Scholarships for South African students
Curated scholarships for South Africans — Mandela Rhodes, Chevening, Fulbright, DAAD, NRF Freestanding awards and more. Refreshed daily.
South African students have access to one of the deepest pools on the continent — domestic bursaries (NSFAS, NRF Freestanding, Funza Lushaka), corporate awards (Old Mutual, Allan Gray Orbis, Investec), and almost every major international fellowship. The list below shows every opportunity in our database currently open to South African nationals.
Where South Africans win most. The UK is the strongest international destination (Mandela Rhodes, Chevening, Commonwealth, Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford), followed by Germany (DAAD, Heinrich Böll), Australia (Australia Awards Africa) and the U.S. (Fulbright Foreign Student). Domestic NRF and NSFAS funding still account for the majority of postgraduate placements.
Application calendar. Mandela Rhodes closes in April, Rhodes at Oxford in July, Chevening in early November, NRF Freestanding between May–July, and Australia Awards Africa in February–April. Plan at least nine months ahead for the Oxford and Cambridge tracks.
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Scholarships for South Africans by destination
Pick the country you want to study in. Each page shows every fully funded scholarship in that destination currently open to South African applicants.
Chevening, Commonwealth, Rhodes and Said Foundation awards.
DAAD EPOS, Heinrich Böll, KAAD and Erasmus Mundus joint Masters.
Australia Awards Africa and Group of Eight RTP PhD funding.
Fulbright, MasterCard, Knight-Hennessy and need-blind Ivy aid.
Vanier, Trudeau, McCall MacBain and MasterCard at McGill & UBC.
Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) and Confucius Institute awards.
OKP/NFP, Holland Scholarship and Erasmus Mundus consortia.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for scholarships for South African students?
South African citizens and permanent residents pursuing Undergraduate, Honours, Masters or PhD study at home or abroad are eligible, subject to each programme's specific requirements.
Which scholarships fund South Africans abroad?
Chevening, Fulbright, DAAD, Commonwealth, Mandela Rhodes (within South Africa), and the NRF Innovation/Freestanding awards are the most established funders.
Is NSFAS a scholarship?
NSFAS is a government bursary scheme for South Africans studying at public universities and TVET colleges in South Africa. We focus here on additional, often international, fully funded options.
Do South Africans need a study visa?
Yes — for any country outside SADC visa-free access. We list the visa pathway requirements for each destination in our destination guides.
When do scholarships open?
Most international scholarships open between August and February for the following academic year.
Do South African applicants need IELTS or TOEFL?
Most UK, Canadian and Australian universities accept South African qualifications without IELTS because English is the medium of instruction. The U.S., Germany and the Netherlands typically still require an English test or a Medium-of-Instruction letter.
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