UCT allocates a variety of postgraduate funding awards for South Africans and permanent residents through the Postgraduate Online Funding Application. These awards are allocated based on merit / financial need.
We encourage applicants to also apply for government funding through the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). Note that the NRF deadline for master's and doctoral support is significantly earlier than the deadline for the UCT Financial Aid Bursary.
Postgraduate Financial Aid Bursary for South African and Permanent Residents (Honours, Masters & Doctoral)
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN
Applications are to be made the preceding year via the PG Online Funding Application via the PeopleSoft Student Portal.
Deadline for online submission for the 2026 Financial Aid Bursary : 10 November 2025
No late or incomplete online application submissions will be considered.
Awards range in value from small supplementary amounts up to larger amounts as contributions towards your cost of study for the 2026 academic year.
Students eligible for renewal, such as those moving from
- 1st to 2nd year of a Master’s and
- 1st to 2nd Doctoral or
- 2nd to 3rd Doctoral
are NOT required to submit this application, as their awards will be renewed, provided they have made satisfactory progress.