Stellenbosch University Merit bursaries for first-year students

Merit bursaries are awarded according to grade 12 aggregates in the following categories of achievement:

85% to 89.9%
90% and higher

You will be awarded a merit bursary if you obtain a grade 12 average of 85% or more (excluding Life Orientation) in the final exams. Merit bursaries are calculated as a percentage of the tuition fee by means of a sliding scale, with the smallest rebate for the lowest category (85%+) and the biggest rebate for the highest category (90%+). The rebate for the category 85% to 89,9% will be at least 40%, increasing in the following category.

Merit bursaries are awarded automatically; however, grade 12 learners who have taken their examination with a body other than a provincial department of education have to apply for a merit bursary.

a)Merit awards

Date for granting merit bursaries

Please note that merit bursaries are awarded in April.

Calculating and granting merit bursaries

∙In respect of First-year Merit Bursaries, the criterion used is the actual average of a prospective student’s final Grade 12 exam results (calculated based on a combination of the six best subjects required to gain admission to Baccalaureus studies at a university, excluding Life Orientation and Mathematics Paper 3), as indicated by the respective education departments. Merit Bursaries are calculated as a percentage of tuition fees.

∙Following registration and once results have been announced, an algorithm with a given budget amount and fixed budget parameters is used to calculate the amounts to be allocated.

∙The calculated amounts are then automatically transferred to the beneficiaries’ student accounts.

The following scale is applicable to first-year merit bursaries:

Matric average		% rebate on basic tuition fees
		(excluding module costs)
85	– 89%	40% (guarantee)

90	– 95%	* > 40%

95% and higher		>40%

* The % rebate will depend on the number of qualifying cnadidates and the amount available for merit bursaries.

Please note

∙First-year students that completed their school end exams oustide a provincial education- department (exluding IEB examination), must submit a certified copy of their final Grade 12-exam results to the Centre for Undergraduate Bursaries and Loans.

∙The onus rests on the student to verify by June of the specific academic year in which they are entitled to a merit bursary whether the bursary is indicated on their student fees account.

∙If the latter are not reflected, they must notify the Centre for Undergraduate Bursaries and Loans before the end of August; otherwise they forfeit their claim to a merit bursary.

Cancellation of merit bursaries

∙The merit bursaries of students who discontinues their studies in the first semester, will be cancelled.

Merit bursaries to students that studied at other institutions

∙Students who studied at other institutions, do not qualify for First-year Merit Bursaries, but can be considered for Senior Merit Bursaries if their weighted average was 75% or higher.

∙These students should submit their results to the Centre for Undergraduate Bursaries and Loans.

b)Sport bursaries

∙First-year students who have superior sporting achievements to their credit are eligible for a range of special bursaries that are not listed in this book. For more information, please contact Maties Sport, tel. 021 808 4642.

c)“Three Children” Rebate

∙The University gives a 10% rebate on tuition fees where three or more children from the same family are studying at the University simultaneously.

Stellenbosch University Merit bursaries for first-year stude​nts