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A merit candidate is a student who has obtained a grade point average of over 60% in their final year of study for their last qualification.

Merit awards are funded from a variety of sources. The primary awards for honours, master’s and doctoral students are available through the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Medical Research Council (MRC). (See Research scholarships.)

University-sourced merit awards can be applied for only by students who have applied to the NRF. For application procedures see UCT merit and need awards.

International and Refugee students are required to please see the International and refugee scholarships page.

The Postgraduate Funding Office (PGFO) administers several other merit awards that are sourced from various donations and investment funds. These awards are independently advertised via the electronic noticeboard and VULA pages. You are encouraged to familiarise yourself with such opportunities. You may also request a one-on-one session with PGFO staff by emailing pgfunding@uct.ac.za.

December scholarshipsUCT awards scholarships each December to graduating students who have performed exceptionally well. Recipients are identified by the university and an application form is not required. Please see the December scholarships.

Departmental scholarshipsScholarships and bursaries funded from a variety of other sources are available. These may be awarded by heads of departments or supervisors to students working on specific projects or programmes. Find out more about these awards from your supervisors, course convenors or heads of academic departments. Please see the Departmental scholarships pages.