Important: this bursary is only for South African citizens studying full-time at a South African university.
The Council for Geoscience (CGS), the national body that collects and curates South Africa’s geoscience data, has opened its 2027 Full-Time Bursary Programme. The bursary pays registration and tuition fees plus allowances for accommodation or transport, books, meals, protective equipment and field work, and first-time bursars get a once-off laptop allowance. It is open to students at BSc, Honours, MSc and PhD level in geoscience and related fields.
Closing date: 25 November 2026. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified. If you have not been contacted within one month after the closing date, CGS says you should take it that your application was unsuccessful.
Key Details
- Funder: Council for Geoscience, Silverton, Pretoria
- Academic year: 2027
- Levels: BSc, BSc Honours, MSc and PhD
- Who: South African citizens enrolled full-time at a South African university
- How to apply: by email to [email protected]
- Deadline: 25 November 2026
Benefits
- Registration and tuition fees
- Accommodation or transport allowance
- Prescribed books allowance
- Meals allowance
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) allowance
- Funding for field excursions and analysis
- A once-off laptop allowance for first-time bursars
Fields of Study
CGS strongly encourages applications in engineering geology and geotechnical investigations, geophysics, hydrogeology (especially groundwater modelling), geochemistry, economic geology and mineral economics, data science and innovation studies, geo-informatics, GIS and remote sensing, computational geosciences, mining seismology and geohazards, science communication, analytical chemistry, environmental science and geology, geochronology, palaeontology, geohydrology, marine geology, exploration geology and related disciplines.
Eligibility
- South African citizen
- Not employed at the time of applying
- Enrolled full-time at a South African higher education institution for 2027
- Current students must have passed all modules of the previous year or semester
- Willing to do vocational work during studies and to work back for CGS after completion, when required
- Preference goes to previously disadvantaged applicants, but all eligible candidates may apply
How to Apply
- Read the official CGS 2027 bursary advert (PDF) on the Council for Geoscience website.
- Download and fill in the CGS Full-Time Bursary Application Form 2027 (PDF). Do not change or alter the form.
- Attach a motivation letter, updated CV, certified copy of your ID, latest academic record, certified Grade 12 results (or Grade 11 plus Grade 12 Term 3 results) and your university acceptance or admission letter.
- Email the form and documents to [email protected] with the subject line “BursaryFT-2027” before 25 November 2026.
Enquiries only (not applications) go to [email protected] or 012 841 1106/1201.
Tips
- Combine all documents into clearly named PDFs and check that certified copies are recent and readable.
- Use your motivation letter to link your studies to CGS work such as groundwater, mining safety, geohazards or mineral exploration.
- Honours, MSc and PhD applicants should fill in the research topic section of the form clearly.
- Do not wait for final results if you are still waiting for admission; the form allows provisional admission letters.
- Apply even if you have another bursary application pending, but declare it on the form as required.
