Skip to content
SA Bursary Hub

Study guide · 7 min read

Commerce & Business: study guide, tips and eligibility checklist

Commerce funding is often tied to a professional qualification rather than only a degree. Understanding the pathway - articles, board exams, professional registration - explains what funders are actually buying.

What this study field covers

Accounting, auditing and taxation; finance, banking, investment and actuarial science; economics and econometrics; business management, marketing, human resources, supply chain and logistics; and insurance and financial services.

Professional pathways change the criteria

Accounting funders frequently require a qualification that is accredited towards a professional designation, and may require you to complete articles or a training contract with them or a partner firm.

Actuarial and investment programmes often reference specific subject results or professional exemptions. If you cannot tell whether your degree qualifies, ask the funder or your faculty office before the deadline.

Graduate programmes are a separate route

Many commerce employers do not fund undergraduate study at all but run graduate programmes for final-year students and recent graduates. If you are close to finishing, search that opportunity type as well as bursaries.

Application tips for commerce & business students

  1. 1Say which designation or pathway you are working towards; "I want to work in finance" is weaker than a specific, realistic goal.
  2. 2Financial-need programmes usually require household income proof. Gather payslips, affidavits or grant letters early - this is the step that delays most applications.
  3. 3Check whether a training contract or articles commitment is attached to the funding.
  4. 4Strong mathematics and accounting results are worth surfacing explicitly, even when the form does not ask subject by subject.
  5. 5If your degree name differs from the advert's wording, attach the curriculum or module list rather than assuming the reviewer will know.

Eligibility checklist

Run through this before you submit. It is a general checklist — the funder’s official requirements are the ones that decide your application.

  • You meet the qualification the funder names

    Funders usually name the exact qualifications they fund. If your qualification is not named, contact the funder before spending time on the application.

  • Your academic record matches what the advert asks for

    Some adverts state a minimum average or specific subject results. Where no minimum is published, submit your most recent full academic record anyway.

  • You have the citizenship or residency status required

    Many South African programmes are limited to South African citizens or permanent residents. International scholarships often have the opposite requirement.

  • You can meet any financial-need or household-income test

    Need-based programmes ask for proof of household income. Read what counts as proof and who has to sign it before the closing date.

  • You can commit to the conditions attached

    Work-back service, vacation work, relocation, minimum pass requirements and annual re-application are all common. Check what the funder attaches to the award.

  • You applied through the official channel, before the deadline

    Apply on the funder's own portal or email address, keep your reference number, and save a copy of everything you submitted.

Common questions

Do I have to study at a specific university?
Some commerce funders restrict funding to institutions whose programmes are accredited for a professional designation. The official advert lists any restriction.
Can I apply in my final year?
Often yes, but through a graduate programme rather than a bursary. Check which opportunity type the advert is.

SA Bursary Hub editorial team

This guide is written from the South African application process and reviewed before publication. It is general guidance, not funder policy. How we verify information.