2012 Studietrust bursaries for any field, Available now!

One of South Africa’s oldest bursary NGO’s, Studietrust, has just announced that its bursary application process for undergraduate bursaries for study in 2012 is closing soon (30 September 2011).
Studietrust offers access bursaries and sponsored bursaries. Access bursaries are usually partial bursaries covering only a limited amount of the university costs. Sponsored bursaries may cover all fees, including books, tuition, travel......READ MORE AND DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORMS

Bursary for Journalism at Media24

Media24 is offering 25 bursaries to join the Journalism Honours Programmes at WITS, University of Stellenbosch, Rhodes University or North-West University. To be considered you must have a completed undergraduate degree in any discipline. READ MORE

Graduate Programme/ Internship up for grabs at Media24

Media24 is offering a 6 weeks graduate programme to 20 lucky graduates in ANY field. If you have a graduate degree and have a passion for media and/ or journalism, this opportunity is for you. The graduates will be based in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“This six-week intensive Graduates in Media Programme is designed to introduce you to the world of... READ MORE

The Old Mutual Accounting and Actuarial Scholarship

The Old Mutual Scholarship programme is aimed at pupils in grades 8 and 9. This is because it offers its scholarship from Grade 10 onwards and it is strictly for high school learners. If you are interested in a career in accounting or actuarial studies and are in grade 8 or 9, Old Mutual promises to fund your schooling at  “one of South Africa’s top Model C or Independent schools”....READ MORE HERE (CLICK)

Coronation Fund Managers Bursary Programme

Coronation FM is giving away a bursary worth a whopping maximum of R 80 000 (eighty thousand rand) per year to study a full-time undergraduate degree in commerce (only in the following fields of specialisation Accounting, Economics, Finance, Investment Management or/and Statistics) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
The bursary organisation administering this bursary, Studietrust, states on its website that “preference will be given to candidates... READ MORE, CLICK HERE

How to Apply for a Bursary

There is actually one way to apply for a bursary, unless it is advertised. Because when it is advertised the advert usually explains the application process and the requirements in order for one to be considered.

That one way to be used when applying for a bursary is, simple: write a letter! Yes, writing a letter to the bursary manager or whoever holds an equivalent position to a bursary manager- this may be the human resources manager, the skills development officer or the training officer, depending on the particular organisation’s structure. In this letter you may refer to your current educational achievements and your ultimate educational goals and, of course, your desired career.

So the big question is: How to Write a Bursary Application Letter?  

First I would like to start with the dos and don’ts of writing a bursary application letter.

The DOs are:

• ·         Do motivate why you believe you should be considered or, for that matter, awarded a bursary from that particular institution. Your motivation should be clear and concise- and by this I mean you should not write a whole page of motivation. Two sentences to one paragraph would do.

• ·         Do be straight to the point. Beating about the bush will only make the reader of your letter lose interest and, probably, encourage him/her to throw it in the bin.

• ·         Do write your full name, contact number and address. This is because some companies or organisations prefer calling you back than writing you a letter which may be lost in the post.

• ·         And if possible, DO type your letter and have it printed out. Hand written letters tend to be unreadable sometimes as we don’t all have typewriter-like handwritings.

The DONTS:

• ·         Don’t ever motivate your bursary application letter with your family situation. It is very okay to show your financial need, but do not go into detail. I have seen letters that would go as far as saying: “I need this bursary because my parents are divorced, my father is not taking care of us and we sometimes go to bed hungry” this definitely does not motivate but rather sought sympathy from your letter’s reader.

• ·         Don’t include your parents’ payslips, your certified ID’s certified copies or any document to that extend. They have not requested these documents yet and they would be of no use to the bursary personnel at this stage. They may even lose interest in your letter- and we don’t want that, do we?

• ·         Don’t make grammatical mistakes. These are totally unacceptable because it would prove just how careless and undetermined you are.

• ·         Don’t spill stuff on your letter. It should be the cleanest piece of paper you have ever come across. You do not want to appear dirty, do you?

These dos and don’ts should at least get you a response if not a positive one from the bursary institution. 

For further guidance please view our example/ sample bursary application which will be published on 02/04/2011.