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Teaching & Education Bursaries
Teaching bursaries including Funza Lushaka and other education funding for future South African teachers.
11 opportunities listed
Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) Bursary 2026
Gauteng City Region Academy
Provincial bursary for Gauteng residents studying scarce-skill fields.
Study Trust Bursary
Study Trust
Study Trust administers donor-funded bursaries for financially needy students at South African universities and TVET colleges.
Mr Price Foundation Bursary
Mr Price Foundation
The Mr Price Foundation funds young South Africans through study support, skills training and work readiness programmes.
ETDP SETA Bursary Programme
Education, Training and Development Practices SETA
Bursaries for education students and practitioners in the schooling and training sector.
REAP Bursary Programme
Rural Education Access Programme
REAP supports students from rural communities with funding, mentoring and student support throughout their studies.
Western Cape Provincial Bursary
Western Cape Government
Western Cape Government bursaries for students in priority public service fields.
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust
Postgraduate scholarships for South African students studying locally or abroad, awarded on academic merit and need.
Ruth First Scholarship
University of the Witwatersrand
Postgraduate scholarship support administered through Wits for students in humanities and social sciences.
Zenex Foundation Bursary
Zenex Foundation
The Zenex Foundation funds mathematics, science and language teacher education to strengthen South African schooling.
Kagiso Trust Bursary Programme
Kagiso Trust
Kagiso Trust supports students from low income households, with a focus on education and community development.
Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET)
Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation
Community-driven merit scholarship supporting students from under-resourced communities. Online portal application.
How teaching & education funding works in South Africa
Teaching is funded mainly through the national Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme, supplemented by provincial education departments, universities and private trusts. Funding is concentrated in priority subjects where the school system has real shortages, so your subject choice affects your chances far more than in other fields.
Priority subject areas are published each cycle
Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Technology, Agricultural Sciences, Accounting and Foundation Phase teaching are repeatedly listed as priority areas. Choosing a specialisation outside the published list usually means you fall outside the funding criteria, however strong your application is.
Placement is a condition, not a bonus
National teaching bursaries place graduates in a public school for one year per year funded, and the province is chosen by the education department rather than by you. Plan for that placement realistically before you accept.
Apply at the university and for the bursary
Education faculties and the bursary scheme run separate processes with separate deadlines. Being accepted for a BEd does not create a bursary application, and a bursary application does not reserve a study place.
Questions students ask about teaching & education funding
- Can PGCE students apply?
- Yes, several teaching bursaries fund the PGCE for graduates who hold a suitable prior degree with priority-subject content. The listings on this page show the qualification levels each funder accepts.