The University of South Africa (UNISA) offers a Postgraduate Bursary programme to support alumni studying at UNISA in postgraduate diploma, honours, master’s, or doctoral degrees. This funding aims to assist eligible students with tuition and research costs so they can successfully complete their qualifications.
The Bursary Sponsor
This bursary is sponsored by UNISA (University of South Africa), South Africa’s largest distance education institution. Through its Student Affairs & SRC division, UNISA administers these bursaries to increase access to higher-level qualifications for its students.
What Is This Bursary Program?
UNISA’s postgraduate bursary programme is split into two streams:
- Postgraduate Diploma & Honours Bursary – for UNISA alumni entering honours or PG diploma qualification.
- Master’s & Doctoral Bursary – for returning master’s and doctoral research students already enrolled, subject to proposal completion and funding rules.
The bursary provides support for tuition fees and research essentials, depending on the stream. For example:
- Master’s by Research: capped at R55,000 over first three years
- Master’s by Coursework: capped at R25,000 over first two years
- Doctoral research: capped R80,000 (or more for experimental research) over first 4 years
- PG Diploma / Honours: funding is primarily for tuition fees only.
Funding is limited, and additional modules or extensions beyond prescribed years are normally not supported.
Who Can Apply
Eligibility requirements generally include:
- South African citizens or, in some cases, international students (with preference for South Africans)
- Students must be temporarily registered by 31 January 2026 for registration to be activated once funding is awarded
- Returning beneficiaries must reapply yearly for their same qualification, subject to guidelines and performance
- For master’s/doctoral:
• Master’s: first registration not more than 3 years ago
• Doctoral: first registration not more than 6 years ago - For master’s by coursework: must have passed at least 2 coursework modules before 31 January 2026
- Only returning students may be funded for research programmes they already started, subject to supervisor support and academic progress
Closing Date
19 December 2025 — the application window for the 2026 postgraduate bursary runs from 15 October 2025 to 19 December 2025.
How to Apply
- Applications must be submitted online via the myUnisa application portal