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The Department of Higher Education and Training NESP Scholarship Programme for South Africans 2023

admin January 18, 2023

3 minutes read

DEADLINE: 03 February 2023

The Department of Higher Education and Training NESP Scholarship Programme for South Africans 2023

Are you planning to embark on a Master’s degree study? Have you considered a career as an academic? Then the Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP) may be just for you!

The Department of Higher Education and Training is pleased to announce the implementation of Phase 2 of the Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP). The NESP is a three-year programme that includes a 2 year Master’s scholarship followed immediately by a 1-year academic internship at a recruiting South African university.

The Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme

NESP was launched by the Department of Higher Education (DHET) to facilitate the retention of highly qualified professionals in the academy and advance transformation.

NESP aims to identify postgraduate students with demonstrated academic ability who are interested in following an academic career and provides them with an attractive, structured study and development programme to prepare them for a career in academia.

This 3-year programme includes a 2-year full-time Masters scholarship at any South African University followed immediately by a 1-year academic internship at the recruiting institution.

NESP positions at Nelson Mandela University are aligned with its strategic disciplinary areas as well as priorities in the Higher Education Section. These opportunities are advertised each year both nationally as well as within the University, with some opportunities in partnership with participating French Universities.

In addition to the financial support of a scholarship for a full-time Masters study, successful candidates are also:

supported by a mentor for the duration of their participation in the programme;
provided an opportunity for exposure through support for a possible international mobility experience;
given the capacity to develop their research and teaching abilities during the internship year.

Further to the criteria specified by the recruiting University, applicants must also meet the following:

Show an interest in becoming an academic;
Be 35 years or younger;
Be a South African citizen;
Have attained a minimum average of 65% in an appropriate Level 8 qualification, e.g. an Honours degree;
Show evidence of eligibility to undertake postgraduate studies at Masters level;
Be committed to placement at the recruiting University for the full three years of the programme (2 years of studying at any University followed by the 1-year internship at the recruiting University).

The national implementation of the programme is in partnership with Rhodes University. Adverts are placed in national newspapers and other electronic platforms, generally in May/June of each year for a start in the next academic year. All applications will be submitted to the implementing partner, filtered for eligibility and forwarded to the University for consideration and to make final offers.

The following two opportunities are available

Opportunity 1

9 NESP positions involving a scholarship for Masters study at a Public French university, offered in partnership with the French Embassy in South Africa, and an academic internship at the recruiting South African university. The minimum requirement for all positions is a completed appropriate Level 8 qualification attained with an average of 65%.

Successful applicants will be provisionally offered a NESP scholarship pending acceptance into a public French University. Please follow the link https://bit.ly/frenchuni to access and apply to public French Universities that offer Master’s programmes in your discipline. Applicants are advised to apply to more than one university. Successful applicants will start the academic year in September 2023 in France.

Walter Sisulu University

Opportunity 2

There are 36 NESP positions with scholarships linked to Master’s study in South African public universities, with a one-year academic internship at the recruiting South African university.

The minimum requirement for all positions is a completed appropriate Level 8 qualification attained with an average of 65%.

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

2.1 Emergency Medical Care

2.2 Electronic Communication and Satellite Technology

Durban University of Technology

2.3 Generic Health Sciences

2.4 Chemistry

Mangosuthu University of Technology

2.5 Mathematics

Nelson Mandela University

2.6 Information Technology Software Engineering

2.7 Mathematics & Multilingualism: Senior Phase