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. The selection criteria are proven academic potential and belonging to a family with a combined gross annual income of not higher than R700 000. Current Grade 12 learners are invited to apply for this prestigious opportunity. Applicants who completed Grade 12 not more than 3 years ago will also be considered. The bursary covers the first undergraduate degree. StudyTrust has been appointed by the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation to administer the bursaries. The FirstRand Empowerment Foundation, through its Education Portfolio, aims to increase access to quality education through the provision of local bursaries and in this way contribute to addressing the youth unemployment crisis. 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, Digital Arts, Fine Arts, Multimedia, Architecture, Art and Design Health Sciences: Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Pharmacy Selection Criteria 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 2027 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 R700,000 will be considered. What the Bursary Covers Tuition fees, accommodation, meals, learning resources, a monthly stipend, and a computer for first-year students How to Apply Applications must be completed on StudyTrust’s online application platform and submitted to be considered for a bursary for next year. Closing Date Application Season: 01 June to 30 September. Please carefully read the instructions on our Bursary Applications page before beginning your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.