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Welcome to the Arts and Humanities Bursary Information Hub!

Here you will find information about bursaries managed by the Arts and Humanities Faculty, as well as links to apply for each one. Please pay close attention to the submission dates.

Should you have any queries, please consult the Frequently Asked Questions answered within each bursary's section.

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The aim of the DVC: Research and Innovation Postgraduate Bursary is to promote postgraduate study, specifically at Honours and Master's level, in the Arts and Humanities Faculty at UWC.

For more information, CLICK HERE...

APPLY
 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

"Can I apply for the DVC Bursary?"
Yes, if you are doing an Honours or MA degree in any of the Departments in the Arts and Humanities Faculty. If you are in a different Faculty, then you will have to inquire with that Faculty, for example, Psychology is situated in the CHS Faculty and Industrial Psychology in the EMS Faculty.

No, you cannot apply
  • if you are a dependent of a UWC staff member (e.g. a child or spouse), and/or
  • if you have already received funding for 2023 equal to or higher than the amount offered by DVC.
"What does the question about my current (provisional) research title and short description of my proposed research mean?"
In Honours, you are required to write an independent research essay on a topic you wish to address within your field of study. You should therefore briefly outline what you intend to do your research on and provide a title for the research (if you have one). If you do not have a topic or a title yet, then you can indicate that you do not have those yet. If you have a broad idea about what topic you'd like to research, then you can indicate that (e.g. Broadly, I am interested in the field of ...).

For Masters students, you are required to do research on a specific, chosen topic. You need to indicate what that topic is.

DSAC Language Bursary



The Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture (DSAC) offers a Language Bursary to students studying at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).

Second Call for Applications: Due date 15 September

The aim of the bursary is to promote study in language and language-related areas. The bursary is available to final-year undergraduate students, as well as Honours and Master of Arts (MA) students.

For more information, CLICK HERE...

APPLY
 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

"My modules do not correspond with the topics listed "
Those are the listed topics, but your modules might be different. For example, if you are doing English, then you could select South African Language(s) and/or Applied Literary Studies. There might not be an exact correlation between the topics listed and the modules you are taking (for example, there might not be a module called Human Language Development, but it might be something that you cover in Linguistics, or Language Education modules, etc.).

"What does the question about my current (provisional) research title and short description of my proposed research mean?"
In Honours, you are required to write an independent research essay on a topic you wish to address within your field of study. You should therefore briefly outline what you intend to do your research on and provide a title for the research (if you have one). If you do not have a topic or a title yet, then you can indicate that you do not have those yet. If you have a broad idea about what topic you'd like to research, then you can indicate that (e.g. Broadly, I am interested in the field of ...).

For Masters students, you are required to do research on a specific, chosen topic. You need to indicate what that topic is.

Kindly note: If you are applying for the DSAC language bursary and you are not from a language or language-related discipline, then you will have to show how your research topic aligns with the required topics (see the DSAC website).

"Can I apply for the DSAC Bursary?"
Yes, you can apply for the DSAC bursary if you are a South African citizen, and
  • if you are in your third/final undergraduate year and you are doing two modules (e.g. English 311 and English 321) in a language or language-related field. The modules don't have to be in different disciplines, or
  • if you are an Honours student doing an Honours degree in a language or language-related field (e.g. Linguistics, Language Education, English, Afrikaans, African Language Studies), or
  • if you are a first-year Masters student whose degree is in a language or language-related field (e.g. Linguistics, Language Education, English, Afrikaans, African Language Studies).

No, you cannot apply
  • if you are a dependent of a UWC staff member (e.g. a child or spouse), and/or
  • if you have already received funding for 2023 equal to or higher than the amount offered by DSAC.
"I'm an Honours student in the Arts and Humanities Faculty. Can I apply for both the DVC and DSAC bursaries?"
Yes, you can. However, you can only receive/accept one.

Students in the Education Faculty should inquire with their faculty about their DVC bursary.

