The University of South Africa (Unisa) is one of many of South Africa's public universities that receive a government funding aid in the form of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), to fund students’ teaching qualifications.
However, apart from NSFAS, there are a number of other bursary options for teaching available for Unisa students. Students at the university who want to pursue a career in education have teaching bursary options that they can apply for.
The amount of money you'd need to pay for tuition fees at Unisa depends on the teaching course/qualification you are enrolled in, as well as the number of modules you choose to select.
The average student registers for between 4 and 6 modules per year, at a cost of between *R1 665,00 and *R4 835,00 per module (*these amounts are subject to change).
The module costs do not include the prescribed books; these books are an additional cost that you must include in your calculations for your full cost of study.
Unisa provides students with a form which will determine their study fees quotation.
The bursaries available for students pursuing teaching include the Funza Lushaka bursary, which can be considered a derivative of NSFAS. This bursary specifically offers funding for and caters to future teachers.
The Funza Lushaka bursary covers the full cost of tuition for students who want to pursue a teaching qualification in any area of national priority, and at any recognised public institution, including Unisa.
The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) bursary also offers bursaries to marginalized students in any field of study, including education, at any university, university of technology, or accredited college, Unisa included.
Finally, there is the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (Isasa) bursary that caters specifically to studies at Unisa.
The South African Mathematics and Science Teacher Intern (Samstip) programme, which is an Isasa initiative, aims to offer “prospective Senior and Further Education and Training (FET) teachers specialising in the fields of Mathematics and the Sciences the opportunity to secure bursaries to study for a one-year (PGCE) at Unisa”, according to the Isasa website.
The bursary will cover all the student’s university fees, including: tuition, textbook costs, transportation allowances, accommodation costs, and a small monthly stipend.
The bursary programme appeals to final-year education students in Mathematics and Sciences who plan to pursue their PGCE at Unisa.
