FirstRand Empowerment Foundation Bursary Programme

Bursary Details

The FirstRand Empowerment Foundation offers bursaries to first-year students in a variety of degree programmes at traditional public universities. The degree programmes funded are informed by the critical skills needs of the country, FirstRand and social investing focus areas.

Degree Programmes Funded

• Agricultural Sciences: All specialisations
• Commercial Sciences: Accounting, Actuarial Science, Economics, Financial Management
• Engineering: All specialisations
• Environmental Sciences: Climate Sciences, Renewable Energy
• Information Sciences: Business Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Information Management, Information Technology
• Mathematical Sciences: Mathematics, Risk, Statistics
• Natural Sciences: Biosciences, Electronics, Physics
• Social Sciences and Law: Society and Sustainability, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Law
• Arts: Psychology

Candidate Requirements

• Only Black South African citizens, as defined by the BBBEE Act, will be considered
• Applicants must have obtained a minimum of level 5 for Mathematics in Grade 12
• Applicants must not be older than 21 years in their first year of study
• Applicants must have applied for and been provisionally admitted into a South African public traditional university for fulltime studies in the degrees stated above
• Only applicants who will start studying towards a first degree in 2025 who are currently in Grade 12 or who have completed Grade 12 not more than 3 years ago will be considered
• Only applicants from families with a combined gross annual income of up to R600,000 will be considred.

Bursary Inclusion

The bursary covers the first undergraduate degree. Where a postgraduate qualification (PGD or Honours degree) is essential to give access to employment opportunities, e. g. accounting and actuarial science, funding for a postgraduate qualification will be accommodated.

Tuition fees, accommodation, meals, learning resources, a monthly stipend, and a computer for first-year students are covered.