Scholarships and programmes in South Africa for Africans 2027

Which programmes are hosted in South Africa?

AfriWay currently tracks 7 open programmes hosted in South Africa. Six of them are scholarships. One is a training programme, and between them they come from 6 distinct funders.

The split tells you where the money actually sits. Three government bodies fund study places directly: a science department working with the national research council, the disaster management centre, and the environment department. A British-linked trust funds postgraduate study for students from three neighbouring countries. The remaining two entries pay for travel and leadership work instead of tuition.

That matters when you plan. A bursary pays your fees but ties you to a field of study and often to a contract. A funded place at a summit costs you nothing and takes a week.

What the government bursaries pay

The largest research scheme is DSTI-CSIR Inter-Programme Bursary Scheme 2027 for South African students (closed), run by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and CSIR. It pays ZAR 160,000 a year at Honours, fourth-year engineering or postgraduate diploma level, ZAR 170,000 at Masters level and ZAR 180,000 at doctoral level, and every award is tied to one of seven research themes that run from biocatalysis and bioprocessing through to microsystems, modelling and water research. Holders also get laboratory access, conference funding and a mentor.

DFFE Full-time Bursary Programme 2027 for South African students in environmental fields (closed) works on a different logic. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment caps its bursary at ZAR 80,000 a year and opens it to two groups at once: full-time students already registered at a public institution, and unemployed learners still in their final school year. Fields follow the department's own branches, so biodiversity, waste management, air quality, fisheries, forestry, oceans and regulatory compliance are all covered, at levels from diploma to doctorate. Every successful applicant signs a contract that includes a compulsory internship in the public service afterwards.

NDMC External Bursary Programme 2027 for South African students in disaster management (closed) is the narrowest of the three and the most specific. The National Disaster Management Centre pays 100% of tuition including registration for students in disaster management or fire engineering, and adds a research allowance capped at ZAR 11,000 for those at Masters level. Accommodation, meals, books and travel are not included.

Can you apply from outside South Africa?

Mostly no, and it is better to know that early. The three government bursaries and the leadership programme are written for South African citizens or for students already registered at a South African institution, which is normal for schemes funded from a national budget.

There is one clear exception. Beit Trust Postgraduate Scholarships for Southern Africa from The Beit Trust is open to citizens of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and it funds postgraduate study either in South Africa or in the United Kingdom. The trust makes 19 awards, asks for at least 3 years of work experience, and covers tuition, a living allowance, flights, insurance and the visa costs that usually catch applicants out. Its window is the latest on this list: applications open on 1 December 2026 and close on 12 February 2027.

Which programmes fund travel instead of tuition

Two entries here are not about degrees at all. One Young World Scholarship for Job-Generating Entrepreneurs (closed) and One Young World South Africa Scholarship Opportunity (closed) both come from One Young World and both pay for a place at the summit held in Cape Town from 3 November 2026 to 6 November 2026, including return travel, a private hotel room and meals. The first is aimed at entrepreneurs whose businesses create jobs. The second is broader and makes 6 awards. Both set the age limit at 30.

DA Young Leaders Programme 2027: political leadership training in South Africa (closed) sits somewhere between the two categories. The The Democratic Alliance runs a 12-month political leadership programme for people up to 35 who already work in their communities and see public service as a career. Participants build political knowledge, writing and public speaking through sessions and residential retreats, and each one designs and delivers a community project during the year.

The deadline calendar

Six of the seven deadlines fall inside four weeks, which makes this a dense period. Work backwards from the earliest one you qualify for.

• 12 September 2026 for the entrepreneur summit place, One Young World Scholarship for Job-Generating Entrepreneurs (closed)
• 15 September 2026 for the research bursary, DSTI-CSIR Inter-Programme Bursary Scheme 2027 for South African students (closed)
• 16 September 2026 for the second summit place, One Young World South Africa Scholarship Opportunity (closed)
• 25 September 2026 for the leadership programme, DA Young Leaders Programme 2027: political leadership training in South Africa (closed)
• 30 September 2026 for the disaster management bursary, NDMC External Bursary Programme 2027 for South African students in disaster management (closed)
• 2 October 2026 for the environment bursary, DFFE Full-time Bursary Programme 2027 for South African students in environmental fields (closed)
• 12 February 2027 for the postgraduate trust scholarship, Beit Trust Postgraduate Scholarships for Southern Africa

How to prepare an application in this cycle

Documents decide more applications here than essays do. The two departmental bursaries both want certified copies rather than scans: qualifications, academic records, identity documents for you and for your parents or guardian, proof of registration or your latest school results, and evidence of household income. If a parent has died or is not working, an affidavit or certificate covers it.

Check the delivery method before you write anything. One of the two departmental schemes accepts paper only, by hand, by courier or by post, and rejects anything sent by fax or email. The disaster management bursary is the opposite and runs entirely through an online portal, where a corrupted or password-protected file is treated as a failed application.

Academic averages are part of the gate rather than a tiebreaker. Undergraduate and diploma applicants at the disaster management centre need 60%, and Masters applicants need 65% plus a research proposal that matches the centre's priority themes.

Finally, read what happens after the award. A departmental bursary in this group comes with a service commitment, the research scheme expects you to work inside its themes, and the leadership programme expects a year of your time and a delivered project. None of that is hidden, but all of it is easier to accept before you apply than after you win.