UCT Postgraduate Financial Aid Bursary (Merit and Need Awards)

• Contribution towards cost of study; amounts vary.
• Honours: 1 year; Master's: first 2 years; Doctorate: first 3 years.
• Annual renewal depends on satisfactory progress, continued need for need-based bursaries and availability of funds.
• Renewal without a new application applies for progression from 1st to 2nd year of a Master's, 1st to 2nd year of a Doctorate and 2nd to 3rd year of a Doctorate.

• 2027 Online Funding Application: closes 10 November 2026.
• Applications are submitted in the year before the intended year of study; late or incomplete applications are not considered.
• The NRF deadline for Master's and Doctoral funding is considerably earlier; NRF deadlines are normally June/July for Master's and October for Honours.

1. Speak to the head of department and potential supervisors, ideally at least 7 months before starting.
2. Apply for NRF and prestigious fellowship funding where relevant.
3. First-year applicants submit the 2027 UCT admissions application.
4. Submit the PG Online Funding Application through the PeopleSoft Student Portal (studentsonline.uct.ac.za) by 10 November 2026: UCT Merit and Need Awards.
5. Contact [email protected] for one-on-one help.

Required documents are listed in the PG FinAid Criteria and the Postgraduate Financial Aid Infographic (funding step-by-step) linked from the UCT page.

Selection uses a combination of holistic criteria rather than academic merit alone, as set out in the PG FinAid Criteria document.