Education & Youth Funding

Non-repayable bursary covering tuition, residence, meals, books, and transport for students at public universities and TVET colleges. Household income under R350,000/year.

Full-cost teaching bursary for BEd and PGCE students in priority subjects (Maths, Sciences, Technical, Foundation Phase). Placement in a public school required after graduation.

Non-repayable grant of R1,000 to R250,000 for South African youth (18-35) running or launching businesses. Includes a compulsory 12-month business support programme.

The Presidency's youth employment programme. Includes the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) for school assistants and access to SA Youth network placements.

Twenty-one sector authorities fund bursaries, learnerships, and apprenticeships from the Skills Development Levy. If your field is tied to a specific industry, the matching SETA is usually the fastest route to funded study.

The country's largest funder of postgraduate study. Honours grants around R100,000, Masters up to R150,000, PhD up to R210,000 a year. Applied through NRF Connect against annual scarce-skills calls.

A concessional loan for households earning R350,000 to R600,000 a year, sitting above the NSFAS bursary ceiling. Repayment is income-contingent and only starts once you are earning above the graduate threshold.