Funding application process
Funding application process
Preparation is key. We encourage all student applicants to carefully review each section below to fully understand the application process, required information, supporting documents, and eligibility criteria for SU external donor bursaries and SU family bursary applications (if applicable) before completing the online application form.
This preparation will make the application process smoother, allowing you to complete the form in approximately 15 minutes.
Application dates
Online applications for 2026 SU Funding Opportunities (SUFO) open on:
1 July – 30 September 2025 for current Undergraduate students
1 October – 30 November 2025 for Prospective students
SU has limited funds available; an application for funding is not a guarantee that a bursary or funding will be granted. Students are encouraged to not only look to the University for financial support, but to also explore other external (private; state) funding options.
Who can apply for financial support?
All prospective and current Undergraduate students who are South African citizens, or permanent residents can apply for SU funding. You will need your 8-digit SU student number to access the online application form.
Students from households with a gross annual income of less than R350,000 qualify. For students with disabilities, the threshold is a gross annual income of less than R600,000.
NSFAS-funded students are encouraged to also apply for SU funding, in case they are defunded by NSFAS. If this happens, the student will be registered on our database and eligible to be considered for top-up or shortfall funding from the University.
IMPORTANT NOTE The University has limited funds available. Applying for funding does not guarantee that funding will be awarded.
Bursary Yearbook
The Bursary Yearbook includes both SU-managed and private company, trust, and government bursaries and funds. These are organised by faculty, but we suggest reviewing all listings in Section 1 (bursaries for study in most faculties) and Section 3 (Faculty of Science), regardless of your study programme. Any bursary offered across more than one faculty may only be listed under the Science faculty. Please check the different closing dates and application processes for each bursary.
All bursaries marked with “Applications: SUFO” mean you must apply through the SU Funding Opportunities (SUFO) online application portal. Our bursary officers select and/or nominate candidates based on these bursary-specific eligibility criteria and/or under the funder-bursar conditions and instructions.
Application site
The application process is online. No emailed applications will be accepted or considered.
Please note that the online application portal does not save any information you provide until you reach the stage of uploading supporting documents (section 8). If you exit the application form before this (i.e., before completing section 7), you will need to start the process again.
It is best to complete your application in one sitting and we recommend doing so well before the closing date. Remember to check your @sun mailbox regularly, including your spam folder for any application updates.
IMPORTANT NOTE You will have the option to apply for SU Funding Opportunities or an external student loan. The student loan application is processed by an external company, Student Hero, and is not managed or administered by Stellenbosch University.
Support documents
We recommend all your required support documentation, including certified copies where required, are prepared and ready to upload before you begin the online application. This will save you time when you’re online. Save your prepared documents in a clearly labelled folder, for example, SUFO application.
Please take careful note of the following information and support documents required to complete a funding application:
THE STUDENT
|
THE STUDENT’S SPOUSE
|
FAMILY INFORMATION
|
|
THE STUDENT’s FIRST PARENT or LEGAL GUARDIAN/ GUARDIAN
|
THE STUDENT’S SECOND PARENT or LEGAL GUARDIAN/ GUARDIAN
|
plus the FORM _SUFO_CONSENT signed by all parties
|
_formal employment latest payslip (not older than 3 months) or ITA34
_informal employment affidavit that states the monthly income and includes the source of income (eg. vegetable seller, domestic worker, freelancer)
_self-employment bank statements clearly showing monthly income (and not older than 3 months) or ITA34
_unemployed affidavit (that states date since unemployed) or retrenchment letter or UIF slip
SU External Donor bursaries
NAME OF EXTERNAL DONOR BURSARY | UNIQUE APPLICATION FORM & SUPPORT DOCUMENTS (that also form part of the application) | |
CURRENT (CUG) or PROSPECTIVE (PUG) STUDENT | ADDITIONAL SUPPORT DOCUMENTS | |
DIPPENAAR family trust bursary
EMS students only |
FORM DIPPENAAR-CUG | n/a |
DORIS CROSSLEY trust | FORM DORIS CROSSLEY-CUG | 1st Reference Doris Crossley
2nd Reference Doris Crossley |
DU TOIT HUGENOTE | FORM DU TOIT HUGENOTE-CUG | Motivation Hugenote
Affidavit for Afrikaans modules |
DW ACKERMANN
Engineering students only |
FORM DW ACKERMANN | n/a |
JANNIE MOUTON | FORM JANNIE MOUTON-CUG | n/a |
PIET NEETHLING opvoedkundigetrust
FMHS and AgriSciences students only |
FORM PIET NEETHLING-CUG | n/a |
PSG | FORM PSG-CUG | n/a |
RODNEY AFRICA bursary
Law students only |
FORM RODNEY AFRICA-CUG | n/a |
SHEILA BRAND trust
|
FORM SHEILA BRAND | n/a |
Die VLAKTE bursary fund | FORM VLAKTE | n/a |
SU Family bursaries
There are 11 Family bursaries listed in the Bursary Yearbook and are detailed in the table below.
