The bursaries landscape at Stellenbosch University
Universities have been made to face extraordinary challenges in the recent past. The prevalent challenge is how the higher education system must pivot to accommodate a new social order; one that is able to meet the individual needs of students and staff, while responding to new realities and challenges.The ripple effect of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has imposed incredible strain on universities as well as students. This has created a significant financial burden for students from poor, rural and working-class communities –– denying many the opportunities to study at university.
We want to cover the funding gap to support identified students in need, many of whom are entering university as the first members of their family to do so. We want to make sure they get the best possible chance to emerge as successful, confident Maties.
Students who fall within the R0 – R350 000 income band are mostly supported through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Our biggest category of need are students whose family income are between R351 000 – R600 000, the ‘missing middle’. Missing middle students’ family income exceed the state financial aid eligibility criteria but they cannot afford university education in South Africa.
With the unemployment rate for youth in South Africa at a staggering 46,3% versus a mere 9,3% for university graduates, the reality is that our economy can only benefit from having more graduates in the labour market.
With the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect an even larger proportion of our student population to move into the ‘missing middle’ category. Emerging trends also show that students with family income levels of above R600 000 are also struggling to cope with the financial burdens of tertiary studies and might need small pockets of top-up funding.
An investment into a bursary is not only a lifeline out of poverty for a deserving student. It equates to uplifting an extended family, a community and on a national level, the provision of bursaries helps to dramatically lesson the unemployment rates amongst young South Africans.
Funding postgraduate studies
Young people are struggling in the South African Labour Market
59,5%
of employed people are aged between 15-34 years
46,3%
of our youth
(15-34 years) are unemployed
2,1%
of employed person
are graduates
21,2%
of tertiary graduates
are unemployed
9,3%
of university graduates are unemployed
Funding postgraduate studies
Stellenbosch University recognises the need to grow and diversify our pipeline of postgraduate students. An honours degree as a prerequisite for employment is becoming increasingly important for graduates to remain competitive in a very tight job market.
We are also committed to contribute the knowledge economy and growing our own timber by making sure that our masters and doctoral students are adequately supported. In doing so we boost our innovation capacity to ensure that our graduates – and our country – are internationally relevant and equipped to contribute to much-needed research and development, economic growth and job creation.
Shrinking state subsidies for higher education and increased government spending on undergraduate education have hampered our efforts and imposed severe strain on University resources. Our University now finds itself hard-pressed to source additional funding to support our pipeline of postgraduate students, in particular students of colour from low-income backgrounds.
Our solution
We want to ensure that our postgraduate students emerge as innovative, highly skilled professionals who can to contribute to the development of our country and tackle global challenges with confidence. To this end, Stellenbosch University is on a major drive to build partnerships to ensure bursary support for academically strong, deserving postgraduate students.
