Key finding: The National Research Foundation funded 5 936 postgraduate students in the 2024/25 financial year — exceeding its own target by 357 students, but down from 6 697 two years earlier — with a full-cost doctoral scholarship for the 2027 academic year set at R200 000, according to the NRF Annual Report 2024/25 and the DSTI-NRF Postgraduate Funding Framework for 2027.
What an NRF scholarship actually pays
The values below come from the DSTI-NRF Postgraduate Student Application and Funding Framework for the 2027 Academic Year (April 2026). Every scholarship falls into one of two bands: Full Cost of Study or Partial Cost of Study.
| Level | Full Cost of Study | Partial Cost of Study | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honours | R180 000 | R140 000 | DSTI-NRF Funding Framework 2027 (2026), Table 2 |
| Master’s | R190 000 | R145 000 | DSTI-NRF Funding Framework 2027 (2026), Table 2 |
| Doctoral | R200 000 | R150 000 | DSTI-NRF Funding Framework 2027 (2026), Table 2 |
On top of the scholarship, Full Cost of Study awards carry a once-off R10 000 electronic study device allowance, and students with a disability may receive up to R20 000 for assistive technology.
The values no longer move every year
This is the change most students have not registered. The 2027 framework states that scholarship amounts “will be reviewed every 3 years subject to the agreed CPI-linked sector-wide increases” — the previous framework language provided for annual review. Budget on the assumption that your award value is fixed for the duration, not that it will track inflation each year.
Comparing the two frameworks directly shows why that matters:
| Level (Full Cost of Study) | 2026 framework | 2027 framework | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honours | R171 058 | R180 000 | +R8 942 |
| Master’s | R190 306 | R190 000 | −R306 |
| Doctoral | R195 725 | R200 000 | +R4 275 |
The master’s full-cost value fell slightly in nominal terms between the two frameworks. Against any inflation at all, all three levels represent a real-terms decline for a master’s or doctoral candidate — a fact worth stating plainly in any research-funding argument you write.
Who qualifies for the full amount
Full Cost of Study is not the default. Under the 2027 framework it is reserved for students whose household income is no more than R350 000 per annum, students with a disability, and students with exceptional academic achievement. Partial Cost of Study covers international students and South African students not funded at the full level.
Funding duration is capped by level: one year for honours, two for a master’s, three for a doctorate, and four where a master’s is upgraded to a doctorate. That doctoral cap is worth reading against the national completion data — our guide to dropout and throughput statistics shows how routinely postgraduate study runs past its regulation period, and NRF funding does not stretch to accommodate it.
For the application procedure itself — the mark thresholds, the citizenship rules which are not uniform across levels, and the NRF Connect process — see our step-by-step guide to applying for NRF postgraduate funding. This page is about the numbers; that one is about getting the award.
How many students are actually funded
From the NRF Annual Report 2024/25, the most recent audited report available:
- The NRF funded 5 936 postgraduate students in 2024/25, exceeding its target of 5 579 by 357 students (6%).
- 5 101 (86%) of funded students were Black, and 3 564 (60%) were female South African citizens and permanent residents.
- 254 of those funded were international students — 181 doctoral and 73 master’s, with no international honours students funded.
| Level | Students funded, 2024/25 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Honours | 1 996 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25, Table 3 |
| Master’s | 2 098 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25, Table 3 |
| Doctoral | 1 842 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25, Table 3 |
| Total | 5 936 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25 |
The three-year trend is downward
| Financial year | Postgraduate students funded | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6 697 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25 |
| 2023/24 | 6 179 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25 |
| 2024/25 | 5 936 | NRF Annual Report 2024/25 |
That is a decline of 761 funded students — roughly 11% — across two years, even as the NRF exceeded its own internal target in the most recent year. The target moved down faster than the delivery did. Anyone writing about postgraduate funding access in South Africa should quote the trend, not just the latest year.
Three things this dataset does not tell you
There is no published rand total for postgraduate scholarships by degree level. The NRF Annual Report’s financial statements report “Grants, bursaries and other research” as a single combined line — R2 425 887 thousand, roughly R2,43 billion, in 2024/25, against total NRF income of about R5,4 billion — but that line covers all NRF grant-making, not postgraduate scholarships alone. Multiplying the scholarship values above by the student counts produces an estimate, not a published figure, and it should be labelled as such if you use it.
