About FirstRand

Founded in 1998, FirstRand Limited is a financial services provider in South Africa that offers investments, lending, insurance, asset management, and transactional services. As a licensed financial institution with its headquarters in Johannesburg and over 40 000 employees, FirstRand is licensed by SARB (South African Reserve Bank).

The FirstRand group was formed through the merger of RMB Holdings and Anglo American plc or the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Limited.

FirstRand International Postgraduate Bursary 2022

Students are invited to apply for the FirstRand international postgraduate bursary program, for the academic year 2022.

There are 5 different awards offered by FirstRand:

1. FirstRand Foundation scholarship;
2. FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship;
3. FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship to the University of Oxford;
4. FirstRand FNB Fund scholarship to study international postgraduate education abroad.
5. FirstRand FNB Fund Oxford education scholarship

Steps of the selection process:

• Confirmation application receipts will be sent to all applicants (through mail).
• Applicants will be assessed by at least three preliminary evaluators from RMB, FNB, FirstRand, and recipients of previous scholarships.
• A total of around 40 applicants will be shortlisted and called for an interview in Sandton, Cape Town or online through Microsoft Teams.
• Further 10 shortlisted applicants will be considered for the FirstRand Foundation Scholarship,  FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship, and FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship – interviews will be held in Sandton May 10, 2022.
• There will be four shortlisted candidates for the two scholarships in the field of Education, and they will be interviewed in Sandton on May 17, 2022.
• An announcement will be made by 31 May 2022.

Who should apply?

The following entry criteria must be met by prospective applicants. 

1) FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• The student must intend to study for a postgraduate qualification, in any field
• The applicants must intend to study abroad at an international university (outside Africa)
• There must be no current or previous overseas studies
• You should be willing to return to South Africa for at least 5 years after completing your qualification 
• Your academic record must be excellent
• Candidates must demonstrate qualities like strong character; community involvement; leadership skills; and the potential to make an impact on their desired field
• Students under 35 years of age will be given preference

2) FirstRand Foundation Scholarship:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• The applicants must be from an underprivileged background
• The student must intend to study for a postgraduate qualification, in any field
• The applicants must intend to study abroad at an international university (outside Africa)
• There must be no current or previous overseas studies
• You should be willing to return to South Africa for at least 5 years after completing your qualification 
• Candidates must demonstrate qualities like strong character; community involvement; leadership skills; and the potential to make an impact on their desired field
• Students under 35 years of age will be given preference

3) FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship at the University of Oxford:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• You must have been accepted by the University of Oxford to study MSc in African Studies (more info here): http://www.africanstudies.ox.ac.uk/msc-african-studies )
• Your academic record must be excellent
• Candidates must demonstrate qualities like strong character; community involvement; leadership skills; and the potential to make an impact on their desired field
• After you complete your studies and return to South Africa, you must contribute to the country

4) FirstRand FNB Fund Scholarship for international master’s degrees in Education at the University of Oxford:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• You must have been accepted by the University of Oxford to study MSc in Education (more info here: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/programmes/msc-education/ )
• Your academic record must be excellent
• Candidates must demonstrate qualities like strong character; community involvement; leadership skills; and the potential to make an impact on their desired field
• After you complete your studies and return to South Africa, you must contribute to the country

5) FirstRand FNB Fund Postgraduate Education Scholarship:

• Applicants must be South African citizens
• The student must intend to study for a postgraduate qualification in the field of Education
• The applicants must intend to study abroad at an international university (outside Africa)
• There must be no current or previous overseas studies
• You should be willing to return to South Africa for at least 5 years after completing your qualification 
• Candidates must demonstrate qualities like strong character; community involvement; leadership skills; and the potential to make an impact on their desired field
• Students under 35 years of age will be given preference

How do I apply?

You must apply online at FirstRand Scholarship Application 2022

Prior to Login and submitting their application, candidates will need to create an account.

When submitting your application form, you must submit the following supporting documents:

• Copy of your identification document
• A photograph of your face
• Your Matric result copy
• At least two references ( of people with whom you previously worked in an academic environment or another field of interest). The referee can email a confidential reference to: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za by marking your name clearly (or attach it to your application).
• Please include a personal statement in which you explain why you deserve this scholarship (in a maximum of 1000 words)

Application Deadline?

The last date for submitting the application is 3 March 2022.

Contact Information

Contact FirstRand directly if you have any questions about this bursary programme:

Name of contact person: Beth van Heerden

Email Id: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za

Students interested to study at the University of Oxford should email to: admissions@area.ox.ac.uk   

msc.education@education.ox.ac.uk 

Please read the frequently asked questions before you submit any questions.