Updated 20 August 2026
Teaching bursaries for 2027
Compare funding for Bachelor of Education and eligible PGCE routes, including Funza Lushaka, provincial programmes and teaching fellowships. Confirm every date with the programme before applying.
Main national teaching bursary
Funza Lushaka 2027 dates are not announced yet
The official Funza Lushaka portal still shows the completed 2026 cycle. It has not published a 2027 opening or closing date. For context only, the previous cycle opened on 7 October 2025; do not treat that as the 2027 date.
Funza Lushaka supports selected BEd and Senior/FET PGCE students in priority teaching subjects. First-time applicants must be 30 or younger, be South African citizens and first gain admission to an accredited public university programme that meets the selection rules.
Read the verified Funza Lushaka 2027 guide2027 teaching bursary directory
Upcoming deadlines and programmes waiting for 2027 dates appear before closed windows.
- Education Teaching Closes 16 Nov 2026
ADvTECH Student Teacher Bursary
ADvTECH Group (administered by the ADvTECH Schools Division)
The ADvTECH Student Teacher Bursary supports senior teaching students who want to build a career at one of South Africa's leading private education groups. It funds tuition based on academic performance and combines mentorship with practical placements and paid school activities at ADvTECH (Trinityhouse) schools, with the prospect of employment after graduation. It targets third- and fourth-year students specialising in scarce-skill teaching fields such as Mathematics, Science, Foundation Phase, Early Childhood Development and African Languages.
Tuition fee coverage linked to academic performance (up to full cover)View details → - Education Teaching Closes 31 Dec 2026
NAPTOSA Teaching Bursary
National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA)
Important: we could not verify that NAPTOSA runs a student teaching bursary. NAPTOSA is a teachers' trade union for working educators, not a bursary provider, and neither its official websites nor any independent bursary source lists a student bursary. If you are looking for funding to study teaching, the national Funza Lushaka Bursary is the main option. This entry is kept for information only while we continue to verify.
Not verified - no NAPTOSA student bursary could be confirmedView details → - Education Teaching 2027 dates TBA
Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme
Department of Basic Education
Funza Lushaka funds selected students completing an initial teaching qualification in priority subjects at an accredited public university. The official portal has not yet announced the 2027 opening or closing dates. Recipients must teach at a public school for one year for every year funded.
Varies by university; essential study costs up to an annual capView details → - Education Teaching Closed (31 Jul 2026)
Jakes Gerwel Graduate Teaching Fellowship
Jakes Gerwel Fellowship (funded by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment Teaching Initiative)
The Jakes Gerwel Graduate Teaching Fellowship (GTF) is a fully funded programme that develops exceptional graduates into outstanding high school teachers. It covers a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at a partner university along with accommodation, allowances, mentorship and leadership development, with fellows committing to teach at a South African high school after qualifying. It targets passionate final-year undergraduates and graduates under 30 who want to transform education in South Africa.
Full scholarship covering PGCE tuition, accommodation, allowances and a monthly stipend (single value not published)View details → - Education Teaching Closed (31 Mar 2026)
ETDP SETA Bursary Scheme for Unemployed Students
ETDP SETA (Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority), administered by partner Higher Education Institutions
The ETDP SETA funds unemployed South African 'missing middle' students studying education, teaching and training-related qualifications at partner Higher Education Institutions. From the 2025/26 cycle, ETDP SETA no longer advertises or accepts direct or walk-in applications: partner universities and private HEIs administer the bursary, and students apply through their institution's financial aid office. The bursary covers up to R150,000 per year, with registration and tuition prioritised.
Bursary not exceeding R150,000.00 per annum per student. The breakdown of what the amount covers is determined by the institution applied to, with registration fee and tuition treated as priority funding aspects. Any unspent funds are returned to the ETDP SETA, not the student.View details → - Education Teaching Closed (28 Feb 2026)
Provincial Education Department Bursary
Provincial Education Departments
Shape the future of South African education. Join the public school system and make a lasting impact on young minds across all nine provinces while building a meaningful teaching career.
R40,000 - R80,000 per yearView details → - Education Teaching Closed (05 Jan 2026)
STET Bursary Programme for Black Female STEM Students (UNISA)
Support Teacher Empowerment Trust (STET) (South African non-profit established 2017; self-administered via the online bursary application form on stet.co.za)
The STET Bursary Programme is run by the Support Teacher Empowerment Trust, a South African non-profit set up in 2017 to develop young Black women as future-ready STEM educators. It funds undergraduate STEM qualifications specifically at the University of South Africa (UNISA), chosen for its distance-learning accessibility, and pairs that funding with mentorship, leadership development and ICT, coding and robotics training for the classroom. The exact bursary amount is not publicly disclosed; applications for the 2026 cycle closed on 5 January 2026, with the next intake expected to follow a similar early-January window.
Not publicly disclosed (financial support towards UNISA tuition and related study costs)View details →
PGCE bursaries for 2027
A PGCE is a one-year initial teacher-education qualification for graduates whose existing degree contains suitable teaching subjects. Funding rules depend on the programme: a bursary that funds a four-year BEd does not automatically fund every PGCE.
Funza Lushaka for PGCE
The current official FAQ includes PGCE study in Senior Phase and FET teaching, subject to age, admission, priority-subject and selection rules.
Jakes Gerwel Graduate Teaching Fellowship
A graduate teaching route at participating universities. Check the current intake, partner institution and age requirements.
Provincial teaching bursaries
Provincial education departments may recruit for local priority subjects and districts. Dates and routes are not uniform across all nine provinces, so verify the programme with the relevant department rather than relying on a national generic deadline.
How provincial education funding worksCheck before applying
- Teaching phase and priority subjects
- University admission and qualification approval
- Age and citizenship rules
- Annual renewal requirements
- Public-school placement or service obligation