Funding application process
Preparation is key. We encourage all student applicants to read through each information section below to ensure you understand the process, the information to provide and the support documents to submit, and the eligibility requirements for an SU external donor bursary and the SU family bursary applications (if you are applying for any of these) before you start to fill out the online application form.
Completing the application form can then be a smooth process, taking about 15 minutes.
Application dates
Applications for 2024 SU funding opportunities open 1 August 2023 and close 30 September 2023.
Who can apply for financial aid?
All prospective* and current students who are South African citizens, or who have permanent residence status, can apply for funding from the University.
Students who come from a home with a gross household income (HHI) of less than R350 000 per year (R29 167 per month) – or a for a student living with a disability, a gross HHI of not more than R600 000 per year (R50 000 per month) – are advised to apply for the government-funded National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) full cost bursary. This bursary is available to South African citizens and all SASSA grant recipients. Applications are done online via the NSFAS website, www.nsfas.org.za.
NSFAS-recipient students are encouraged to also apply for SU funding, should they for any reason become defunded from NSFAS: the student is then registered on the CUBL database and eligible to be considered for top-up or shortfall funding from the University.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The University has limited funds available. An application for funding is not in any way a guarantee that funding will be granted.
Student has received a conditional or a final offer from Stellenbosch University (SU) and student has a unique, 8-digit SU student number.
Application site
The process is online. No emailed applications will be accepted or considered.
Kindly be aware that the application site doesn’t store any information you provide until you reach the stage of uploading support documents. If you choose to exit the application form at any point before this, please be advised that you will need to start over again.
It’s therefore best to complete your application (ie, upload all your required support documents in one sitting) before the closing date. And then please check your mailbox on a regular basis – and also the spam folder!
IMPORTANT NOTE You will have the option to apply for SU Funding Opportunities or an External Student Loan. The student loan is an application to an external company, Student Hero, and is not managed nor administered by Stellenbosch University.
Ready to apply?
Before you go to the online form, let’s quickly recap:
• You’ve read each information section above to ensure that the information you provide is correct and accurate.
• Each support document is labelled to include your SU# as a prefix, and saved as a pdf in a clearly marked folder.
• You have at least 15 minutes blocked off on your calendar to complete the application form.
• Please make sure select the correct funding option on the application form: SU Funding Opportunities.
(The External Student Loan option is not SU-managed and you will be directed to an external site.)
• The closing date is midnight of Saturday, 30 September 2023. No emailed or late applications will be accepted or considered.
