Partially funded

Southern African Wildlife College Bursaries and Trust Scholarships

Southern African Wildlife College NPC, South Africa

Scholarship overview

The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), a non-profit conservation training institution in Mpumalanga, funds a limited number of bursaries and scholarships each year from donor support, since as a private training provider it receives no government subsidy. Students must formally apply for bursary support through their course application form and are also encouraged to seek funding independently.

The Southern African Wildlife College Trust (SAWCT) — registered in 2000 as the Southern African Conservation Education Trust and renamed in 2011 — is managed by WWF South Africa and funds scholarships for top students on SAWC's accredited Higher Education and Training (HET) courses in natural resource management. Over the past 20 years the Trust has awarded more than 70 scholarships, and since its inception it has disbursed over R17 million to the College for scholarships, bursaries and priority conservation-management projects.

Bursary funding is also raised through the Sponsor-A-Student campaign, which supports the 50 Natural Resource Management students who train on the HET and National Certificate courses each year, and through donations to the College's Training Bursaries account.

Award Information

  • HET Advanced Certificate and National Certificate in Natural Resource Management: Terrestrial (50 places a year) — partial bursaries only, depending on donor support, topped up by the student's sponsoring organisation and the Sponsor-A-Student campaign; these two courses are filled through employing organisations and do not take independent applicants, so a letter of endorsement from the sponsoring organisation is required.
  • Top-achieving students on the National Certificate in Natural Resource Management are eligible for a limited number of SAWCT scholarships each year.
  • Occupational Qualifications: bursaries depend on donor support; independent applicants are accepted for the qualification itself.
  • Skills Programmes and Short Courses: self- or employer-funded; bursaries are not available unless stated otherwise.
  • Youth Access Environmental Education Bridging Course: bursaries awarded to successful candidates; the course is run with affiliated organisations and the local community for school leavers.
  • All applicants must complete the relevant course application form, including its financial-support section, and provide a letter of endorsement from a sponsoring organisation where applicable.
  • Youth Access Bridging Course bursary: covers course fees, accommodation, meals and training at the College.
  • HET and National Certificate courses: partial bursary support only; the remainder is expected to come from the student's sponsoring organisation or other funding.
  • SAWCT scholarship and other bursary amounts are not fixed; allocation depends on the donor funding available each year.

No fixed deadlines are set; check the relevant course page or contact the College.

  1. Identify the course of interest on the SAWC website or by contacting the College.
  2. Check that you meet that course's prerequisites.
  3. Request and download the application form for the specific course.
  4. Complete the form, including its financial-support section, to apply for partial bursary support (required for new students), and attach a letter of endorsement from your sponsoring organisation if applying for the HET or National Certificate courses.
  5. Gather the required supporting documents.
  6. Submit the completed form and documents electronically, each file under 5 MB.

Applications are reviewed and applicants are notified of the outcome. Apply via Apply to SAWC; see also SAWC Financial Support. Enquiries: +27 (0)15 793 7300, 08h00 to 17h00 weekdays.

Official links

Documents you will need

  • Completed course application form, including the financial-support section
  • Letter of motivation
  • Certified copy of educational qualifications
  • Certified copy of identity document
  • Certified medical certificate
  • Updated CV
  • Letter of endorsement from the sponsoring organisation (HET and National Certificate applicants)
  • Any other documents specified on the particular course's application form

How selection works

Completed application forms, with the required supporting documents, are reviewed and go through a selection process, after which applicants are notified of the outcome. For the HET and National Certificate courses, the 50 places a year go mainly to candidates already sponsored by an employing organisation, with partial bursary support allocated according to available donor funding. SAWCT scholarships go to the top-achieving students on the National Certificate course.

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