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Welcome to the Arts and Humanities Bursary Information Hub!

Here you will find information about bursaries that are currently administered by the Arts and Humanities Bursary Office, as well as links to other bursaries that may be relevant to students in the Arts and Humanities. The bursary hub is updated whenever a new bursary offer becomes available, so please do check back regularly.

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Thank you for applying. Successful applicants were notified by email. If you have not received a response, it means your application was not successful. 

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) Language Bursary aims to promote study in language and language-related fields. For 2025, students must be studying in any three of the following areas: Any of the South African Official Languages (with a particular emphasis on indigenous languages), Human Language Technologies, Interpreting, Language Component/Theories, Language Planning, Lexicography, Terminology Development and Management, and Translation and Editing.

The bursary is available to the following UWC students: 
- final-year undergraduate students (up to R25 500)
- Honours students (up to R40 500)
- Master's students (up to R50 000)
Please note: this is a partial bursary and as such only covers study fees. It does not cover accommodation, travel allowances, living expenses, laptops, etc. The bursary will be paid into your UWC student account (not your personal bank account), should your application be successful.

The bursary is not available to:
- students who receive a rebate (e.g., child or spouse of a UWC staff member)
- students who have additional funding in excess of R30 000
- students who are not South African citizens

Please click here to apply

Applications close 25 March 2025. Please note that limited funding is available. 

Call for Applications for 2025 DVC Research and Innovation Postgraduate Bursary (Arts and Humanities Faculty)

PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the high volume of applications and limited funding, the DVC R&I Bursary application process is now closed until further notice. We will reopen the application if additional funding becomes available through retractions or non-acceptance of awards.

Thank you for your understanding.


The aim of the DVC: Research and Innovation Postgraduate Bursary is to promote postgraduate study, specifically at Honours and Masters level, at UWC. In the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, bursaries are offered in the follow fields:
  • African Language Studies
  • Afrikaans en Nederlands
  • Anthropology
  • Arabic
  • English
  • Ethics
  • French
  • German
  • Geography, Environmental Studies and Tourism
  • Historical Studies
  • Library and Information Studies
  • Linguistics
  • Philosophy
  • Religion and Theology
  • Sociology
  • Women's and Gender Studies
(Please note that Psychology resides in the CHS faculty and Industrial Psychology in the EMS faculty. PGCE students should inquire with the Education faculty)

To apply please click here

The closing date for applications is 28 February 2025.
 

WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE DVC: RESEARCH AND INNOVATION BURSARY?

The bursary is available to all students who are considering an Honours or Masters degree in the above mentioned Arts and Humanities fields.

Honours applicants need to have obtained an average of at least 65% in the modules related to the Honours degree they wish to pursue.

MA applicants should have obtained at least 60% at Honours level in the relevant field.

The bursary is not available dependents of UWC staff (such as children or spouses) or those who have received other funding in excess of R20 000 (Honours) or R30 000 (MA).
 

WHAT IS THE AMOUNT?

The bursary amount is R20 000 for full-time Honours students and R30 000 for full-time MA students; it is half for part-time students.
 

The Department of Anthropology from the University of the Western Cape is offering a post-doc position for 24 months with a thematic focus on social justice, environmental politics and socio-ecological transformation, as part of the research project Transforming environmental governance in the Anthropocene: an action research in the field of Access and Benefit-Sharing (TEGA).

The TEGA project was launched in July 2024 by an international team of scholars from several disciplines and research institutions (University of the Western Cape; University of Namibia; University of Bonn; Helmholtz- Centre for Environmental Research). Together with actors directly concerned by the Access and Benefit-Sharing regime put in place under the Nagoya Protocol of 2010 (e.g. policy makers, companies, community leaders, NGOs), our team combines social theory and empirical research with the agency of non-academic actors to

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is a proud partner of the European Union-funded TESIECS project. The call for scholarships at two of the other partner institutions is now open. The University of Zimbabwe and University of Botswana academic years begin in September. These institutions are now offering a number of full degree and short courses to UWC students. (See below.) UWC will offer courses to students at the partner institutions when our academic year begins in 2025.

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 Summer 2024:
Application deadline: 24 July 2024
Results: 10 August 2024

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...

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The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) invites applications for bursaries from institutions accredited and registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training for students who wish to pursue studies in heritage related programmes.

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)”

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.

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.

 

Contact us: artsbursaries@uwc.ac.za
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