Types of bursaries
Top-up bursaries for senior NSFAS-funded students
Since 2018, the State has fully subsidised free higher education for qualifying undergraduate students based on a household income below R350 000. However, there are still students in the systems that received funding from NSFAS prior to 2018 when NSFAS provided loans at the national average cost of study. These students, predominantly based in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences where a degree programme runs up to six years, have capped bursaries and are experiencing a shortfall on their funding. This group are therefore in need of top-up bursaries to cover the shortfall on their tuition or accommodation fees.
Students that are ineligible for NSFAS based on choice of academic programme
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) announced in 2021 that they will not fund students who are enrolled for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education and the Postgraduate LLB and Nursing degrees. These students already have an undergraduate degree but are registered for the specialised programmes in Education, Nursing and Law. Their funding came to an abrupt halt this year after the Scheme implemented a range of changes, leaving these students stranded without funding to continue with their programmes.
Financial assistance for undergraduate SADC and international students
International students, including those from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries do not qualify for bursary support from NSFAS or from the University as all funding is directed at exclusively supporting South African students. Unfortunately, these students face tremendous challenges in paying their fees or if they do have a means to cover their fees, they often struggle with covering the costs of food and necessities.
Bursary Costs
The below estimated average costs are based on information provided online by the university and are only applicable to South African citizens, students with valid permanent residence permits, and those with refugee status. The table below shows the average range of fees and related costs.
TUITION:
- R 45 837 – R 71 203
ACCOMODATION:
- SU Residence R 37 210 – R 59 970
- Private Off-Campus R 58 440 – R 72 000
- Living at home allowance R 15 000
MEALS:
- R 26 000
OTHER:
- Laptop (first year only) R 8 500
- Books & Connectivity R 9 000
- Travel & Miscellaneous living costs R 5 400
TOTAL:
- R 83 737 – R 171 573
Value of top-up bursary: R60 000
For more information contact: Candice Egan: eganc@sun.ac.za
The term ‘missing middle’ has been coined to define university students who do not qualify for state financial aid but whose families cannot afford to pay for their studies either. This group – with family incomes of between R350 000 and R600 000 a year – are estimated to form around 18,1 % of all first-year newcomer students at our university. This number could be extrapolated to the entire undergraduate population group of approximately 20 000 students per year. With the economic impact of COVID-19, this percentage is rising rapidly, and many students are at risk of dropping out if they cannot access financing. This highly vulnerable group of students includes some of our most talented and academically gifted students and require either full bursary support or top-up bursaries to cover the shortfall on their tuition or accommodation fees.
Bursary Cost
The below estimated average costs are based on information provided online by the university and are only applicable to South African citizens, students with valid permanent residence permits, and those with refugee status. The table below shows the average range of fees and related costs.
TUITION:
- R 45 837 – R 71 203
ACCOMODATION:
- SU Residence: R 37 210 – R 59 970
- Private Off-Campus: R 58 440 – R 72 000
- Living at home allowance: R 15 000
MEALS:
- R 26 000
OTHER:
- Laptop (first year only): R 8 500
- Books & Connectivity: R 9 000
- Travel & Miscellaneous living costs: R 5 400
TOTAL:
- R 83 737 – R 171 573
Value of top-up bursary: R60 000
For more information contact: Candice Egan: eganc@sun.ac.za
Not all students requiring financial assistance receive sufficient funding for their studies and they often experience a shortfall in fees, resulting in the accumulation of debt. As a result, many students that are academically eligible to continue in their study programmes cannot register or receive their degree certificates. At Stellenbosch University, students with debt can be classified in to two groups:
Historical debt
Some students cannot register for the next academic year due to high student debt with most failing to raise those funds by April when they are then deregistered from the University. The problem primarily affects students from the so-called ‘missing middle’ and some students from poorer backgrounds that do not meet NSFAS criteria.
Graduating student debt relief
For many students, including those who have received bursaries during their studies, their full costs at university are often left unfinanced — leaving many students with unpaid fees at graduation. Graduating students receive an academic transcript and degree certificate however, those with outstanding fees receive an invoice and will only be issued with a degree certificate or an academic transcript once they have settled their debt. For those who have not yet secured employment, this places them on the back foot as they enter the search for employment. Student debt at Stellenbosch University has increased significantly over the past three years and exacerbated even further due to the impact of COVID-19 on family incomes. On average, students with debt upon graduation owe more than R30 000 each. The impact of this lingering debt hampers their capacity to contribute to a talented workforce and contribute meaningfully to our economy. The largest impact is on professional degree students where governing bodies require the transcripts for professional registration purposes. The graduates most often affected by student debt are usually first-generation students, many of them falling into the missing middle or those who entered university before the fee-free undergraduate policy was implemented.
For more information, contact Candice Egan: eganc@sun.ac.za
Merit scholarships are based on prior excellent academic performance. The scholarships are awarded to recognise and reward academic excellence among students who work hard and consistently perform well.
Awards are made according to strict academic criteria. Students qualifying for merit scholarships will receive an award equivalent to a top-up bursary of R60 000.
For more information on the criteria and conditions of merit scholarships, please contact Candice Egan: eganc@sun.ac.za
Bursary support for postgraduates is crucial to grow and diversify our pipeline of postgraduate students, and thereby accelerate transformation at our university. Postgraduate bursary support is also necessary to boost innovation capacity to ensure that our graduates – and our country – are internationally competitive and equipped to contribute to much-needed economic growth and job creation.
However, shrinking state subsidies for higher education and increased government spending on undergraduate education have hampered our efforts and imposed severe strain on University resources. Adding fuel to the fire are significant cuts in research funding by government entities that have historically made provision for postgraduate bursaries as a component of research grant funding, such as South Africa’s National Research Foundation.
Our University now finds itself hard-pressed to source additional funding to support our pipeline of postgraduate students, in particular students from low-income backgrounds. Many students who were supported through their undergraduate degree by NSFAS and who qualify for postgraduate studies, do not have the means nor funding options to undertake their postgraduate studies. These students often need at least an honours degree to secure adequate employment but often their plans for further studies are put on hold because there is no needs-based support for postgraduate studies.
We want to ensure that our postgraduate students emerge as innovative, highly skilled professionals who are confident to contribute to the development of our country and tackle global challenges. To this end, Stellenbosch University is on a major drive to build partnerships to ensure bursary support for academically strong, deserving postgraduate students.
We have an established postgraduate bursary programme managed by a dedicated Postgraduate Funding and Support office. Based on our experience, we are sensitive to the fact that the full cost of studying goes well beyond tuition fees. Accommodation, meals, transport, equipment, and study materials all make up part of the costs incurred by students, creating a heavy financial burden for many students from low-income backgrounds.
The table below depicts the average cost of bursaries for postgraduate students.
| Programme | Tuition | Housing | Food Allowance | Transport & Living allowance | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honours | R 52350,00 | R 53350,00 | R 27000,00 | R 12000,00 | R 144700,00 |
| Masters | R 41880,00 | R 6402,00 | R 27000,00 | R 30000,00 | R 162900,00 |
| Doctoral | R 31410,00 | R 6402,00 | R 27000,00 | R 48000,00 | R 170430,00 |
For more information on how you can support postgraduate bursaries, contact Candice Egan: eganc@sun.ac.za
Looking for a bursary but landed on the wrong page? Click here for bursary funding opportunities at Stellenbosch Universary.
