CSIR Bursary South Africa 2025 – 2026

ABOUT THE COMPANY – CSIR

CSIR Bursary South Africa 2025 – 2026 | The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), established in the year 1945, is a premier and central research and development organisation in South Africa. The CSIR is Africa’s biggest research and development organisation, which covers approximately 10% of the whole African African R|D budget.

The CSIR’s 7 main focus areas include Industry, Energy, Natural Environment, Built Environment, Digital Environment, Health and Defence and Security. The company is based in the city of Pretoria, on its own campus and has a staff base of around 3000 scientific and technical researchers.

Some of the key issues which the company aims to address via interventions include – building a state with the ability to deliver high-quality services to all South African citizens consistently; developing employment opportunities and a strong economy; positively contributing to social and economic infrastructure development (including water resources, energy, transport and ICT networks).

ABOUT THE CSIR BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is inviting students to apply for their bursary programme, for the 2023 academic year.. The CSIR bursary is merit-based and is aimed at full-time, unemployed students who are pursuing qualifications in areas that are deemed a priority by the CSIR (research, technology development and innovation as well as corporate/support areas).

Bursaries will be awarded for Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Honours, MSc and PhD), in these fields:
Undergraduate studies:

Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Electronic Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Mining Engineering

Honours studies:

Chemical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Electronic Engineering
Geospatial Information Systems
Information System
Information Technology
Software Engineering

Masters and Doctoral studies:

Analytical Chemistry
Biochemistry
Biomedical Engineering
Biotechnology
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Chemical Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Information Systems
Mechanical Engineering
Microbiology
Physics

Masters and Doctoral Considered Thematic Areas:

Aerospace
Biotechnology
Composites
Health
Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)
Information and Communications Technology
Modelling and Digital Sciences
Microsystems Technology
Photonics
Titanium (Manufacturing Elements)

Read more about the Thematic Research Focus Areas here.

MORE ABOUT THE CSIR BURSARY PROGRAMME – EXPENSES COVERED, SERVICE CONTRACT | SELECTION

Zabusaries.com is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest bursary opportunities, and this article covers all details about the CSIR Bursary.

The bursary will provide cover for the following expenses:

Undergraduate to Honours level: registration fees, tuition fees, books, once-off laptop allowance, accommodation and a living allowance.
Masters and Doctoral level: registration fees, tuition fees, once-off laptop allowance and a living allowance.

Bursary recipients will also receive full support and the opportunity to partake in vacation work.

After graduation, bursary recipients will be required to work for CSIR – one year of employment for every year of funding received.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to attend an interview – candidates who do not receive any feedback should regard their bursary application as unsuccessful.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CSIR BURSARY

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):
Current Matric/ Grade 12 students:

You must be a South African citizen
You must have achieved a minimum of Level 5 (60% – 69%) for English in Matric
You must have achieved a minimum of Level 6 (70% – 79%) for Mathematics in Matric
You must have achieved a minimum of Level 6 (70% – 79%) for Physics in Matric
You must intend on studying full-time towards a qualification in one of the undergraduate fields listed above, in 2022
You must intend on enrolling and studying at a recognised public University in South Africa
You must NOT be employed on a full-time basis

Current university students:

You must be a South African citizen
You must be studying full-time towards a qualification in one of the undergraduate or Honours fields listed above
You must be enrolled and studying at a recognised public University in South Africa
You must have passed all university courses you have registered for, for the study period completed
You must NOT be employed on a full-time basis

Masters and Doctoral applicants:

You must be a South African citizen
You must intend on studying full-time towards a qualification in one of the Masters’s or Doctoral fields listed above, in 2022
You must intend on enrolling and studying at a recognised public University in South Africa
You must have passed all university courses you have registered for, for the study period completed
Preferably studying at Honours/ 4th year Engineering/ BTech/ Postgraduate Diploma level in one of the Thematic Research Focus Areas listed above
You must NOT be employed on a full-time basis
You must have good scientific writing skills
You must have good organisational skills
You must have good time management skills
You must have good communication skills – verbal and writing
You must have good report-writing abilities
You must have an excellent academic record
You must have the drive to conduct research
You must be self-motivated
You must be able to work independently and within a team
You must be able to formulate and carry out research
You must have excellent technical abilities
You must be able to work well under pressure
You must be able to meet scheduled deliverables

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HOW TO APPLY FOR THE CSIR BURSARY

Applications must be submitted online at; CSIR Bursary Application 2022

All applicants will receive an email confirmation after their application has been received.

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

ID document (certified copy)
Curriculum Vitae
Grade 11 final results AND Matric results to date, if currently in Matric (certified copies)
Matric certificate, if completed Matric (certified copy)
Full and most recent university transcript/ record, if currently studying (on institutions letterhead)
Proof of provisional university acceptance, if currently in Matric (on institutions letterhead)
Proof of university registration, if currently enrolled and studying (on institutions letterhead)
Students under 18: a completed and signed consent form (.docx) by a parent or guardian – to comply with POPI regulations
Students under 18: parent/ guardian ID document (certified copy)

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CLOSING DATE FOR THE CSIR BURSARY

15 July 2022 (at 16:30).
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER

For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact CSIR directly:
Recruitment Centre
Tel: 012 842 7518
Email: bursaryprogramme@csir.co.za

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NSFAS National Student Financial Aid Schemes

NSFAS: What is NSFAS?

NSFAS, or National Student Financial Aid Scheme, was established according to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act of 1999 and incorporated the Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa (TEFSA), which stopped operating in 2000.