Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants to study Abroad 

What kind of funding options are available and what are the criteria if you are applying towards a scholarship to study abroad?

There are different kinds of scholarships and it’s helpful to know what category the scholarship/funding falls into before you apply: 

Merit Scholarships:

Merit scholarship awards are dependent on your academic (or athletic) results. This means that if your marks are top-notch and you take part in many school/ university or community service activities; you should definitely apply towards a merit based scholarship.

Student-Specific Scholarships:

A student specific scholarship or funding opportunity will be based on factors such as gender, race, religion and family – for example. These scholarships will often be offered to minority groups or students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s important to consider the scholarship’s rules and regulations to be sure that you qualify for a scholarship in this category.

Destination-Specific Scholarships:

These scholarships are usually awarded by a country’s government to students planning to pursue a study abroad program in that particular country. These kinds of scholarships are meant to encourage a student to study in that country rather than somewhere else. Check with government-sponsored travel websites of the country where you wish to study to see what scholarships are available.

Program-Specific Scholarships:

Program-specific scholarships are offered by individual study abroad programs. These scholarships are often given on the basis of academic and personal achievement, but qualifications will vary based on the particular scholarship. Check with your study abroad program and university to see what scholarships are available.

Subject-specific:

Subject-specific scholarships are awarded by study abroad programs or institutions to students based on their particular major or field of study. These scholarships may require the recipients to enroll in subject-specific courses while abroad or conduct subject-specific research. It’s important to note that qualifications will vary based on each scholarship.

Many of these scholarships will have the following minimum requirements:

• You will need a South African passport (which costs R400 from your localDepartment of Home Affairs).
• You will usually be asked to submit scanned copies of your birth certificate or ID Book/Card, your latest academic transcripts and an ID-sized photo.
• A scholarship program will most likely ask you to gather references. Ask a lecturer or professor who knows you well to write you a (hopefully beaming) reference letter!
• If you apply toward a scholarship programme you should be between the ages of 19 and 25.
• Make sure that you have exceptional academic records. This is an extremely important calling card as to why you deserve the funding in order to study abroad.

To access a list of these scholarship go to: http://www.internationalscholarships.dhet.gov.za/