Before registering as a student, you need to determine whether or not you will have sufficient funds to finance your studies, and if not, from which alternative sources you will be able to receive funding. On the right you will find a downloadable list of postgraduate bursary opportunities.

Academic fees and living expenses are perceived as the two main costs in study. Securing sufficient funding may be difficult, but the various sources of funding may be considered:

What kind of financial support exists?

University funding

The University has a number of bursaries and scholarships available for academically deserving students. We also administer funds from corporate donors and national funding schemes such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Briefly, University financial support in the form of scholarships and bursaries includes the following:

For full-time undergraduate studies:

The University offers three types of financial assistance for full-time students, namely:

Bursaries administered by Nelson Mandela University using funds provided by donors and trustees.
Bursaries and study loans administered by other organisations, to which applications must be directed.
NSFAS loans and bursaries (http://www.nsfas.org.za)

You qualify for a NSFAS loan if you are:

A South African citizen;
Registered at a South African university;
An undergraduate, studying for a first higher educational qualification, or studying for a second higher education qualification, if this is necessary to practise in your chosen profession (e.g. LLB or HDE);
Able to demonstrate potential for academic success;In need of financial assistance.

NSFAS Bursaries for Disabled Students

Applicants need to be a South African citizen;
Be studying towards a first higher education qualification, or towards a second qualification that is also required for entering a chosen profession.
Applicants need to be regarded financially needy and unable to obtain a loan from a commercial bank.

A comprehensive overview of all funding available can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office.

You can also view what is available in terms of postgraduate bursary/scholarship opportunities from the Department of Research Capacity Development.

For honours and BTech studies:

Honours students are the largest group of postgraduate students and form an important source from which master’s students are drawn. Therefore the University makes adequate funding available to sustain a viable pool of honours students.

Honours Bursary
- In order to qualify, an applicant must have obtained at least 55% in the major subject which a student wishes to pursue at postgraduate level.
- The bursary is only available to citizens of South Africa and SADAC countries.
- The bursary is available for a maximum of one year.
- Closing date for applying is 30 October each year.
- Please consult the Financial Aid Office for more detailed information on the criteria.
National Research Foundation (NRF) Free-standing Honours/BTech Scholarship
- In order to qualify, an applicant must have obtained an aggregate of at least 65% for the final year undergraduate subject(s) they are pursuing for honours or final year BTech study.
- Only South African citizens may apply.
- The bursary is available for a maximum of one year.