Grants & Funding International Scholarships Scholarships

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship funding to Study at any South African institution of higher education 2023/2024

admin March 14, 2023

2 minutes read

DEADLINE: 21 April 2023

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship is a life-changing leadership journey. The scholarship combines financial support with a leadership programme that will challenge you, grow you, and connect you to young African changemakers – just like you.

Financial support

The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship offers comprehensive funding for the core costs associated with your studies. It covers tuition for a one-year Honours degree or a two-year Masters degree in any field at a recognised South African institution of higher education. This includes tuition and registration fees, allowances for study materials, research, and medical aid, accommodation and meals, personal allowance and economy class travel to and from your home country to your South African university at the beginning and end of your degree. You will also receive a personal allowance.

Get your Documents Ready

Important: Applicants from outside South Africa may need to complete SAQA verification to start their studies at a South African university. Please see below.

Recommenders: We require three letters of recommendation, in English, as part of your application. Your recommenders must submit their letters through our application platform. Without these letters, you cannot submit your application. Get in touch with three people who have relevant experience of you and insight into your character as soon as possible – even before applications open – to ask them permission and give them time to write their letters. Once you register a recommender on the platform, they will receive an email asking them to log on and upload their letter.
Documentation: You will be required to upload certificates of completion for your degrees, transcripts of your academic results, and scans of your ID and passport documents. Your documents and transcripts must be provided in English.
Essays: You will be asked to write two short essays, one on your personal journey, and one on a specific question relating to our principles.
Application for university: You will be asked to fill in your proposed course of study on your application. We do not require proof that you have applied, but we recommend that you apply as soon as possible, and to more than one university.
Do your qualifications meet the requirements for your proposed course of study? Each country has its own framework for registering and rating qualification levels. In South Africa, this is managed by the South African Qualifications Agency (SAQA). SAQA accreditation can take 4-8 weeks , which can delay your acceptance to university and thus your study visa to South Africa.
- To ensure that you will be accepted for your chosen programme, you are highly recommend that you find out as soon as possible what the National Qualification Framework (NQF) requirements for your course are, and whether your qualifications meet these requirements.
- Masters programmes in South Africa may require several years of work or clinical experience as an admission requirement. It is your responsibility to check if you will be accepted to the course, and apply for backup options.