Postgraduate degree funding
Bursaries & scholarships
Research scholarships
The major sources of merit-based awards are the two state-funded Research Councils.
The NRF (National Research Foundation) offers the following:
Honours, Master's and Doctoral opportunities:
NRF Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) on Postgraduate and Fellowship Support
- Innovation Masters and Doctoral Scholarships
Applications have closed the Internal closing date was 15 August 2012
- Scarce Skills Development Fund Programme: Masters and Doctoral Scholarships
Applications have closed the Internal closing date was 15 August 2012
- Free-Standing Master's and Doctoral Scholarships
Applications have closed the Internal closing date was 15 August 2012
- NRF-DAAD In-Country Master's And Doctoral Scholarship Programme Call For Applications For 2013
Applications have closed the Internal closing date was 15 August 2012
- The South African Square Kilometre Array Project (SKA SA) Postgraduate Scholarship Programme
Applications have closed the closing date was 31 August 2012
- NRF Honours Scholarships And Fellowships Programme For Financial Support In 2013 (FORM 10E)
Closing date: 31 October 2012
- The South African Square Kilometre Array Project (SKA SA) - NASSP Honours Scholarship Programme
Applications have closed the closing date was 30 September 2012
- The South African Square Kilometre Array Project (SKA SA) - Postdoctoral Fellowships
Applications have closed the closing date was 10 October 2012
- Second Round NRF Masters Freestanding Scholarships (for South African Citizens only) Application Form 10G
Applications have closed the closing date was 31 October 2012
2012 National Research Foundation (NRF) Postgraduate Conference Travel Grant Policy and Application form.
The NRF Master's, Doctoral & Postdoctoral Renewal Call & Process
NRF Grantholder claim form - PG001
Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunities:
- Innovation Postdoctoral Fellowships 2013
- Scarce Skills Development Fund Programme: Postdoctoral Fellowships 2013
- Free-Standing Postdoctoral Fellowships 2013
For more information regarding the criteria and application requirements please check Section 1 of the booklet (see Download on the right) and also visit the National Research Foundation website.
The MRC (Medical Research Council) offers the following:
For more information regarding the requirements for the two scholarships, please visit the Medical Research Council's website.
Students who are eligible but fail to apply timeously for the appropriate Research Council bursary will not be considered for UCT bursary assistance.
Research Associateships
Research Associateships are intended to recognise the research conducted by excellent Masters & Doctoral students. For values and application procedure, please see Section 2 of the Booklet (Download at the top right).
University (UCT) Research Scholarships
UCT Research Scholarships are intended for students who are eligible for NRF (SET), NRF (SSH) and MRC bursaries but are unsuccessful with their applications.
Please refer to Booklet No.14 Financial Assistance, etc for full details.
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