The NRF declines to publish an expected annual volume. Its 2027 call FAQ answers the question “How many students received funding for postgraduate studies annually from the NRF?” with “The number of students funded annually is dependent on the availability of the budget.” The frequently repeated claim that the NRF funds “on average 6 000 students a year” comes from an older FAQ and has since been removed. Cite the audited 5 936 instead.
One table in the annual report contains an error. Table 3’s column for Black South African students is mis-populated at master’s and doctoral level: the values shown there (2 025 and 1 661) are the grand totals for those levels from the preceding table, not Black-student counts. That column sums to 5 594, which contradicts the report’s own narrative figure of 5 101. Use the level totals and the narrative 5 101 figure; do not cite Table 3’s Black-student column. This is a reminder worth generalising — if a table’s internal arithmetic does not reconcile with the surrounding text, the text usually wins, and a dissertation that notices the discrepancy reads far better than one that reproduces it.
How to cite these figures
Name the document, its year and the specific table, and distinguish the two sources — funding values come from the annual funding framework, student counts from the annual report, and they cover different periods. The framework is written for an academic year and the annual report for a financial year, so do not present a 2027 scholarship value and a 2024/25 student count as though they describe the same moment. Harvard form, to be checked against your own faculty’s variant:
National Research Foundation. 2025. NRF Annual Report 2024/25. Pretoria: National Research Foundation.
Our Harvard vs APA guide covers how to identify which variant governs you, and for the wider sector context see our postgraduate enrolment statistics. If your funding motivation or your dissertation needs figures beyond these, the free national microdata routes are set out in our guide to accessing South African data.
What the numbers mean if you are the applicant
Two practical conclusions. First, the funded population is shrinking while the postgraduate population is not, so the award is more competitive each year and a late or weak application is more costly than it used to be. Second, the funding clock is unforgiving: two years for a master’s, three for a doctorate, with values now reviewed only every three years. The financial risk in South African postgraduate study is not the scholarship amount — it is overrunning the funded period and paying for the extra year yourself.
That makes finishing on schedule a financial strategy as much as an academic one, which is what Tesify is built to support — chapter structure, drafts and references in one project so the writing keeps moving. If you are funding yourself around a job, our system for writing a dissertation while working full-time is the companion piece.
FAQ
How much is an NRF bursary for a master’s?
For the 2027 academic year, R190 000 at Full Cost of Study or R145 000 at Partial Cost of Study, per the DSTI-NRF Postgraduate Funding Framework for 2027.
How much does an NRF doctoral scholarship pay?
R200 000 at Full Cost of Study and R150 000 at Partial Cost of Study for the 2027 academic year, plus a once-off R10 000 device allowance for full-cost awards.
How many students does the NRF fund each year?
5 936 postgraduate students in 2024/25 — 1 996 honours, 2 098 master’s and 1 842 doctoral. The NRF itself states that the annual number depends on budget availability rather than a fixed target.
What household income qualifies for Full Cost of Study?
No more than R350 000 per annum. Full Cost of Study is also available to students with a disability and to students with exceptional academic achievement.
Is NRF funding increasing?
The number of funded students has fallen across three years, from 6 697 in 2022/23 to 5 936 in 2024/25. Scholarship values rose at honours and doctoral level between the 2026 and 2027 frameworks but fell slightly in nominal terms for a master’s.
Do international students get NRF funding?
Some do, at Partial Cost of Study — 254 international students were funded in 2024/25, 181 doctoral and 73 master’s. No international honours students were funded that year.
How long can I hold NRF funding?
One year for honours, two for a master’s, three for a doctorate, and four where a master’s is upgraded to a doctorate.
How often do the scholarship amounts change?
The 2027 framework states amounts are reviewed every three years, subject to agreed CPI-linked sector-wide increases — a change from the previous annual-review wording.
What is the total rand value of NRF postgraduate funding?
The NRF does not publish this separately. Its financial statements report grants, bursaries and other research as one combined line of about R2,43 billion for 2024/25, which covers far more than postgraduate scholarships.