Science Bursaries for South Africans 2024/2025

Table of Interests

If you have been searching for Science Bursaries for South Africans 2024/2025, environmental science bursaries 2024, biotechnology bursaries for 2024, biological science bursaries 2024, biotechnology bursaries for 2024, csir bursaries, biochemistry bursaries 2024 cipla bursary, chemistry postgraduate bursaries then you are in the right place.

WHAT IS A BURSARY?

According to Wikipedia, A bursary is a monetary award made by an institution to individuals or groups of people who cannot afford to pay full fees. In return for the bursary the individual is usually obligated to be employed at the institution for the duration as the bursary. According to The Good Schools Guide, a bursary is “usually for helping out the impoverished but deserving and those fallen on hard times.

According to The Hobsons UK Boarding Schools Guide, numerous independent schools have bursary capability, namely grants from the school to help pay education fees. These are usually awarded after a “means test” of family income and are not necessarily dependent on examination performance, although some account of academic ability will be taken. Bursaries may be awarded in addition to scholarships where financial need is demonstrated and the prospective student would otherwise be unable to enter the school.

To obtain such a bursary, it is customary for parents to be asked by the school’s bursar to fill in an application form, giving details of their financial circumstances, supported by documentary evidence, including capital assets. The application will be considered by the school in accordance with its bursary policy. The award will often only remain in force until the pupil has sat the next relevant public examination. Most schools will review bursaries annually to ensure that the justification for an award remains. In Britain any award made before GCSE will not necessarily continue to the A-level stage.

Bursaries are similar to “scholarships” or “prizes“, which are based on performance. These awards are generally given for good performance in the exams preceding university or college entrance in which the student achieves grades above the standard entry. These can be awarded by universities or, sometimes, by companies

THINGS TO KEEP IN MY WHEN APPLYING FOR A BURSARY

A lot of students are usually confused when it comes to scholarship or bursary application. When they have answered the most difficult question of where to start, then the other process becomes seamlessly easy for them. Basically that’s why we have decided to include this post to enable you successfully apply for bursaries especially for this year to aid your academic cause. The following are those important things to note before applying for a bursary.

Most bursaries will request for your Latest Academic Record duly signed from your school, your ID document, evidence of tertiary application and most importantly an authentication that you were accepted. Similarly, some bursaries will require you to provide another proof of Guardians or Parent’ source of income and residence. After successfully sorting out these documents, then your next step is to ensure you verify your documents. If you don’t know how to, simply visit any commissioner of oath at a post office, bank or police station.
Integrity they say is telling myself the truth while honesty is telling the truth to other people. Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth-telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving. Therefore, you must ensure that whatever information you are providing is the truth and nothing but the truth. Fill all blank spaces with correct data. No legacy is so rich as honesty.
A whole lot of students apply for bursaries without having any references at all and in other cases have references that can’t be reached. Most times this is the first step to not getting the bursary you have applied for. If you need the bursary you are applying for and you want it, then go ahead and find references with correct contact addresses.
A lot of students also don’t have enough writing skills to win their desired bursary which can prove to be a stone in the neck in the long run. Therefore it is highly advisable that you write a highly convincing and motivational cover letter that will make anyone accessing it believe before he begins to even read it. Things such as why you think you should be awarded the bursary especially more than the other several thousand applying, how you can contribute to society when you have finished your program in school and especially how getting the bursary will be a stepping stone to achieving your dreams and changing your future for good.
A lot of students apply for bursaries and go to sleep which is very bad. When you apply for any bursary, ensure you regularly and consistently check your Emails and your phone text messages to be sure you have not or have received a message from those assessing your application.
Lastly, ensure you always check for bursary deadlines or closing dates so you can know exactly when to apply.

AVIATION, AIR TRAFFIC & PILOT BURSARIES

Aviation or air transport are the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. Aircraft includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as balloons and airships.

