South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Bursary 2025 – 2026
Things To Note Before Applying For A Bursary
South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Bursary
ABOUT THE COMPANY – SANSA
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA), established in 2010, are a public entity and government agency operating under the National Department of Science and Technology (DST).
SANSA is responsible for developing and promoting aeronautics and aerospace space research, with the company main focus on utilising data acquired from remote sensing via satellites and other projects to provide an assessment about fires, flooding, environmental phenomena and resource management both within the country and throughout Africa.
ABOUT THE SANSA BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) is inviting Postgraduate students to apply for bursary funding for the 2023 academic year..
SANSA bursaries will be awarded for studies towards the following qualifications:
All SANSA divisions (Hons, MSc and PhD):
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Information Systems
- Software and Systems Engineering
- or a field of your choice related to key SANSA objectives
Earth Observation (Hons, MSc and PhD):
- Earth Observations in Ecosystems Accounting
- Earth System Science with Remote Sensing
- Geospatial Programming
- Remote Sensing
- Applications of Remote Sensing in Environmental Management including; agriculture and rangelands, mineral resource, oceans and marine, spatial planning and water resource management
Engineering (DTech, MEng, MTech, MSc and PhD):
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Electronic Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronic Engineering
- Software and Software Systems Engineering
- Space, Systems, Antenna and RF engineering
Space Science (Hons, MSc, MPhil and PhD):
- Antarctic radar studies of atmospheric gravity waves
- Atmospheric radiation studies
- Ionospheric and radio propagation modelling
- Modelling geomagnetically induced currents in power systems
- Multi-instrument studies of space weather
- Multiscale ionospheric physics, structure and dynamics
- Solar physics and space weather forecasting
- Theory of waves and solutions in plasmas
- Verification of space weather forecasting
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MORE ABOUT THE SANSA BURSARY PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE
Bursaries will be awarded to the value of the following amounts:
Honours students: R90 000 (per annum for 1 year)
Masters students: R100 000 (per annum for 2 years)
PhD students: R130 000 (per annum for 3 years)
The bursary recipient may NOT be in receipt of many bursaries that exceed the amount above – if applicants have another bursary of a lower amount, SANSA may provide a top-up bursary to the student and not the full bursary amount.
Bursaries are renewable only if students achieve satisfactory academic results.
Applicants are encouraged to visit the SANSA research portal
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SANSA 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):
- You must be a South African citizen
- You must have strong academic potential
- You must be studying or intend on studying towards one of the aforementioned postgraduate degree qualifications
- You must satisfy the minimum entry criteria for acceptance into one of the aforementioned fields of study at a recognised South African University
- You must be interested in working within the space sector
- You must be driven and forward-thinking
- You must have proven financial need
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HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SANSA BURSARY
Applications must be done online at; SANSA Bursary Application 2022
Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed application form (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application be disregarded):
- ID document (certified copy)
- June 2022 results or progress report of all subjects if no examinations were written (certified copy)
- Completed SANSA testimonial by education official (.pdf)
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CLOSING DATE FOR THE SANSA BURSARY
30 September 2021.
(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 SANSA directly:
Email: grants@sansa.org.za
