NRF
National Research Foundation, mandated under the NRF Act
NRF Postgraduate Scholarships
Research-focused Up to R210,000 / yr Honours, MA, PhD Cycle closes mid-October
Scholarship tiers 2026/27
Amounts below are the standard national NRF-funded scholarship values published for the 2026/27 award cycle. Some designated instruments (SARChI, DAAD-NRF, top-up scholarships) run higher.
Honours
R95,000full year
- Tuition and prescribed books
- Living allowance across 10 months
- 1-year fixed term
- Applications open to final-year BSc/BCom/BA
Masters
R150,000per year, up to 2 years
- Tuition + research cost allowance
- Renewable for a second year against progress
- Full-time registration required
- Priority: research-only Masters
PhD
R210,000per year, up to 3 years
- Full living allowance plus research support grant
- Renewable annually against supervisor report
- Split-site (SA + international) allowed
- Extension by one year available on motivation
Scarce-skills priority (2026 cycle)
NRF weights applications in these fields more heavily. If your Masters or PhD proposal touches one of these areas, mention it explicitly in the research statement.
Data scienceArtificial intelligenceCyber-securityRenewable energyGreen hydrogenWater securityAgri-processingPublic healthAstronomy & SKAMaterials sciencePalaeosciencesIndigenous knowledgeClimate changeActuarial science
The annual cycle
NRF Connect opens once a year for the following academic year. Missing this cycle means waiting 12 months.
AugCall opens on NRF Connect for the following study year.
15 OctApplications close. No late submissions accepted.
Nov – FebInstitutional and NRF panel review.
Mar – AprOutcomes released. Successful applicants sign the agreement.
Apr onwardFirst tranche paid on institutional registration.
Eligibility essentials
- South African citizen or permanent resident (some instruments cover recognised refugees)
- Accepted or already registered at a South African public university or Science Council
- Registered full-time; part-time only accepted under exceptional-case motivation
- Age cap: Honours 30, Masters 32, PhD 35 (extensions considered for designated groups)
- Minimum academic performance: 65% average across all completed years
The four things that block a first-time application
- 1A generic research proposal. NRF panels can spot a copy-paste MSc topic. Anchor the proposal to a named supervisor's active research group.
- 2No confirmed supervisor. Applications without a named supervisor at the host institution are rejected at the institutional filter.
- 3Missing institutional endorsement. Your Postgrad Office must approve the application inside NRF Connect. Chase this a week before deadline; October is peak load.
- 4Double-funding at submission. If you already hold a bursary that must be declared. Non-disclosure is a permanent disqualifier.
Where to reach the NRF
Applications and enquiries live on NRF Connect. General queries go to 012 481 4000 or [email protected].