Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA)Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA)

Partially funded

W&RSETA Bursary Scheme for Unemployed Students (via Institutions)

Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA), South Africa

Scholarship overview

The Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA) funds bursaries for unemployed students studying retail and related qualifications. Money is not paid to students directly: public and private TVET colleges and higher education institutions, bursary administrators, W&RSETA levy-paying companies and Retail Chairs apply on behalf of students who are enrolled or accepted.

The 2026 window covers new bursary entrants as well as students funded by the W&RSETA in 2025 who are moving up to the next level of their qualification. Preference goes to students on qualifications that address occupations in demand and new and emerging occupations in the sector skills plan for 2026/27.

Qualifying programmes are higher certificates, degrees and diplomas at NQF levels 5 to 7, NCV programmes at levels 2 to 4, NATED N4 to N6 at TVET colleges, and QCTO occupational qualifications at NQF 5 to 7 (not learnerships). Allocations are made by the W&RSETA provincial offices.

Award Information

  • Students must be South African citizens below 35 years of age.
  • Students must be accepted for, or registered at, the institution in one of the funded study areas.
  • Preference goes to 'missing middle' students whose parental income is between R350 000 and R600 000, as identified by the institution.
  • Preferred fields: food technology and food security, supply chain management, financial accounting and management, human resources, credit management, marketing management, operations management, clothing technology and production, business management and administration, and ICT and 4IR programmes.
  • Continuing bursars must have been funded by the W&RSETA in the 2025 academic year, passed 60% of their modules and qualify for acceptance into the next level.
  • Applicants are institutions and organisations: public and private HETIs and TVET colleges, levy-paying companies, bursary administrators and Retail Chairs. Individual students cannot apply to the W&RSETA.
  • Funding covers tuition, books and stationery fees, and an incidental or student allowance.
  • Amounts follow the approved W&RSETA funding structure; the cost schedule per course and student is checked against the institution's fee schedule.
  • Funding is awarded at the W&RSETA's discretion, depending on available funds, for the 2026 academic year.
  • Funded institutions must apply each year for continued funding so that students can complete their qualifications.
  • Payment is processed once a compliant Grant Claim form is received after the contract is concluded.
  • 2026 funding window: closing date 16 January 2026.
  • Award Letters are generated from the MIS by 15 April 2026 at the latest.

Applications are made by institutions, not students. Official page: https://www.wrseta.org.za/node/73750.

  1. Institutions apply online through the stakeholder portal on www.wrseta.org.za, on the W&RSETA MIS for the 2026 Bursary Project.
  2. First-time applicants get guidance and MIS access from the W&RSETA provincial office.
  3. Upload proof of the institution's registration and programme accreditation with the relevant quality assurance body. Applications for new and continuing bursars are submitted separately.
  4. Evaluation is done by the provincial office where the applicant is based.
  5. Successful applicants receive an Award Letter from the MIS and, after accepting it, register qualifying students on the MIS within the times stated on the letter.
  6. The W&RSETA concludes contracts for approved bursar registrations, then pays on receipt of a Grant Claim form.

Official links

Documents you will need

New bursar applications (HETIs and TVET colleges):

  • Proof of the institution's registration
  • Proof of programme accreditation with the relevant quality assurance body

Continuing bursar applications (single MIS submission):

  • Memorandum of agreement with the W&RSETA
  • Expenditure report
  • List of students funded in 2025 with results and continuing status

After accepting the Award Letter:

  • List of selected registered students aligned to the listed fields
  • Cost schedule per course and student
  • Proof of institutional registration and programme accreditation (bursary administrators and employers)
  • Statements of results or certificates for continuing students

How selection works

Applications are evaluated by the provincial W&RSETA office. New entrants are prioritised by qualifications addressing sector demand and by 'missing middle' household income; continuing students must have passed 60% of modules. Allocations are formalised through an Award Letter and a contract.

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