FirstRand Empowerment Foundation Undergraduate Bursary

Bursary Program Overview

The FirstRand Empowerment Foundation is inviting students to apply for their Bursary Programme, for the 2025 academic year.

Fields Covered

Bursaries will be awarded for studies towards critical skills programmes, specifically for Undergraduate Degree studies in the following fields:

•  Agricultural Sciences: All specialisations
•  Arts: Psychology
•  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

Expenses covered

The bursary will provide cover for the following expenses: tuition fees, learning resources, computer (for 1st year students), accommodation, meals and a monthly stipend.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

•  You must be a South African citizen
•  You must be Black, as defined by the BBBEE Act
•  You must NOT be older than 21 years in your first year of study
•  You must be currently in Matric or have completed Matric within the last 3 years (applicants who completed Matric more than 3 years ago may NOT apply)
•  You must have achieved a minimum of level 5 for Mathematics in Matric
•  You must have a strong academic record
•  You must intend on studying full time, towards a first undergraduate degree in one of the fields listed above, in 2025
•  You must have applied for and been provisionally admitted to study at a public university in South Africa, in 2025
•  You must have a combined gross family income NOT more than R600 000 per annum

How To Apply

Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your application (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

•  Clear photograph (head and shoulders)
•  South African ID document (certified copy)
•  Grade 11 final results and Matric June results, if currently in Matric
•  Matric certificate, if completed Matric
•  Proof of university acceptance/ provisional acceptance for 2025
•  Proof of parents or guardians household income (latest payslips if employed/ affidavit if unemployed/ affidavit stating annual income if self-employed/ most recent audited financial statement or 3 months’ most recent bank statements if they own a business/ SASSA letter stating the grants received if applicable)
•  Parents death certificates if deceased
•  Letter from the court stating child support amounts if parents are divorced or affidavit from the parent stating the child support amount received if parents are separated