours, and the sports UKZN backs

The main criterion is achievement in sport at provincial or national level. The funding page says school leavers must have played at that level in the year immediately before registering. Only South African citizens studying full-time can apply. Preference goes to codes the university supports. UKZN Sport names eight priority codes: athletics, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rugby and volleyball. Athletes with exceptional results in other sports, such as international colours, are also considered and may join any club in KwaZulu-Natal.

• Entrants (first years): must be accepted by their school or college at UKZN. A sports scholarship does not guarantee academic admission, and applicants must meet the normal entry requirements for their programme.
• Current undergraduates: must have met the minimum progression requirement for their qualification.
• Postgraduates: must have completed a first, Honours or Master’s degree and been accepted into a UKZN postgraduate qualification.

What UKZN expects from scholarship holders

Holders must join the relevant UKZN club and play or compete regularly all season, attending coaching sessions and competitions when the club asks. If they do not, UKZN cancels the scholarship. An injured or ill holder may lose the award, and cannot have it renewed, until a doctor appointed by Sports Administration declares them fit. Withdrawing from UKZN, or being found guilty of breaking university rules or the rules of the sport, also ends the award. UKZN Sport describes the values it expects as excellence, integrity, respect and accountability.

One signed PDF to the scholarship inbox

Download the 2027 form from the UKZN Sport scholarship page. It asks for your CAO or student number, school and coach contacts, the degree you applied for, and a three-year record of your sport covering your position, level (for example KZN U19 or SA Schools) and highest achievement. It also asks whether you have had any injury in the past 12 months. Email everything as one PDF to sportscholarship@ukzn.ac.za by 30 September 2026, with these documents attached:

1. a copy of your ID
2. for entrants, your matric certificate or June or trial results; for current students, an official academic record
3. a signed letter on letterhead from your sports federation confirming your provincial or national achievements
4. for entrants, a signed letter on letterhead from your school principal or head coach
5. the application form itself, signed

UKZN rejects applications without a CAO number, unsigned letters or letters not on official letterhead, and any application sent as several attachments. Your academic application goes separately through the Central Applications Office. Send the email from an address where UKZN can reach you. For help, call the Head of Department in Durban (031 260 7239) or Pietermaritzburg (033 260 5189).

UKZN also pays automatic merit awards of R20,000 to R50,000 for top matric results. See our UKZN provider profile for the university’s other funding. Our guide on winning a sports bursary for university compares sport funding at other institutions. The undergraduate bursaries list covers funding that is not tied to sport.

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About UKZN

Public university

The University of KwaZulu-Natal came into being in 2004, when the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville merged. UKZN describes itself as building on more than a century of higher education in the province, and the…

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