Wits Entrance and Merit Scholarships for Undergraduates

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) pays four merit awards to undergraduates out of its own Council funds. Three of them need no application at all: Wits checks the student’s Matric or university results and credits the fee account. The fourth, for national Olympiad winners, only needs a certified copy of the winner’s certificate. The four awards cover different students: the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship and the University Entrance Scholarships go to first-year entrants on their Matric results, the Council Merit Scholarship goes to returning students on their university marks, and the Olympiad award goes to national competition winners who register at Wits.

For a Matric learner writing final exams this year, the practical point is that the results themselves are the application. Nothing has to be submitted by a closing date for the first two awards, but the award only follows once the student is registered at Wits for a first undergraduate degree.

Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for the top twenty entrants

Wits gives the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship to the top twenty first-time entrants who register for an undergraduate degree. It is the most generous of the four: it covers full tuition, accommodation up to a capped amount, and allowances. Wits offers it automatically after registration.

To rank entrants, Wits looks at English first, then Mathematics, then Physical Sciences, then the next best three designated subjects. The scholarship renews for each year of the first undergraduate degree as long as the student’s academic performance stays at a high standard. A student cannot hold the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship and a University Entrance Scholarship at the same time.

University Entrance Scholarship amounts by APS

The University Entrance Scholarships (UNES) reward strong Matric results across a wider group of first-time undergraduates. Wits works out the amount from the admission points score (APS) of the student’s first National Senior Certificate results, counting at most six subjects and leaving out Life Orientation:

The UNES money goes to tuition fees only; it is not paid out as cash or used for residence. Wits also sets these conditions:

• Only the first set of Matric results counts, so marks improved by a later rewrite do not raise the award.
• Matric remarks must reach the Student Enrolment Centre by 30 September.
• Wits honours the award after a gap year of one year only, and the student must give the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office an affidavit or proof of what they did that year.
• Students with other school-leaving qualifications can also qualify: the Kombiabitur from the German International Schools in South Africa, Cambridge AS and A Levels (by the number of A and B symbols), and the International Baccalaureate (by the number of grade 6 and 7 scores).

A quarter off tuition for returning students averaging 75%

The University Council Merit Scholarship is for students already at Wits. A returning full-time undergraduate with an overall average of 75% or more receives a 25% reduction of the full tuition charge for the next year. Wits updates the student’s account automatically; there is no form. The award applies to a first attempt at an undergraduate degree, with one exception: a student who needs a second degree as a prerequisite for another undergraduate degree also qualifies. Part-time students do not qualify, and a student who meets the average in the final year of study does not receive the award for the following year.

R50,000 for national Olympiad winners

Wits pays R50,000 to an overall winner of a national Olympiad and R10,000 to each of the top five runners-up who register at the university. Only the English, Mathematics and Further Studies Mathematics Olympiads count. The student does not fill in an application but must give the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office a certified copy of the Olympiad certificate.

When Wits reduces or cancels a Council award

All four awards are Council-funded, so Wits’s general funding rules apply to each. Students who receive NSFAS funding do not receive the University award, although Wits records it on their academic transcript; anyone expecting to rely on NSFAS should still complete the NSFAS application. A student who deregisters for any reason forfeits the award. Where several bursaries cover the same cost, such as tuition, Wits reverses whatever exceeds the actual cost.

Wits also caps total funding per undergraduate. For 2026 the limit is R205,000, and if a student reaches it through an external or faculty bursary, Wits reduces or reverses the Council award to stay within the cap. Wits allocates all Council funds by the end of March each year.

Sports bursaries need their own application

Wits sports bursaries work differently from the four academic awards. They are funded by the university, alumni, business and non-profit donors and past Wits sports achievers, and they require an online application. Wits says applications for an academic year open on 1 April and close on 30 September, and it accepts only the online form linked from its scholarships page.

Queries to the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office

The full rules are on the Wits Scholarships and Bursaries page. Wits asks students to log every query on its WitsHelp portal so it can be tracked. The office is on the ground floor of Solomon Mahlangu House, Braamfontein Campus East, and its contact page lists the staff who handle undergraduate scholarships. Our Wits provider profile gathers the other bursaries tied to the university, and the undergraduate bursaries list covers external funders who pay what these awards leave uncovered, such as residence for UNES holders.

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