FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarships/Bursary 2020

ABOUT THE COMPANY – FIRSTRAND

FirstRand Limited was formed in 1998 as a South African financial services provider, whose products include lending, investments, asset management, insurance and transactional services. Licensed by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), and headquartered in Johannesburg, FirstRand currently employs
over 40 000 staff members.

The FirstRand group was established by a merger between Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Limited (Anglo American plc) and RMB Holdings.

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES

FirstRand will be offering 5 different scholarship awards for international Postgraduate studies, including:
1) FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship:

• applicable for any field of study towards a postgraduate qualification
• studies must be completed outside of South Africa at an international university of your choice
• the scholarship is valued at R850 000
• students must return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing their studies

2) FirstRand Foundation Scholarship:

• for previously disadvantaged students
• applicable for any field of study towards a postgraduate qualification
• studies must be completed outside of South Africa at an international university of your choice
• the scholarship is valued at R850 000
• students must return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing their studies

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

• applicable for a Masters degree at the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford
• will be awarded to academically deserving student
• full funding will be awarded to 1 student each year
• students will be housed at Wadham College
• partnership will run for 3 years
• To find out more about the MSc in African Studies and to apply, visit: http://www.africanstudies.ox.ac.uk/msc-african-studies (applications close on 24 January 2020)

4) FirstRand FNB Fund Scholarship for international Masters study in Education at the University of Oxford:

• applicable for a Masters degree at the Department of Education at the University of Oxford
• will be awarded to academically deserving student
• full funding will be awarded to 1 student each year
• students will be housed at Wadham College
• partnership will run for 4 years
• To find out more about the master’s in education and to apply, visit: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/social-sciences/education?wssl=1 (applications close on 24 January 2020)

5) FirstRand FNB Fund Postgraduate Education Scholarship:

• applicable for a postgraduate qualification in Education
• studies must be completed outside of South Africa at an international university of your choice
• the scholarship is valued at R850 000
• students must return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing their studies

MORE ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES – SELECTION

The selection process will include the following steps:
1) You will receive an email notification once your application has been received.
2) Your application will be assessed by a minimum of 3 preliminary evaluators from FirstRand, FNB, RMB, TSI and prior scholarship recipients.
3) Approximately 40 applicants will be selected and invited to attend an interview in Cape Town or Sandton.
4) There will be 4 shortlisted candidates selected for the 2 education scholarships – these applicants will be required to attend a final interview in Sandton on 17 April 2020. There will be 10 shortlisted candidates selected for the FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar, FirstRand Foundation international postgraduate and the FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship – these applicants will be required to attend a final interview in Sandton on 21 April 2020.
5) A final decision and announcement will be made by the end of June 2020.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

1) FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar scholarship:

• South African citizen
• Good academic record
• Intend on studying towards a postgraduate qualification, in any field, at an international university of your choice
• NOT currently or previously been studying overseas
• Possess the following qualities: strong leadership skills, strong personal character, involvement in the community, ability to make a difference in your field of study
• *Preference will be given to students under 35 years of age

2) FirstRand Foundation scholarship:

• South African citizen
• From a previously disadvantaged background
• Good academic record
• Intend on studying towards a postgraduate qualification, in any field, at an international university of your choice
• NOT currently or previously been studying overseas
• Possess the following qualities: strong leadership skills, strong personal character, involvement in the community, ability to make a difference in your field of study
• *Preference will be given to students under 35 years of age

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

• South African citizen
• Been accepted to the University of Oxford, in the MSc in African Studies programme
• Will contribute to South Africa after graduation and returning home
• Possess the following qualities: strong leadership skills, strong personal character, involvement in the community, ability to make a difference in your field of study

4) FirstRand FNB Fund Scholarship for international Masters study in Education at the University of Oxford:

• South African citizen
• Been accepted to the University of Oxford, in the Masters in Education programme
• Will contribute to South Africa after graduation and returning home
• Possess the following qualities: strong leadership skills, strong personal character, involvement in the community, ability to make a difference in your field of study

5) FirstRand FNB Fund Postgraduate Education Scholarship:

• South African citizen
• Good academic record
• Intend on studying towards a postgraduate Education qualification, at an international university of your choice
• NOT currently or previously been studying overseas
• Possess the following qualities: strong leadership skills, strong personal character, involvement in the community, ability to make a difference in your field of study
• *Preference will be given to students under 35 years of age

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP

Applications must be done online at: https://bursaries.firstrand.co.za/

Before you can apply, you will need to Register an Account (https://bursaries.firstrand.co.za/Account/Register) and then Login (https://bursaries.firstrand.co.za/Account/Login) and proceed with your application.

Students should also read the following frequently asked questions: https://bursaries.firstrand.co.za/Bursary/Faq

Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed application form (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application be disregarded):

• Copy of your ID document
• Photo of face
• Copy of your Matric results
• Minimum of 2 references (people whom you have worked under in an academic setting or in another area of interest). Confidential references can be emailed from the referee to: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za and clearly marked with your name (or can accompany your application form).
• A personal statement explaining why you deserve to be awarded this scholarship (max. 1 000 words) 

CLOSING DATE

20 February 2020.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER

For any queries related to these scholarship programmes, please contact FirstRand directly:
Contact Person: Beth van Heerden
Email: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za