Quick answer
Find the bursary on the funder's own website, check the field of study, institution, academic rule and financial rule, gather only the documents that funder lists, submit before its deadline, and save the confirmation. A social-media poster is not an application channel unless the official page says so.
Government funding and private bursaries
NSFAS funding, for students who meet its rules, is public student financial aid for approved qualifications at public universities and TVET colleges. The 2026 NSFAS eligibility criteria say only South African citizens and permanent residents with a valid South African identity number are considered. Meeting an income figure is only one part of that decision.
A company, state-owned entity, municipality or trust bursary is a private or institutional scheme. It may be limited to one faculty, one province or the children of employees. It may expect you to work for the sponsor afterwards. Read that contract before you accept. Those obligations are not NSFAS rules.
A bursary is not a job advert. Do not pay an administration fee to a person who says they can submit NSFAS or a company bursary for you. Apply on the official portal.
Find a legitimate bursary
- Start from the funder's website, a university financial-aid office, or a TVET college financial-aid office.
- Match the legal name of the funder. Scammers copy well-known company names.
- Ignore lists that give no closing date and no official link.
- Check whether the bursary is for a qualification you can actually enter. Funding does not create an admission offer.
University and college financial-aid offices know which external bursaries they administer. They do not all administer the same list. Ask your campus, and still read the funder's conditions.
Check eligibility before you assemble documents
Field of study and institution
Some bursaries fund only teaching, engineering, accounting or a scarce skill they name. Some fund only students already accepted at named universities. If your programme is not on the list, the rest of your application will not repair that.
Academic requirements
A funder may set a minimum National Senior Certificate level, a subject mark, or a university average. These numbers differ. A 70 percent average for one company is not an NSFAS rule. NSFAS academic rules for continuing students are published in its own criteria.
Financial requirements
Household income rules also differ. For the 2026 academic year, NSFAS states that verified SASSA grant recipients automatically meet the financial test for a bursary, and that other applicants are assessed on combined annual household income, with a higher threshold for applicants with disabilities. A company bursary may use a different test, or none.
Documents, deadlines and the online form
The document list is part of the eligibility check. Common items include an identity document, academic results, proof of income where the funder means-tests, and proof that you have applied for admission. The exact list varies. Use the documents guide on this site as a prompt, then follow the funder's checklist.
- Put the closing date and time in your calendar. Funders do not share one national deadline.
- Complete the form in one sitting if the portal times out, but only after the documents are scanned.
- Use your own email address and cellphone number. A confirmation sent to a friend's phone is easy to lose.
- Upload clear copies. A photo that cuts off the identity number will be treated as missing.
Confirmation and copies
After you submit, the portal or email should give a reference number. Save it with a copy of every page you uploaded. If there is no confirmation, check the spam folder and the status page once, then use the contact method on the official site.
Keep the copies until you are registered and the funding decision is final. Appeals and queries ask for the same documents again. NSFAS, for example, uses third-party checks and a signed consent form. An incomplete consent can stop an application.
Keep admission and funding separate
An offer from a university is not a bursary. A bursary letter is not a place in the programme. Track three numbers: the institution's application number, the bursary reference, and, if you also apply to NSFAS, the NSFAS application. Each office can ask for the same academic record at a different time.
If a company bursary requires you to work for the sponsor after graduation, read the repayment rule before you accept. If you fail or change faculty, some contracts require you to repay. That condition will be in the sponsor's agreement, not in the NSFAS criteria.
When two bursaries cannot be held together, the funder's rules decide. Do not assume you may keep both because both were approved. Ask the financial-aid office before you sign the second agreement.
Common mistakes
- Applying for a bursary in a field you are not admitted to study.
- Using last year's income threshold or last year's closing date.
- Sending documents to a Gmail address that the company does not publish.
- Assuming one bursary application is also an NSFAS application.
- Paying someone to guarantee funding.
Checklist
- Official bursary page saved.
- Field, institution, marks and income rules checked.
- Documents match that page, not a generic list.
- Submitted before the published deadline.
- Reference number and copies stored.
- Admission application tracked separately.
Information can change
Bursary rules, NSFAS thresholds and closing dates are set for a funding year and then updated. This guide uses NSFAS material published for the 2026 academic year and the NSFAS website as it stood when the guide was prepared. Read the current NSFAS or bursary page before you apply. Do not rely on a screenshot from a previous year.
Official sources
- NSFASThe official NSFAS site for student funding applications and status.
- NSFAS 2026 eligibility criteriaThe eligibility criteria NSFAS published for the 2026 academic year.
Browse bursary listings, then confirm each one on the funder's own page.
Bursaries →