NAME OF FAMILY BURSARY |
FAMILY BURSARY APPLICATION FORM & PROOF OF DESCENDANCY (FAMILY TREE) INFORMATION (that also forms part of the application) |
Anna Juliana THERON |
Proof of family kinship |
AW SCHUMANN Physics and/or Maths students only |
Preference to descendants of AW Schumann, all else being equal |
Ds DH NEETHLING Theology students only |
Descendants of the Rev DH Neethling |
Elizabeth MARAIS |
Direct descendants of Abraham Barend de Villiers and Theophile Antonia de Villiers (née Van der Lingen) |
Elizabeth VILJOEN trust |
Descendants and adopted children of brothers and sisters of the late Miss Elizabeth Viljoen |
Frans & Rykie THERON study fund Theology and Agriculture students only |
Family tree proof that descendants of Theron, Marais or Zeeman |
Fritz & Anna MOSTERT |
Matriculants from schools in the magistrate districts of Hopefield, Malmesbury, Moorreesburg, Piketberg, Porterville, Velddrift, and Vredenburg |
Johan & Willie SPIES |
Family tree proof that children of E Wood and Dr CJ de Kock; review additional particulars |
JP SWART |
Family tree and proof that resident in northern suburbs of Cape Town |
Petrusa VAN ZIJL |
Family tree proof that descendant of one of the six sisters of the late Mrs Petrusa Groenewald (née van Zijl) |
Prof JH NEETHLING |
Preference given to direct descendants of Prof JH Neethling’s father, Hendrik Johannes Neethling Note that students who are not descendents may also apply |
Application form
The online application form provides clear, step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process. Completing the form should take approximately 15 minutes.
POPIA Each student must agree to the POPI Act (for the protection of personal information) and consent to the verification of all documentation (such as proof of income, ID, certificates, bank statements, etc.) by an external service provider before proceeding with the application.
Supporting documents Please ensure that you upload the correct documentation when prompted.
Next steps
After submitting your application, you will receive an automated email to confirm that your application was received.
All communication will be sent to your student email address, so please remember to check both your inbox and spam folder regularly.
When will I know if my application was successful?
Should you be successful and awarded a bursary, you will be notified accordingly. The communication will include details of the respective bursary award, and the next steps required to ensure a successful allocation of the bursary.
Please note that if you do not receive notification of a bursary award for 2025 by the end of November 2025, you should consider your application unsuccessful.
Any problems?
For any technical issues whilst completing your application, please log a ticket on the SU service desk portal: Once you have signed in, select Student Finances > Undergraduate Bursaries > SU Funding Opportunities – and remember to include your SU student number in the summary field before you submit your query.
Technical issues refer to problems such as being unable to upload supporting documents, non-functional buttons, difficulty logging back in to complete your application, or encountering any error messages during the online application process.
Alternatively, you can contact the Student Finances Client Service team on 021 808 3530.
Office hours Monday to Friday, 08:30 – 16:30
Ready to apply?
Before you go to the online application form, let’s quickly recap:
- You have read each information section above to ensure that the information you provide is correct and accurate.
- Each supporting document is labelled to include your SU student number as a prefix and saved as a pdf in a clearly marked folder (SUFO application) on your computer.
- You have at least 15 minutes set aside on your calendar to complete the application form.
Please ensure you select the correct funding option on the application form: SU Funding Opportunities. (The External Student Loan option is not managed by SU and will redirect you to an external site.)
Contact Us
Any funding or bursary questions?
Please log a ticket on our service desk portal. To ensure a prompt and efficient response, include your SU student number, a clear description of the issue, and select the relevant category when creating your ticket.
Alternatively, please contact SU Client Services on 021 808 9111. When prompted, select 1 for assistance in English or 2 for assistance in Afrikaans. Please note that we receive a high volume of calls, particularly during peak periods, which may lead to longer waiting times. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to make use of the service desk portal.
To log a ticket on the service desk portal, please follow these steps:
- Access the service desk portal by typing “SU Service Desk” in your browser or clicking here
- Log In with your SU credentials. If you do not have an SU profile, create a new account with a valid email address and password.
- Navigate to Student Finances, then select “Student Fees” or “Undergraduate Bursaries.”
- Complete the query form by providing a clear description of your issue, including your SU student number and any supporting documents if applicable. Then, click "Create" to submit your ticket. Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation email.
Stellenbosch campus
Physical Address
Admin A Building, Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch 7600
Please note:
Admin A is temporarily closed for major renovations, with completion expected in 2026. This forms part of SU’s ongoing commitment to enhancing our campus spaces to be more inclusive, accessible, and student-centred.
During this period, Admin A services have been relocated to:
Inorganic Chemistry Building
Bosman St, Stellenbosch Central, Stellenbosch, 7602
Office hours
Monday to Friday 8:00 – 16:30
+27 21 808 9111
Tygerberg campus
Physical Address
Clinical Building, Francie van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg 7505
Office hours
Monday to Friday 8:00 – 16:30