About the role
Nedbank has opened applications for its External Bursary Programme for the 2027 academic year, offering financial support to South African students who want to study towards an undergraduate or honours degree in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, commonly grouped as STEM, or green economy development fields. This programme forms part of Nedbank's broader strategy to address South Africa's scarce skills shortages by investing directly in students heading into these high demand areas, while building a long term talent pipeline into the bank itself.
Nedbank is one of South Africa's major banking groups, with a strong stated focus on purpose driven business and youth development, reflected in the bank's broader "Young Difference Maker" positioning across its early careers programmes. The External Bursary Programme is the earliest entry point into that pipeline, aimed specifically at academically capable students who can demonstrate genuine financial need, rather than being a general merit scholarship open to all applicants regardless of financial circumstance.
The bursary covers the core costs associated with completing a funded qualification, and successful bursars typically gain access to broader Nedbank support structures during their studies, including the kind of mentorship and vacation exposure that helps students transition more smoothly from academic study into the working world once they graduate. Nedbank is explicit that applicants who completed Grade 12 or their senior certificate with Mathematical Literacy rather than pure Mathematics will not qualify, a firm cut off given the quantitative demands of the STEM and green economy fields being funded.
To qualify, applicants need to be South African citizens intending to pursue, or already pursuing, an undergraduate or honours degree specifically within STEM or green economy development fields. Genuine financial need, assessed based on household income, is a core selection criterion, and applicants need to demonstrate university admission, whether already secured or in progress, since the bursary is designed to fund a specific course of study rather than support open ended exploration of options. Full supporting documentation, including proof of admission, academic results, and financial need documentation, forms a substantial part of the application, so students should expect the process to be fairly thorough compared to a simple online form.
This bursary is particularly well suited to strong academic performers from financially constrained households who have a clear sense of the STEM or green economy field they want to study, since the programme rewards applicants who can present a coherent, well documented case for both their academic potential and their genuine financial need. Given how targeted the funded fields are, students studying outside STEM or green economy areas, even strong students, will not be eligible for this specific programme and should look at Nedbank's other bursary or learnership offerings instead.
Applications close on 31 August 2026. Given the volume of supporting documentation required, applicants are strongly advised to begin well ahead of the deadline rather than attempting to assemble certified transcripts, proof of income, and admission documentation in the final days. Applications are submitted through Nedbank's official Graduates and Bursaries portal. Returning applicants who already have a profile on Nedbank's Talent Community can sign in directly, while new applicants will need to register a profile before applying. As with all bursary programmes, apply only through Nedbank's own official domain and never pay any fee at any stage of the process.
Requirements
- South African citizen
- Pursuing or accepted onto an undergraduate or honours degree in STEM or green economy development fields
- Grade 12 completed with Mathematics (Mathematical Literacy not accepted)
- Demonstrated financial need based on household income
- Full supporting documentation including proof of admission and academic results
How to apply
Applications are handled by Nedbank on their own site. Careers360 does not collect your documents and never charges a fee to apply.
