Required Application Documents

Why documents decide most applications

Most bursary applications that fail in South Africa are never actually assessed. They are closed as incomplete because a certified ID copy was missing, a payslip was unreadable, or the file was too large for the portal. Getting your document pack right is the single cheapest way to improve your chances.

The standard pack

Prepare these once and reuse them for every application. Keep both a scanned PDF folder on your phone or email, and a printed set in a plastic sleeve for walk-in submissions.

• Certified copy of your South African ID (or birth certificate if you are under 16)
• Certified copies of your parents' or guardian's IDs
• Your latest results: Grade 11 final report, Grade 12 term reports, or your most recent university or TVET academic record
• Matric certificate or statement of results if you have already written
• Proof of household income — payslips for the last three months, a SASSA letter, a UIF letter, a pension slip, or a commissioner-of-oaths affidavit if a parent is unemployed
• Death certificate of a parent, where applicable
• Proof of acceptance or registration at your institution
• A one-page CV and a motivational letter
• Proof of residence and, for some funders, a bank confirmation letter

Getting documents certified

Certification is free at any South African Police Service station, and is also done at some post offices, libraries and by commissioners of oaths. Take the original document plus the copy. Most funders will not accept a certification stamp older than three or six months, so recertify at the start of each application season rather than reusing last year's copies.

Scanning and naming your files

Use a free scanning app rather than a photograph taken at an angle. Scan in black and white where possible, keep each file under the portal's size limit (often 2MB to 5MB), and name files clearly.

• Surname_Initials_ID.pdf
• Surname_Initials_Results.pdf
• Surname_Initials_ProofOfIncome.pdf
• Surname_Initials_CV.pdf
• Surname_Initials_MotivationLetter.pdf

If you cannot get a document

Do not abandon the application. An affidavit explaining the situation is accepted by many funders — for example where a parent is self-employed, where you have no contact with a parent, or where a document has been lost. Explain the situation honestly in your motivational letter as well, and submit everything else on time.