Dear Lucien Thank you for your question regarding bursaries to study in the Western Cape.

I am so sorry you are feeling frustrated at the process of looking for financial assistance as a foreign student. There are a number of reasons why applications for bursaries are turned down. Most funds have very scare resources and so to help them make decisions they have very strict criteria and rules they need to apply. These are usually excellent school academic performance, the type of qualification they support (for example, engineering and accounting) and how needy the family is. When you apply for a bursary you are competing with hundreds of applicants for a small number of bursaries.

Also before you can even apply for a bursary you need to make sure you meet the admission requirements for the course you want to register for. We suggest you use the following list of Western Cape public education institutions to find out what the admission requirements are for foreign students: 

Western Cape FET Colleges:
• College of Cape Town (http://www.cct.edu.za)
• False Bay College (http://www.falsebaycollege.co.za
• Northlink College (http://www.northlink.co.za)
• West Coast College (http://www.westcoastcollege.co.za)
• Boland College (http://www.bolandcollege.com)
• South Cape College http://www.sccollege.co.za/

Western Cape Public Higher Education Institutions
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology (www.cput.ac.za)
• University of Cape Town (www.uct.ac.za)
• University of Stellenbosch (www.sun.ac.za)
• University of the Western Cape (www.uwc.ac.za)

If you meet the entry requirements for the qualification you are interested in then contact the Financial Aid Office of the university, university of technology of further education and training college where you plan to study for information on the bursaries and loans you may be eligible to apply for.  They generally also provide information about funding sources, expected costs and strategies for balancing your study budget.

Some organizations also provide bursaries and scholarships. However, these usually only specific application criteria for example some bursaries require you to study commerce, science or engineering degrees with majors in computer science, information systems and various engineering and technology disciplines.  Try some of the following:

• Study Trust: http://www.studytrust.org.za/,
• African Scholars Fund: P O Box 294 Rondebosch 7700, email address: office@asf.org.za

Another good source of bursary information is the Career Planet bursary page to (http://www.careerplanet.co.za/_pages/bursaries). Please make sure you meet application deadline dates and the admission requirements. The dates given are the date that the bursary scheme should receive the application, so post your application forms at least a week in advance of the due date.

We hope this information will assist you to gain access to the academic qualifications you are looking for. Best wishes from the Career Planet Team.

Kabelo Asks: Do you of any companies that offer bursaries for national diploma or BTech degree in analytical chemistry, offer it during the second semester because I know of many companies that do but only by the start of the academic year (January).

Dear Kabelo We suggest you contact the Financial Aid Office of the University of Technology you intend to register with and ask them if you are eligible for any bursaries or loans for the second semester.

Best wishes from The Career Planet Team

Ayesha Asks: I have been in the Child Care Sector for five year and worked as a pre-school teacher trying to help the community, one of my resent employments was at a children’s home were I worked with abused, homeless children. And when the facility closed many of these kids had to return to that circumstance or just placed some where until they could find a better home. I registered with Unisa to complete a law degree (LLB); I am going to do this part-time since I also have to work. I am looking for financial assistance or a learnership for my studies.

Dear Ayesha Thank you for your email regarding financial assistance for your studies.  Funding your studies requires you to explore a number of financial aid sources and apply for bursaries, scholarships and loans:

We suggest you start with UNISA student support web page which deals with financial assistance: http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=16967

Also visit to the Career Planet bursary page http://www.careerplanet.co.za/_pages/bursaries. Please make sure you meet application deadline dates. The dates given are the date that the bursary scheme should receive the application, so post your application forms at least a week in advance of the due date.

Some organizations also provide bursaries and scholarships. However, these usually only specific application criteria for example some bursaries require you to study commerce, science or engineering degrees with majors in computer science, information systems and various engineering and technology disciplines.  Try some of the following:

Study Trust: http://www.studytrust.org.za/,
African Scholars Fund: P O Box 294 Rondebosch 7700, email address: office@asf.org.za

We hope this information will assist you to gain access to the academic qualifications you require for a career in law. Best wishes from The Career Planet Team