UJ Undergraduate Merit Bursary (First-Year Students)

• APS 35 to 36: 30% of the curriculum's tuition fees.
• APS 37 to 39: 50%.
• APS 40 to 41: 75%.
• APS 42: 100%.
• APS higher than 42: 100% plus an additional R5,485 (the extra amount requires an A+ of 90% or higher, scored as 8 points).
• Students who matriculated before 2008 are assessed on the M-Score scale instead, with the same bursary bands applying from an M-Score of 23 upward and the top band from an M-Score above 30.
• Calculated on tuition fees only; registration fees, the ICT levy, residence fees and other levies are excluded.
• Second- and third-year formal diploma students: 75-79% weighted aggregate R4,230; 80-84% R5,440; 85% and higher R9,060, with a special R15,095 bursary for 85%-plus achievers.
• Second- and third-year degree students: 70-74% weighted aggregate R4,230; 75-79% R5,440; 80% and higher R9,060, with a special R15,095 bursary for 80%-plus achievers.
• Allocated to the student's account only in the second semester; the student is responsible for the first minimum payment and the April payment, and interest applies to any amount outstanding in the meantime.

The onus is on the student to ensure the bursary is allocated to their account by 31 August of the year of study; bursaries cannot be backdated. Students apply through the merit bursary portal (the Bursaries and Scholarships Hive Portal) when it opens for the academic year; the 2025 portal was open to all currently registered students.

1. Calculate your APS (or M-Score, if you matriculated before 2008) from your final Grade 12 results, using the calculator linked from the UJ merit bursaries page.
2. Qualifying first-year candidates from subsidised government schools who gave their matric exam number on their UJ application are evaluated automatically; most merit bursaries need no separate application and are allocated straight to the student account.
3. Use the Bursaries and Scholarships Hive Portal linked from the UJ merit bursaries page to apply for any merit bursaries that are listed there as requiring an application.
4. Students transferring from another university apply directly at the UJ Bursary Office and must submit a certified copy of their academic record as a precondition for the bursary to be allocated.
5. Confirm before 31 August of the year of study that the bursary has been allocated to your student account, since the university does not backdate awards.

• Matriculation exam number, supplied with the UJ application (for automatic evaluation of first-year candidates from subsidised government schools).
• Certified copy of the academic record, for students transferring from another university.

All qualifying registered students are evaluated automatically each year against the APS or weighted-aggregate bands; there is no separate selection committee for this bursary. Awards depend on sufficient funds being available to cover every qualifying candidate, and the university can alter the criteria, guidelines or values of the bursary without prior notice.