Announcement of Call: DSTI-NRF Honours Student Funding for the academic year 2027

Dear Designated Authorities. The DSTI and NRF are pleased to announce a call for new applications for DSTI-NRF Honours Student Funding for the academic year 2027.

The NRF minimum academic requirement for the honours scholarship is an average of 65% for major subjects in the final year of the undergraduate study and is available for South African citizens and Permanent Residents only. Successful applicants will be funded either at Full Cost of Study (FCS) or Partial Cost of Study (PCS). The FCS will be awarded to students who are either financially needy (i.e., those whose combined household family income is less than or equal to R350 000 per annum), exceptional academic achievers (students who obtain an average of 75% and above ) and students living with a disability. And the PCS funding will be awarded to students who could not be funded under FCS but meet other minimum requirements for the NRF scholarship funding criteria. The honours scholarship is intended to support candidates to pursue studies in all areas of Science, Engineering, Technology, Social Sciences, and Humanities.

All interested candidates can apply on the NRF Connect System by accessing the link: https://nrfconnect.nrf.ac.za/. Manual applications will not be accepted.

Applications Closing Dates:

Applicant Closing Date: 23 November 2026 (ISFAP assessment: 14 August 2026)
DA Closing Date: 29 January 2027 (ISFAP assessment: 02 September 2026)

Important Instructions for Applicants

Before beginning your online application, you are required to carefully read through the Application and Funding Guide and Framework documents. These documents provide essential information that must be referenced at every step of the process to ensure your application is completed correctly.

All postgraduate call documents are available for download on the NRF website:
https://www.nrf.ac.za/dsti-nrf-postgraduate-student-funding-for-the-2027-academic-year/

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Research or Postgraduate offices at their universities for enquiries. Should there still be a need to contact the NRF, below are the contact details:

For Technical related enquiries, please contact:
NRF Supportdesk
Telephone: 012 481 4202
Email: supportdesk@nrf.ac.za

Queries related to specific funding opportunities can be directed to: postgraduatequeries@risa.nrf.ac.za.

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