FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarships 2023

FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarships 2023 – 2024

What is Bursary

A Bursary is A grant, especially one awarded to someone to enable them to study at a university or college.

How does it work?

Bursaries vary in amounts and professions and are given to students in order to further their studies. In return for funding your studies, the company may require you to repay them by signing a work contract with them. Another type of bursary is a donor bursary (a bursary awarded to a deserving candidate in a specific field of study or in recognition of his/her work in a specific field of study).

Things To Note Before Applying For A Bursary

SOUTH AFRICAN BURSARIES ARE OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND

****SOUTH AFRICAN BURSARIES BY MONTH

ABOUT THE COMPANY – FIRSTRAND

FirstRand Limited was formed in 1998 as a South African financial services provider, whose products include lending, investments, asset management, insurance, and transactional services. Licensed by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), and headquartered in Johannesburg, FirstRand currently employs over 40 000 staff members.

The FirstRand group was established by a merger between Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Limited (Anglo American plc) and RMB Holdings.

ABOUT THE FIRSTRAND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES – FIELDS COVERED

FirstRand is inviting students to apply for their International Postgraduate scholarship programmes, for the 2023 academic year.

FirstRand is offering 6 types of scholarship awards:
1) FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship: is for postgraduate studies in ANY field of study, at ANY international university. 2 scholarships will be awarded.
2) FirstRand Foundation Scholarship: is for previously disadvantaged students, for postgraduate studies in ANY field of study, at ANY international university. 3 scholarships will be awarded.
3) FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship at the University of Oxford: is for a postgraduate MSc in African Studies, at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. 1 scholarship will be awarded.
4) FirstRand Oxford Blavatnik School of Government scholarship at the University of Oxford: is for a postgraduate Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. 1 scholarship will be awarded.
5) FirstRand Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment scholarship at the University of Oxford: is for a postgraduate MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment Studies, at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. 1 scholarship will be awarded.
6) FirstRand IHE Delft Water Education scholarship at IHE Delft: is for a postgraduate MSc in Water and Sustainable Development at IHE Delft, in the Netherlands. 1 scholarship will be awarded.

MORE ABOUT THE FIRSTRAND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES – COVERAGE VALUE

Scholarships will be awarded to the following values:

FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship: R925 000.
FirstRand Foundation Scholarship: R925 000.
FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship at the University of Oxford: full funding for 1 year of study and housing at Wadham College.
FirstRand Oxford Blavatnik School of Government scholarship at the University of Oxford: full funding for 1 year of study and housing at Wadham College.
FirstRand Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment scholarship at the University of Oxford: full funding for 1 year of study and housing at Wadham College.
FirstRand IHE Delft Water Education scholarship at IHE Delft: full funding for 1 year of study.

www.zabursaries.co.za is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest bursary opportunities, and this article covers all details about the FirstRand Scholarships.

Please download and read the FirstRand international postgraduate scholarships information brochure (.pdf)

MORE ABOUT THE FIRSTRAND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES – SELECTION

The selection process will include the following steps:

All applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of their application (via email).
Initial evaluations will be conducted in March 2023.
Long-list interviews will be conducted in April 2023, either in Cape Town and Johannesburg or electronically on Microsoft Teams.
A maximum of 8 shortlisted candidates will be selected for the FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship, FirstRand Oxford Blavatnik School of Government scholarship, FirstRand Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment scholarship and the FirstRand IHE Delft Water Education scholarship and should be available. Final interviews for these scholarships will be conducted on 12 May 2023, in Sandton.
A maximum of 10 shortlisted candidates will be selected for the FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar and FirstRand Foundation international postgraduate scholarships. Final interviews for these scholarships will be conducted on 16 May 2023, in Sandton.
The final scholarship announcement will be made before the end of May 2023.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRSTRAND SCHOLARSHIPS

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

1) FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship:

You must be a South African citizen
You must intend on studying towards a postgraduate qualification, in ANY field of study
You must intend on studying outside of South Africa, at an international university
You must NOT currently or previously have studied overseas
You must be willing to return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing your qualification
You must have an excellent academic record
Must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; strong character; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer in your chosen field
Preference will be given to students under 35 years old

2) FirstRand Foundation Scholarship:

You must be a South African citizen
You must be from a previously disadvantaged background
You must intend on studying towards a postgraduate qualification, in ANY field of study
You must intend on studying outside of South Africa, at an international university
You must NOT currently or previously have studied overseas
You must be willing to return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing your qualification
You must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; strong character; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer in your chosen field
Preference will be given to students under 35 years old

3) FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship at the University of Oxford:

You must be a South African citizen
You must have been accepted to study towards an MSc in African Studies at the University of Oxford (read more about the MSc in African Studies qualification here) (applications close on 20 January 2023, 12:00 UK time for this study programme)
You must have an excellent academic record
You must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer in your chosen field
You must contribute to South Africa after completing your studies and returning to the country

4) FirstRand Oxford Blavatnik School of Government scholarship at the University of Oxford:

You must be a South African citizen
You must have been accepted to study towards a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford (read more about the Master of Public Policy qualification here) (applications close on 6 January 2023, 12:00 UK time for this study programme)
You must wish to deepen your understanding of public policy challenges in order to become a more effective leader and changemaker
You must have an excellent academic record
You must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer in your chosen field
You must contribute to South Africa after completing your studies and returning to the country

5) FirstRand Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment scholarship at the University of Oxford:

You must be a South African citizen
You must have been accepted to study towards an MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford (read more about the MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment qualification here) (applications close of 20 January 2023, 12:00 UK time for this study programme)
You must wish to deepen your understanding of public policy challenges in order to become a more effective leader and changemaker
You must have an excellent academic record
You must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer in your chosen field
You must contribute to South Africa after completing your studies and returning to the country

6) FirstRand IHE Delft Water Education scholarship at IHE Delft:

You must be a South African citizen
You must have been accepted to study towards an MSc in Water and Sustainable Development at IHE Delft in any of these 4 thematic tracks: water, food and energy/water hazards, risks and climate/water and health/water resources and ecosystem health (read more about the MSc in Water and Sustainable Development qualification here)
You must have an excellent academic record
You must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer in your chosen field
You must contribute to South Africa after completing your studies and returning to the country

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE FIRSTRAND SCHOLARSHIP

Applications must be submitted online at FirstRand Scholarship Application 2023

Applicants will be required to Register an Account before they can Login and apply.

Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed application form (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

Minimum of 2 references (If you attended university less than 6 years ago, at least 1 must be from an academic. If you have been working for the past 6 or more years, 1 does not have to be from an academic.) (You may attach the references letter to your application or the referees may email it to firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za and clearly mark it as your reference, before the closing date).

CLOSING DATE FOR THE FIRSTRAND SCHOLARSHIP

2 March 2023.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

CONTACT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER

For any queries related to these scholarship programmes, please contact FirstRand directly:
Contact Person: Beth van Heerden
Email: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za

Students who will be studying at the University of Oxford can email their queries to: African.studies@africa.ox.ac.uk / mscenquiries@smithschool.ox.ac.uk

Please read the following frequently asked questions and answers before submitting any queries.

Please do NOT contact FirstRand if this bursary has already closed.

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NSFAS, or National Student Financial Aid Scheme, was established according to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act of 1999 and incorporated the Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa (TEFSA), which stopped operating in 2000.