Aviation began in the 18th century with the development of the hot air balloon, an apparatus capable of atmospheric displacement through buoyancy. Some of the most significant advancements in aviation technology came with the controlled gliding flying of Otto Lilienthal in 1896; then a large step in significance came with the construction of the first powered airplane by the Wright brothers in the early 1900s. Since that time, aviation has been technologically revolutionized by the introduction of the jet which permitted a major form of transport throughout the world.

ACTUARIAL SCIENCE BURSARIES

Actuarial science is the discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in insurance, finance and other industries and professions. More generally, actuaries apply rigorous mathematics to model matters of uncertainty.

Actuaries are professionals trained in this discipline. In many countries, actuaries must demonstrate their competence by passing a series of rigorous professional examinations.

Actuarial science includes a number of interrelated subjects, including mathematics, probability theory, statistics, finance, economics, and computer science. Historically, actuarial science used deterministic models in the construction of tables and premiums. The science has gone through revolutionary changes since the 1980s due to the proliferation of high speed computers and the union of stochastic actuarial models with modern financial theory (Frees 1990).

Robert de buys defines actuarial science as something that can continually be edited by the masses. Many universities have undergraduate and graduate degree programs in actuarial science. In 2010, a study published by job search website CareerCast ranked actuary as the #1 job in the United States (Needleman 2010). The study used five key criteria to rank jobs: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands, and stress. A similar study by U.S. News & World Report in 2006 included actuaries among the 25 Best Professions that it expects will be in great demand in the future (Nemko 2006)Actuaries earn an average salary of R612 000 per annum, with an entry-level actuary earning around R465 000 per annum.

AGRICULTURE & AGRICULTURAL RELATED STUDIES BURSARIES

Agriculture is the science and art of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities. The history of agriculture began thousands of years ago. After gathering wild grains beginning at least 105,000 years ago, nascent farmers began to plant them around 11,500 years ago. Pigs, sheep and cattle were domesticated over 10,000 years ago.

Plants were independently cultivated in at least 11 regions of the world. Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture in the twentieth century came to dominate agricultural output, though about 2 billion people still depended on subsistence agriculture into the twenty-first.

Farm Managers earn an average salary of R191 000 per annum.

ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY & GENERAL CHEMISTRY BURSARIES

Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods used to separate, identify, and quantify matter.^[1] In practice, separation, identification or quantification may constitute the entire analysis or be combined with another method. Separation isolates analytes. Qualitative analysis identifies analytes, while quantitative analysis determines the numerical amount or concentration.

Analytical chemistry consists of classical, wet chemical methods and modern, instrumental methods.^[2] Classical qualitative methods use separations such as precipitation, extraction, and distillation. Identification may be based on differences in color, odor, melting point, boiling point, radioactivity or reactivity. Classical quantitative analysis uses mass or volume changes to quantify amount. Instrumental methods may be used to separate samples using chromatography, electrophoresis or field flow fractionation. Then qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed, often with the same instrument and may use light interaction, heat interaction, electric fields or magnetic fields. Often the same instrument can separate, identify and quantify an analyte.

Analytical chemistry is also focused on improvements in experimental design, chemometrics, and the creation of new measurement tools. Analytical chemistry has broad applications to medicine, science and engineering.

The average annual salary for a Chemist is R250 000 and R165 000 for an Analytical Chemist.

ANIMAL SCIENCE BURSARIES

Animal science (also bioscience) is described as “studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind”. It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals.

Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the animals studied were livestock species, like cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, and horses.

Today, courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals like dogs and cats, and many exotic species. Degrees in Animal Science are offered at a number of colleges and universities. Typically, the Animal Science curriculum not only provides a strong science background, but also hands-on experience working with animals on campus-based farms

SIOC Community Development Trust (SIOC-cdt) Bursary
Kwazulu-Natal Government Bursaries (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)
South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) Bursary

ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY BURSARIES

Archaeology, or archeology, is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. In Europe it is often viewed as either a discipline in its own right or a sub-field of other disciplines, while in North America archaeology is a sub-field of anthropology

Anthropology is the scientific study of humans, human behavior and societies in the past and present. Social anthropology studies patterns of behaviour and cultural anthropology studies cultural meaning, including norms and values. Linguistic anthropology studies how language influences social life. Biological or physical anthropology studies the biological development of humans.
Anthropologists earn an average annual salary of R370 000 to R574 000 depending on years in the field.

BIOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE BURSARIES

A biologist is a professional who has specialized knowledge in the field of biology, understanding the underlying mechanisms that govern the functioning of biological systems within fields such as health, technology and the environment. Biologists involved in fundamental research attempt to explore and further explain the underlying mechanisms that govern the functioning of living matter. Biologists involved in applied research attempt to develop or improve more specific processes and understanding, in fields such as medicine and industry.

Biologists are interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms that govern the functioning of living matter as well as the complex properties that emerge from the biophysical, biochemical, cellular and systemic interactions of living systems. Biologists conduct research using the scientific method to test the validity of a theory in a rational, unbiased and reproducible manner. This consists of hypothesis formation, experimentation and data analysis to establish the validity or invalidity of a scientific theory

BIOMEDICAL BURSARIES

Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g. diagnostic or therapeutic). This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine, combining the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical biological sciences to advance health care treatment, including diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy.

Also included under the scope of a biomedical engineer is the management of current medical equipment within hospitals while adhering to relevant industry standards. This involves making equipment recommendations, procurement, routine testing and preventive maintenance, a role also known as a Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) or as clinical engineering.

BOTANY & PLANT STUDIES BURSARIES

Botany, also called plant science(s), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term “botany” comes from the Ancient Greek word βοτάνη (botanē) meaning “pasture“, “grass“, or “fodder“; βοτάνη is in turn derived from βόσκειν (boskein),

ECONOMETRICS BURSARIES

Econometrics is the application of statistical methods to economic data in order to give empirical content to economic relationships. More precisely, it is “the quantitative analysis of actual economic phenomena based on the concurrent development of theory and observation, related by appropriate methods of inference”. An introductory economics textbook describes econometrics as allowing economists “to sift through mountains of data to extract simple relationships”. The first known use of the term “econometrics” (in cognate form) was by Polish economist Paweł Ciompa in 1910. Jan Tinbergen is considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of econometrics Ragnar Frisch is credited with coining the term in the sense in which it is used today.

A basic tool for econometrics is the multiple linear regression model. Econometric theory uses statistical theory and mathematical statistics to evaluate and develop econometric methods. Econometricians try to find estimators that have desirable statistical properties including unbiasedness, efficiency, and consistency. Applied econometrics uses theoretical econometrics and real-world data for assessing economic theories, developing econometric models, analysing economic history, and forecasting

ENVIRONMENTAL BURSARIES

Environmental managers are involved in processes that seek to control some environmental entities in orientation to a plan or idea. Whether such control is possible, however, is contested. Examples for environmental managers range from corporate agents (corporate environmental managers) via managers of a nature reserve, to environmental and resource planning agents but, analytically seen, also involve indigenous environmental managers, farmers or environmental activists. In many accounts, hope is held that environmental managers implement grand plans or political programmes. At the heart of the notion of environmental managers is, thus, a pragmatic and rational actor who optimises environments in orientation to some aim. Critical academics point out that the very idea that such managers exist and are imagined as capable of managing may well be flawed
Environmental Managers earn an average income of R442 000 per annum.

FARMING BURSARIES

Farming is growing crops or keeping animals by people for food and raw materials. Farming is a part of agriculture.

Agriculture started thousands of years ago, but no one knows for sure how old it is. The development of farming gave rise to the Neolithic Revolution whereby people gave up nomadic hunting and became settlers in what became cities.

Agriculture and domestication probably started in the Fertile Crescent (the Nile Valley, The Levant and Mesopotamia). The area called Fertile Crescent is now in the countries of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt. Wheat and barley are some of the first crops people grew. People probably started agriculture slowly by planting a few crops, but still gathered many foods from the wild. People may have started farming because the weather and soil began to change. Farming can feed many more people than hunter-gatherers can feed on the same amount of land.

