The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) has opened 2025 postgraduate bursary applications. Students planning to enrol in postgraduate programmes in 2025 can now apply for the comprehensive funding provided by ISFAP.
Students interested in applying for ISFAP funding will have around five months to apply as ISFAP bursary applications are set to close in October 2024. However, there is a limited number of bursaries available which means students must apply as soon as possible.
The ISFAP bursary provides funding for essentials costs including tuition and registration fees, accommodation, travel, books, and meals, and even provides students with a living stipend.
In addition to this, ISFAP also offers its beneficiaries academic and social support. This includes Life skills training, Mentoring (first-year experience, Medical support (psycho-social support) and access to dedicated programme managers.
Who ISFAP Funds
ISFAP provides funding to missing-middle students. Missing middle refers to students who come from households that do not qualify for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary as they exceed the household income threshold of R350,000. However, these families cannot afford to absorb the costs of tertiary education.
ISFAP was established as a funding model to sustainably cater for the higher education needs and costs of South Africa’s poor and middle-class students.
Their funding aims to contribute to South Africa’s skills production for the 21st century by funding students studying towards a career in Occupations of High Demand (OHDs). These occupations have been identified as critical to South Africa’s economic development.
This means that ISFAP does not fund all postgraduate studies. They only fund qualifications or skills that are in high demand. These include Actuaries, Accountants, Engineers, Medical Doctors, Pharmacists and Prosthetists.
ISFAP Bursary Requirements
To qualify for ISFAP funding, the student
- Must be a South African citizen
- Have an undergraduate degree
- Good academic record
- Students studying a postgraduate qualification which is categorised as a critical skill
- Studying towards a relevant postgraduate qualification at one of ISFAP's partner universities
- Household income between R0 and R600 000 per annum
Postgraduate Programmes Funded By ISFAP
Eligible postgraduate degrees include
- Actuarial Science,
- Chartered Accountancy,
- Entrepreneurship,
- Engineering,
- Humanities,
- Advanced Diploma in Technical and Vocational Teaching.
Documents Needed For ISFAP Bursary Application
- Certified ID Copies of Parents / Guardians / Household Contributors •
- Certified Copy of Latest Academic Results (for example, undergraduate
- transcript)
- Certified Proof of Income for each household contributor - Latest Payslip, Grant Recipient proof, etc.
- Certified and Signed Consent Form by (Applicant and Household Contributors)(certified by Commissioner of Oaths)
- Proof of Registration
- Motivation Letter
- Curriculum Vitae
Select documents need to have been certified within three months before the application.
ISFAP explained that if applicants receive an offer from another bursary provider, they are free to choose which funding to accept.
