Doctoral Office
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RIDS  |  Tygerberg Doctoral Office

PhD Fees and Funding


The required fees must be settled before registration for a particular academic year can occur. Formal written proof that a bursary is due to be paid to your student account by the registration deadline, may in certain cases assist with the lifting of the financial block to facilitate registration.
Fees for the current academic year are included in Part 3 of the SU Calendar.
Prospective SU students may also request a non-binding estimate from this link.
Please note:
  • Student fees are set for one academic year, and fee structures are subject to change without notice.​
  • Additional fee implicants apply when a student exceeds the maximum duration of a programme.
Students registered for a doctoral preparatory phase will benefit from significantly lower fees for the first year of work toward the doctorate, though the amount increases if ethics approval is not attained during this year.

Students receive regular electronic accounts at their student email address or address registered on the relevant SU student information system. Doctoral students in the FMHS may also request the outstanding balance on their student account from Ms Lesanne Matthee (lm@sun.a​c.za).

International students may request a statement for the purpose of lifting the international block from Tygerberg International (raza@sun.ac.za CC stimm@sun.ac.za; tyg-phd@sun.ac.za). Payment must be made well in time to allow sufficient opportunity for registration before the final cut-off date of 31 January for each consecutive academic year; and 31 March when registering for the first time.

All SU staff are welcome to apply for a staff rebate via FMHS Business Management. Email Ms Lezel Fisher (lezel@sun.ac.za).


​Financial Support

South African students from specific household income categories may qualify for funding from the National Student​ Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The SU Work-Study Programme allows students to gain work experience while studying. These students earn a minimal income per month to assist with their financial need. To find out more about the Work-Study Programme, contact Ms Lizzie Witbooi at lgwitbooi@sun.ac.za.


Research Funding

Various bursaries are available to PhD candidates on a competitive basis. South-African PhD candidates can apply for all available bursaries. International PhD candidates can only apply for the Harry Crossley, NRF and the SU Postgraduate Scholarship Programme. Research degree funding is also available from several funding bodies, including the National Research Foundation (NRF), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and private foundations.

These opportunities usually have application closing dates during the course of the second semester with a view to first registration in January. There are also Private bursaries available. The closing date for these are usually the first Friday in December each year. 

  • SU Bursaries and Loans for the current academic year are covered in Part 2 of the SU Calendar.
  • Numerous calls for funding applications are published at this link throughout the year, but concentrated in July to October with a view to support in the following academic year. Also consider making use of the opportunities for funding support.
  • Visit the official page on available bursaries.
  • The link from where students may apply for funding/bursaries is here.

Each of these bursaries on the website have specific conditions which may change from year to year. Should you want to pursue a specific opportunity, it may be best to enquire directly to Mr Jongi Ndlebe at postgradfunding@sun.ac.za.

Alongside the scholarships that privilege medicine and health sciences studies, certain funding opportunities have been under-utilised in the faculty. Candidates have disqualified themselves by failing to apply. PhD students with research topics that are inter- or multidisciplinary and include elements of social sciences are encouraged to consider and apply for those funding opportunities that are not restricted to health sciences.

For instance, The National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences and HB & MJ Thom Scholarship programme are often overlooked funding opportunities, that are open to South African citizens.

The Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa call is open to citizens of any sub-Saharan African country doing PhD at an accredited university in South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda. These scholarships support studies focused on three thematic areas: Peace, Security, and Development. Health sciences project can be linked to these themes with adequate motivation of the project’s relevance and in particular to development in Africa.

To qualify for calls such as these, pay attention to the call and identify ways to demonstrate the potential social impact of a doctoral study. Social issues are diverse with health components included, it takes a holistic approach when applying or answering calls under social sciences.

It is always important to prepare adequately for the application process and attend to the specific requirements of each particular funding opportunity.


Allowances

With regard to Intellimali disbursements, please see http://www.intellimali.co.za/. Students may track their stipends for living/food and accommodation via the Intellimali portal. Log in with username [your student number] and password [code]. To achieve this, make sure that your correct cell phone number is captured on the university system (My.SUN > My Profile > My Personal Information > Cell phone numbers), as your code will be sent via SMS to the cell phone number entered on mySUN. A portal will open where you need to enter/capture your bank account details. An email containing a link will be sent to your student email address. Please verify the information in the email by clicking on the link. Should you still experience problems, you may enquire to IntelliMali at tel 0872300161 or email address info@intellimali.co.za.


Student loans

Should you not be awarded a bursary or scholarship, you may want to consider the common practice among students in professional degrees of taking out a private student loan which is usually repayable upon graduation, when you have started your career. It is not advisable to make use of micro-lenders or informal institutions for this purpose. Financial legislation will protect you and interest rates will be significantly more favourable if you take out a loan from a well established bank licensed in your country of ordinary residence and citizenship.

For more information on possible student loans to South African citizens:

- Please visit this link about independent applications;

- Please visit this link about the option to apply for a loan as per the SU FMHS agreement with the relevant bank;

- You are also welcome to enquire about student loan options at your regular, SA Reserve Bank registered bank.