FOOD SCIENCE & FOOD TECHNOLOGY BURSARIES

Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutrition and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development of food technology. The Institute of Food Technology defines food science as “the discipline in which the engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of deterioration, the principles underlying food processing, and the improvement of foods for the consuming public”.

The textbook Food Science defines food science in simpler terms as “the application of basic sciences and engineering to study the physical, chemical, and biochemical nature of foods and the principles of food processing”Food Technologists earn around R175 000 per annum.

FORESTRY BURSARIES

Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, using, conserving, and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. The science of forestry has elements that belong to the biological, physical, social, political and managerial sciences.

Foresters earn an average annual salary of R245 000.

GENETICS BURSARIES

Genetics is a branch of biology concerned with the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.

Though heredity had been observed for millennia, Gregor Mendel, a scientist and Augustinian friar working in the 19th century, was the first to study genetics scientifically. Mendel studied “trait inheritance”, patterns in the way traits are handed down from parents to offspring. He observed that organisms (pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete “units of inheritance”. This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to as a gene.

GEOGRAPHY & GEOGRAPHIC BURSARIES

Geography is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of the Earth and planets. The first person to use the word γεωγραφία was Eratosthenes (276–194 BC). Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding of Earth and its human and natural complexities—not merely where objects are, but also how they have changed and come to be.

GEO RELATED BURSARIES (GEOMATICS, GEOPHYSICS, GEOHYDROLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY, GEO-INFORMATICS)

Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the “discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information“.

Under another definition, it “consists of products, services and tools involved in the collection, integration and management of geographic data”. It includes geomatics engineering (and surveying engineering) and is related to geospatial science (also geospatial engineering and geospatial technology).

GENERAL SCIENCE BURSARIES

The bursaries listed below cover various fields within the Science faculty, so anyone studying towards a Science qualification (regardless of the field of study) could be eligible to apply for these bursaries.

GEOLOGY BURSARIES

A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes the Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, although backgrounds in physics, chemistry, biology, and other sciences are also useful. Field work is an important component of geology, although many subdisciplines incorporate laboratory work.

Geologist (entry level) earn an average income of R292 000 per annum.

GRAIN & CROP STUDIES BURSARIES

A grain is a small, hard, dry seed, with or without an attached hull or fruit layer, harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes.

Grain farmers are responsible for growing grain such as wheat, corn, rye, sorghums and others. These farms usually specialize in 2 or 3 types of grains.
Grain merchandisers buy and sell grains (such as the ones mentioned above) and can work as a broker for other grain buyers and sellers, as well as manage futures accounts.
Crop farmers have a vast knowledge and experience of crop science – from pest control, to horticulture and business contracts.

HORTICULTURE BURSARIES

. According to American horticulturist Liberty Hyde Bailey, “Horticulture is the growing of flowers, fruits and vegetables, and of plants for ornament and fancy.” A more precise definition can be given “The cultivation, processing, and sale of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and ornamental plants as well as many additional services”.

It also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, soil management, landscape and garden design, construction and maintenance, and arboriculture. In contrast to agriculture, horticulture does not include large-scale crop production or animal husbandry.

Horticulturists earn around R167 000 per annum.

HYDROLOGY & HYDROGEOLOGY BURSARIES

Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydrologist. Hydrologists are scientists studying earth or environmental science, civil or environmental engineering and physical geographye.

Hydrologist earn an average annual salary of R264 000, while Hydrogeologist earn around R300 000.

MARINE BIOLOGY, OCEANOGRAPHY, AQUATIC SCIENCE, MARITIME STUDIES & RELATED STUDIES BURSARIES

Marine biology is the scientific study of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy.

-Oceanography is split into various categories: physical oceanography, biological oceanography and chemical oceanography all of which have different tasks and working environments. Generally, oceanographers study and conduct research on water, sea life, climates and weather that help with the preservation of natural resources of waters.
-Aquatic science studies the freshwater and oceanic environments of the earth.