"I'm doing my PGCE this year. Can I apply?"
If your PGCE has language or language-related modules and/or is in a language or language-related field that covers at least one of the topics listed, then you can apply.

"Is there a book stipend?"
No, there isn't. The bursary amount will be paid into your student account. If any part of the funding is credited to you, you will have to use it for purchasing prescribed books (and proof thereof may have to be provided to the funders).

"I'm studying Foreign Languages. Can I apply?"
Unfortunately, no. The Language Bursary only covers official South African languages.

more information to follow...

The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) extends scholarships to 150 full-time PhD students annually. Their aim is to promote scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences and to address inequities in these fields. For more information, please consult their website: https://www.nihss.ac.za/doctoral-scholarships-programmes

The National Research Foundation (NRF) makes a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students each year. Please consult their website (https://www.nrf.ac.za/nrf-for-post-graduate-students/bursaries-scholarships/) regularly to see when you can apply for a bursary/scholarship.

Laura Bassi Scholarship



The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established by Editing Press in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focusses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed.

The scholarships are open to every discipline and the next round of funding will be awarded in Winter 2023:
Application deadline: 30 November 2023
Results: 11 December 2023

All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of full-time employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline. 

For more information, CLICK HERE...

APPLY

Babette Taute Scholarsip for English Honours students



The late Babette Taute left the major part of her estate to establish a bursary trust for students of English at South African universities. Applicants must be South African citizens or have Permanent Resident status in South Africa.

A number of Honours scholarships of R75 000 each will be available for full time students in a one-year Honours programme.

Students of any branch of English language and literature study, including applied language studies, are eligible for the scholarships. Awards are made on merit, broadly interpreted. A fine academic record is a requirement for an award. However, the trustees are also interested in other indices of merit. These might include leadership in cultural or social areas, quality of writing and publications, and excellence as a teacher of English or a translator.

Babette Taute Scholarship holders may accept other awards, provided that the total value of awards held does not exceed R120 000. The Babette Taute Scholarship may be reduced in value to bring it in line with this requirement.

Application forms are obtainable from the Department of English, the financial aid office at this university, or from The Babette Taute Trust, C/O Ms Naaznien Parker at Naaznien.Parker@sanlam.co.za AND Helene Schneider at Helene.Schneider@sanlam.co.za

The closing date for receipt of applications by the Trustees is 17 November 2023. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the selection process early in January 2024.

All correspondence should carry the subject line: “Babette Taute 2024 Application/Query: (Surname of Author)”

Call for Applications for 2024 Honours Fellowships: A.W. Mellon “Rethinking South African Literature(s)” Project



The A.W. Mellon Foundation is in 2024 funding Honours fellowships in the broad field of South African literature(s) through a project grant to the University of the Western Cape, running from 2019-2024. The value of the fellowships is R 100 000.

Applicants should submit a certified academic transcript, a CV, a copy of Identity Document or Passport, and a letter of motivation. Please note that this is a literature project. Applicants must have a background in the field of literary studies, and an interest in the broad field of South African literature(s).

Applications should be sent to Prof. Duncan Brown (djbrown@uwc.ac.za) by the 10 th of November 2023. Please use the subject line “Surname: Mellon SA Lit Fellowship Application”, and make sure you get confirmation of receipt of your email message.

Prof. Duncan Brown
Principal Investigator
Mellon “Rethinking South African Literature(s)” Project.

GENERAL QUERIES

"I don't have my latest transcript"
Please use the academic transcripts that you currently have and email us the latest version as soon as it becomes available.

"I haven't registered, so I don't know my module codes yet"
You can either consult the Arts and Humanities Calendar or you can just say 'third year Linguistics' or 'Honours Afrikaans'.

"When will I know the outcome of my application?"
We will let successful applicants know as soon as possible.

"When does payment happen?"
Depending on the bursary, payment usually takes place any time from June onward. Please note that payments are made into your student account and not your personal bank account.

Contact us: artsbursaries@uwc.ac.za