Funding and Research Opportunities

Thank you for visiting the Postgraduate School Fund Management website.

In order to create a more enjoyable user experience we have change the way we do things, you will now find 4 separate pages will calls and funding opportunities listed per graduate level – Honours, Master, Doctorate and PDRF.
Simply click on the “Funding for Postgraduate Studies” menu item to see the 4 pages, or click on the links below

Honours | Masters | Doctoral | PDRF

NRF Masters and Doctoral Funding Application Workshop 09 March 2020

Graduate Internship programme

Call for graduate interns for 2021-2022

• Graduate Internship Programme for Honours Studies 2020 Application Framework
• General Application Guide 2020

The National Research Foundation (NRF) in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is launching a call for applications for graduate internships for the period 2021-2022. The Graduate Internship Programme is a two-year work experience programme for bachelor’s graduates who will be pursuing honours studies simultaneously during the internship period. In order to be accepted into the programme, prospective interns should also have been accepted into an honours programme. Mentors will interview and shortlist potential interns from this pool of students that have been accepted into an honours programme. Host institutions will sign a two-year contract of appointment with the approved interns. In addition, interns’ honours tuition fees will be funded by the NRF up to a maximum of R50 000 over the two-year internship and paid directly to the university at which they are registered. Full details of the programme, including eligibility criteria, the selection process and timelines are available in the Call Framework Document which must be read by interested candidates prior to submitting an application. Eligible candidates are invited to submit applications in the areas of specialisation or disciplines in the provinces stated below:

Eligibility Criteria for Applicants for the Graduate Internship Programme

To be eligible to apply for the Graduate Internship Programme, individuals must:

• Be South African citizens in possession of a valid South African Identity Document (ID);
• Have completed a bachelor’s degree in any SET, HSS or related disciplines prior to commencement of the internship;
• Have obtained a minimum of 65% for major subjects in the final undergraduate year of study;
• Intending to pursue honours studies over the two-year internship;
• Students intending to pursue full-time honours programmes will only be eligible if all lectures and practical sessions are held in the late afternoon and/or on weekends. Applicants must provide a timetable and letter of support from Faculty Deans confirming that the structure of the honours programme is conducive to being undertaken simultaneously with the internship programme.
• Have been funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) or the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) for their bachelor’s degree; and
• Be 27 years of age or younger on 31 December of the year of application for the Graduate Internship.

Objectives

The objectives of the programme are to:

• Provide bachelors graduates with work experience, while pursuing part-time honours studies, within the broader Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) disciplines, as well as the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS);
• Establish a pool of skilled honours graduates for the private and public sector, including universities and research institutions;
• Effect transformation in the proportional representation of honours graduates from designated groups viz. black, female, financially needy and persons with disabilities; and
• Support postgraduate training to meet the specific needs of the country in partnership with the higher education system and industry.

Important Timelines for the Call for Applications for Graduate Interns

NRF Contact Details

For technical enquiries relating to the NRF Online Submission System, please contact the Support Desk (Mondays to Fridays from 08h00 to16h30) on:

Tel: 012 481-4202 or E-mail: supportdesk@nrf.ac.za. For any other programme related enquiries refer to the contact person in the table below:

UJ Merit Bursary

The UJ Merit Bursary is awarded directly to the student in response to his/her application. The focus is entirely based on the historical academic performance of the student. Deadline for 2020 applications: 15 August 2020 This form is to be completed if you are applying for a UJ Masters or Doctoral bursary in 2020.

Click here to download the application form.