MATHEMATICS BURSARIES (BUSINESS MATHEMATICS, APPLIED MATHEMATICS, MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS, FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS, BUSINESS MATHEMATICS)

Mathematics includes the study of such topics as quantity (number theory), structure (algebra), space (geometry), and change (mathematical analysis). It has no generally accepted definition.

Mathematicians seek and use patterns to formulate new conjectures; they resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proof. When mathematical structures are good models of real phenomena, mathematical reasoning can be used to provide insight or predictions about nature. Through the use of abstraction and logic, mathematics developed from counting, calculation, measurement, and the systematic study of the shapes and motions of physical objects. Practical mathematics has been a human activity from as far back as written records exist. The research required to solve mathematical problems can take years or even centuries of sustained inquiry.

The average annual salary for a mathematician is around R247 000.

MATERIALS SCIENCE BURSARIES

Materials science is a syncretic discipline hybridizing metallurgy, ceramics, solid-state physics, and chemistry. It is the first example of a new academic discipline emerging by fusion rather than fission

MICROBIOLOGY BURSARIES

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, parasitology, mycology and bacteriology.

Microbiologist earn around R174 000 per annum on average.

NATURAL SCIENCE BURSARIES FOR 2021/2022

Natural science is a branch of science concerned with the description, prediction, and understanding of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatability of findings are used to try to ensure the validity of scientific advances.

PHYSICS BURSARIES

Physics, is the natural science that studies matter, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. Physics is one of the most fundamental scientific disciplines, and its main goal is to understand how the universe behaves

The average salary for a Physicist is about R355 000 per annum.

SOIL SCIENCE BURSARIES

Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils

STATISTICS & STATISTICAL SCIENCE BURSARIES

Statistics is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, industrial, or social problem, it is conventional to begin with a statistical population or a statistical model to be studied. Populations can be diverse groups of people or objects such as “all people living in a country” or “every atom composing a crystal”. Statistics deals with every aspect of data, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments.

The average annual salary for a statistician is around R300 000.

TECHNOLOGY BURSARIES

Technology is the sum of techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation.

Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded in machines to allow for operation without detailed knowledge of their workings. Systems (e.g. machines) applying technology by taking an input, changing it according to the system’s use, and then producing an outcome are referred to as technology systems or technological systems.

Support Technician (Information Technology): R121 000 per annum.
Field Service Technician: R169 000 per annum.
Electronics Technician: R171 000 per annum.
Maintenance Technician: R178 000 per annum.
Electrical Technician: R202 000 per annum.
Engineering Technician: R218 000 per annum.
Mechanical Technician: R239 000 per annum.

VETERINARY SCIENCE & RELATED STUDIES BURSARIES

Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both domesticated and wild, with a wide range of conditions which can affect different species.

The average salary for a Veterinarian is around R464 000 per annum.

WATER, WASTE & SANITATION BURSARIES

-Water treatment plant operators are responsible for tasks such as adding chemicals to water, regularly inspecting equipment and monitoring the operating conditions.
-Waste management officers are responsible for organising and managing waste disposal, as well as collecting and recycling of items.
-Sanitation workers are those who clean or dispose of waste in a hygienic way. They may also collect trash or work in wastewater treatment plants.

WEATHER & CLIMATE RELATED BURSARIES

Meteorologists are responsible for predicting the weather and studying the causes of certain weather conditions. Meteorologists make use of mathematical and computerised models to forecasts on climate and weather patterns.
Climatologists study the Earth’s climate by collecting and analysing data from various sources such as air, soil, ice cores, water and plant life – this allows them to find weather patterns and determine how these patterns affect the earth and it’s beings.
Metrologist earn an average annual salary of R270 000.

ZOOLOGY, ENTOMOLOGY & NEMATOLOGY BURSARIES

–Zoology is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. The term is derived from Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion, i.e. “animal” and λόγος, logos, i.e. “knowledge, study”
-Entomologists study the life cycle, classification, behaviour, distribution, ecology, population and physiology of insects.
– Nematologists study nematodes or roundworms. These scientific experts usually research nematodes their environment, collect samples and then take it to the laboratory for testing.