Most University of Cape Town scholarships are for South African citizens and permanent residents. That includes the well-known 2027 entrance scholarships of R20,000 to R60,000, which UCT awards automatically, with no application form, from your matric (NSC) and National Benchmark Test results. International students have three real routes: the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program for citizens of African countries, UCT’s International and Refugee Scholarships for postgraduate study, and a small share of entrance awards kept for top students with foreign school-leaving results.
One deadline is still open: Mastercard Foundation applications for 2027 honours, coursework master’s and Health Sciences postgraduate diplomas close on 31 October 2026. The undergraduate Mastercard round closed on 30 September 2026, and the International and Refugee Scholarships for 2027 closed on 30 August 2026. Here is each UCT scholarship, who it really covers, and the dates for the next round.
University of Cape Town scholarships for international students
| Scholarship | Level | Open to international students? | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program | First bachelor’s, honours, coursework master’s, Health Sciences PG diplomas | Yes, citizens of any African country (including South Africa) | Postgraduate: 31 Oct 2026 (open). Undergraduate: closed 30 Sep 2026; next 30 Sep 2027 |
| International and Refugee Scholarships | Honours, master’s, PhD | Yes, any country; refugees need proof of status | Closed 30 Aug 2026 for 2027; next 30 Aug 2027 for 2028 |
| Entrance scholarships (dean’s discretionary share) | First-year bachelor’s | A small share in some faculties for international school-leaving results | No application; based on admission results |
| Engineering and the Built Environment entrance scholarship | First-year bachelor’s | Yes, if you write the South African NSC | No application |
| Entrance scholarships (all other faculties) | First-year bachelor’s | No, SA citizens and permanent residents | No application |
| UCT Merit and Need Awards, Financial Aid and GAP bursaries | Honours, master’s, PhD | No, SA citizens and permanent residents | 10 Nov 2026 (financial aid and GAP) |
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UCT
Closes 31 October 2026
Postgraduate applications for 2027 (honours, coursework master’s and Health Sciences postgraduate diplomas) close on 31 October 2026. You need a UCT academic application as well as the scholarship application.
This is the main scholarship route for African students at UCT. UCT describes it as scholarships plus mentoring, leadership development, academic and life skills support, career development and entrepreneurship training. Scholars also take part in community projects. UCT’s programme page does not itemise the money, so read the award letter carefully if you are selected.
- Citizenship: any African country, including South Africa.
- Profile: academic talent, significant social and economic barriers to higher education, leadership potential and a commitment to serving your community.
- Levels: first bachelor’s degree; honours or coursework master’s in any of UCT’s six faculties; postgraduate diplomas in Health Sciences only. Some integrated master’s students admitted through the African Climate and Development Initiative or Healthy Futures South Africa also qualify.
- Not covered: part-time study, master’s by dissertation and PhDs.
- Admission first: only applicants who receive a UCT offer of admission can hold the scholarship.
How to apply for the Mastercard Foundation scholarship at UCT
- Choose a programme: check UCT’s study options and the faculty’s own entry requirements and deadlines.
- Apply to UCT: submit your academic application at applyonline.uct.ac.za.
- Apply for the scholarship: complete the separate Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program application linked from uct.ac.za/mastercardfdn.
- Wait for the admission offer: without a UCT offer, the scholarship application cannot go forward.
UCT International and Refugee Scholarships (postgraduate)
These are UCT’s own awards for non-South African honours, master’s and doctoral students. Your country of origin does not affect eligibility, and refugee applicants must show proof of refugee status. They are competitive and, in UCT’s words, supplementary: they do not cover the full cost of study, so you need other funding as well. UCT does not publish the current values on its funding page.
- Apply for admission first: UCT will not consider a funding application without one, and admission does not bring funding automatically.
- Send the application to the Postgraduate Funding Office: email pgfunding@uct.ac.za. Your referee emails a separate referee report.
- Research degrees: master’s by research and doctoral applicants with a supervisor must complete Section E of the form.
- Meet the deadline: 30 August of the year before you start. Late or incomplete applications are rejected.
- Renewal: up to one year for honours, two for master’s and three for a doctorate, subject to a satisfactory progress report.
UCT also lists prestigious fellowships, which are full-cost awards with their own deadlines, and notes that a small number of National Research Foundation (NRF) awards are open to non-South Africans. Ask the Postgraduate Funding Office which ones fit your field.
