The Moshal Scholarship Program is a privately funded programme supporting South African students from disadvantaged backgrounds through university, with a strong emphasis on the disciplines it considers economically valuable — engineering, medicine, science, accounting and technology.
Programmes of this kind differ from corporate bursaries in one important way: they typically carry no work-back obligation, because the funder is philanthropic rather than building a workforce. That is a substantial advantage worth understanding.
Eligibility Requirements at a Glance
Privately funded scholarship programmes set their own criteria, usually combining need and merit.
- Be a South African citizen with a valid ID
- Demonstrate significant financial need — these programmes are aimed at students who genuinely cannot afford university
- Have strong academic results, since the programmes select students likely to complete
- Be studying, or intending to study, a field the programme funds — commonly engineering, medicine, health sciences, science, accounting and technology
- Be accepted at, or registered with, one of the universities the programme works with
- Apply within the programme’s window, through its official channel
Income and Affordability Requirements
Need and merit together. These programmes are not purely needs-based or purely merit-based. They look for students with strong results who could not otherwise study, which means both parts of the application matter and the story you tell about your circumstances is genuinely read.
The funded universities are often specified. Privately funded programmes commonly partner with particular universities, and applying from an institution outside that set will not succeed. Confirm which institutions participate before choosing where to apply.
Means testing is thorough. Proof of household income is required, with affidavits where a parent is unemployed, self-employed or deceased. Programmes aimed at genuine need assess it carefully.
Selection typically involves interviews as well as an application form, and the interview is where the personal circumstances and motivation are explored.
Credit and Financial Requirements
Coverage is frequently comprehensive in programmes of this kind: tuition, accommodation, meals, books, a laptop and a living allowance, together with mentoring, academic support and career guidance.
That support structure is a deliberate part of the model. Programmes funding students from disadvantaged backgrounds through demanding degrees know that money alone is not sufficient, and the mentoring and monitoring is what produces the completion rates.
No work-back obligation is the distinguishing feature of philanthropic funding. You are not committing your first working years to anyone, which leaves you free to take the best opportunity available on graduating. Confirm this for the specific programme rather than assuming it.
Continuation is conditional on academic performance and on engaging with the support programme. These programmes monitor students closely, and disengaging is treated seriously.
Bursary applications are always free. No legitimate funder charges an application fee, a “processing” fee or a fee to release funding. Anyone asking for payment to secure funding is defrauding you. Apply only through the funder’s own official channel.
Work only from the programme’s own official website. Privately funded scholarships attract a great deal of inaccurate information on social media and third-party bursary sites, including fabricated links and closing dates.
Documents and Verification Required
Applications are made through the programme’s own channel.
- Certified copy of your South African ID
- Certified copies of your parents’ or guardians’ IDs, where means testing applies
- Latest academic results — Grade 11 and Grade 12, or university transcripts
- Proof of acceptance or registration at the institution
- Proof of household income, or affidavits where a parent is unemployed, self-employed or deceased
- Death certificates where a parent is deceased
- Proof of residence
- A curriculum vitae and motivation letter, where required
How to Apply and Improve Approval Readiness
These programmes are heavily oversubscribed, so apply and continue applying elsewhere rather than waiting on the outcome.
Apply to NSFAS, your SETA, institutional bursaries and corporate bursaries in parallel. Philanthropic funding is worth pursuing precisely because it carries no obligation, but it should never be your only application.
- Confirm which universities the programme partners with before applying
- Prepare both the academic case and the account of your circumstances
- Work only from the programme’s official website
- Prepare thoroughly for an interview, not just the form
- Confirm whether any work-back obligation applies
- Engage with mentoring and monitoring — continuation depends on it
- Apply for NSFAS, SETA and institutional funding in parallel
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a work-back obligation?
Philanthropic scholarship programmes typically carry none, which leaves you free to take the best opportunity on graduating. Confirm for the specific programme.
Does it matter which university I attend?
Frequently yes. These programmes often partner with specific universities, and applying from outside that set will not succeed. Confirm before choosing where to apply.
Is it needs-based or merit-based?
Both. They look for students with strong results who genuinely could not otherwise study, so both parts of the application matter.
What does the programme cover?
Frequently tuition, accommodation, meals, books, a laptop and a living allowance, together with mentoring and academic support. Confirm current coverage.
Criteria, partner institutions, coverage and windows are set by the programme and change. Confirm current requirements directly on its official website before applying.