THE BURSARY FUND OF THE SCHOOL OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY
The School of Religion and Theology raises funds from donors in order to assist needy students with the costs of their university education. Our Bursary Fund currently distributes nearly a million Rand each year but grants made by our Bursary Fund obviously depend on the availability of funds.
THE GENERAL BURSARY FUND
Our general Bursary Fund provides bursaries for students who are registered for a BTh or a BTh Honours degree. In order to qualify for a bursary, students need to fill in an application form available from the School of Religion and Theology and return it by the 15th December in the year before they plan to commence their studies. The Bursary Fund is open to students from South Africa and other African countries (in the case of the BTh only students from SADC countries will be considered). Our Bursary Fund prioritizes women and students who come to us from churches that have entered into partnerships with the School of Religion and Theology. Anyone is however eligible to apply and to be considered.
The School of Religion and Theology’s Bursary Fund covers the academic fees for the degree and provides a monthly food allowance for ten months. No other expenses (accommodation, foreign students’ levy or medical insurance) will be paid. Students need to find their own funding for these costs. The Theological Bursary Fund is not able to support the dependents of students who receive bursaries. The subsistence portion of the bursary allocated is not sufficient to cover all living expenses of students – additional funding to support the shortfall must be provided by the student. Students who do not receive a subsistence allowance may apply in writing to receive some support to transport costs, with full motivation and details of transport costs.
A bursary is a grant that does not need to be repaid except when students interrupt or abandon their studies for reasons other than academic failure, ill-health or other factors beyond the students’ control. Bursaries are awarded for one year only and will only be re-awarded for subsequent years subject to satisfactory academic performance (a student must pass at least six modules in any given year) and funding availability. A bursary may be cancelled after the first semester in the case of a first year student who performs very badly in this semester.
THE THEOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT BURSARY FUND
The Theology and Development Bursary Fund is available for those students who are accepted into the Post-Graduate programme in Theology and Development. This fund enables us to draw students into the programme who are committed to making a difference in both the church and community around concerns such as unemployment, AIDS, food security, environmental degradation and health. Eight Honours bursaries and five Masters bursaries are offered each year on a competitive basis. Please note that applications for this programme and the bursaries associated with it close on 30 September in the year before you intend registering.
.
MASTERS AND PHD BURSARIES
The University (through the Graduate Award system) offers full-time students at these levels an 80% remission of fees on the academic fees provided their results are satisfactory. There are also other scholarships available to students who have achieved good academic results in their Honours degrees. Please contact the University Scholarships Office for details of these scholarships and the dates by which you need to apply.
SoRaT offers two Masters and one Ph D prestigious scholarship on a competitive basis for excellent students, achieving at least 70% in their previous degree at SoRaT. Application procedure may be enquired for from the bursary co-ordinator.
Dr. Detlev Tönsing, Bursary Co-ordinator, tonsing@ukzn.ac.za, 033 260 6293