UCT entrance scholarships 2027 (South African applicants)
If you are South African, or an international student writing the NSC, this section is for you. UCT says plainly that there is no application process: if you reach the published threshold, the scholarship is guaranteed. FPS is UCT’s Faculty Points Score from your NSC results, and the NBT levels refer to Academic Literacy (AL), Quantitative Literacy (QL) and Mathematics.
| Faculty | Value | Open category threshold | Redress or other route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commerce (Actuarial Science) | R40,000 | FPS 560+, NBT Proficient in AL and QL | EDU route: FPS 500+, Proficient AL and QL (disadvantage factor above 1) |
| Commerce (other BCom and Business Science) | R40,000 | FPS 540+, NBT Proficient in AL, QL and Maths | FPS 500+, Proficient AL plus QL or Maths |
| Engineering and the Built Environment | R60,000 | Final FPS (thresholds in UCT’s linked document) | 60% of awards used to encourage gender diversity |
| Health Sciences | Not stated on the page | Top performer in each category; 11 MBChB awards | Most awards split across three redress categories |
| Humanities (BA, BSocSc, BSW) | R40,000 | FPS 525+ (87.5% average), NBT Proficient AL | FPS 495+, NBT Upper Intermediate AL |
| Law (LLB) | R20,000 | FPS 510, NBT average 80% in AL and QL | 500 points, NBT average 75% |
| Science (Level 1) | R40,000 | FPS 740+, Maths 85%+ | None stated |
| Science (Level 2) | R20,000 | FPS 720 to 739, Maths 85%+ | None stated |
Humanities also funds extended programmes and the performing and creative arts (by audition or portfolio), and graduate LLB students qualify with a previous degree average of 77% (open) or 70% (redress). Health Sciences awards for physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and audiology go mainly to redress categories.
Rules that catch students out
- One year only: the award is for the year the offer is made. If you defer, you must meet the threshold for the year you register.
- Dropping out: cancel registration before mid-year exams and you lose the whole award; cancel after writing them and you keep half.
- International qualifications: some faculties keep a small dean’s allocation for excellent non-NSC results. Humanities sets 5% aside for this; Science reserves a few for South Africans who wrote international exams.
UCT funding that international students cannot get
UCT’s undergraduate financial aid and NSFAS page makes no provision for international students. For postgraduates, the 2027 Financial Aid bursary (family income under R350,000) and GAP tuition bursary (R350,001 to R600,000) are for South African citizens and permanent residents, and close on 10 November 2026. UCT also states that merit bursaries are not available for 2027. If you are from outside South Africa, do not spend time on these forms.
Key dates for University of Cape Town scholarships
| Scholarship | 2027 intake | 2028 intake |
|---|---|---|
| Mastercard Foundation (postgraduate) | 31 October 2026 (open) | 31 October 2027 |
| Mastercard Foundation (undergraduate) | 30 September 2026 (closed) | 30 September 2027 |
| International and Refugee Scholarships | 30 August 2026 (closed) | 30 August 2027 |
| Postgraduate Financial Aid and GAP bursaries (SA only) | 10 November 2026 | 10 November 2027 |
| Entrance scholarships | No application | No application |
2028 intake dates (based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens).
Corrections to common UCT scholarship claims
| Claim you may read elsewhere | What UCT says |
|---|---|
| Entrance scholarships are “open to students worldwide” | South African citizens and permanent residents, unless a faculty says otherwise |
| Fill in an entrance scholarship form with transcripts, references and a personal statement | There is no application process; awards come from admission results |
| Deadline “varies by faculty” or “not announced” | No deadline for entrance awards; international routes close 30 Aug (postgraduate) and 30 Sep or 31 Oct (Mastercard) |
| UCT scholarships are only for undergraduates | International postgraduates have the International and Refugee Scholarships and Mastercard funding |
For another Mastercard Foundation programme, see our guide to the UC Berkeley Mastercard Foundation Scholarship. If your postgraduate application needs a referee report, our recommendation letter guide has samples you can share with your referee.
FAQ on University of Cape Town scholarships
Does UCT give scholarships to international students?
Yes, but mostly at postgraduate level. African citizens can apply for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, and postgraduates from any country can apply for UCT’s International and Refugee Scholarships.
How do I apply for the UCT entrance scholarship?
You do not. UCT awards entrance scholarships automatically from your admission application and NSC and NBT results, and anyone above the threshold is guaranteed one.
Is the UCT Mastercard Foundation scholarship still open for 2027?
For postgraduate study, yes, until 31 October 2026. The undergraduate round closed on 30 September 2026; the undergraduate deadline is 30 September 2027.
When is the deadline for UCT international postgraduate scholarships?
30 August of the year before you start. For study beginning in 2028, that is 30 August 2027, and you must have applied for admission first.
Sources and updates
Entrance scholarship values, thresholds and rules come from UCT Student Affairs’ 2027 Entrance Scholarships page. Mastercard Foundation eligibility and the 30 September and 31 October 2026 deadlines come from UCT’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program pages. International and Refugee Scholarship rules and the 30 August deadline come from the UCT Postgraduate Hub’s Applying for Funding page. The 10 November 2026 closing date, income bands and the note on merit bursaries come from UCT’s 2027 postgraduate financial support notice; undergraduate aid details from UCT’s financial aid and NSFAS page. Checked on 24 October 2026. I will update this post when UCT publishes 2028 dates.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
