What Can Bursaries Be Used For ? Bursaries in South Africa
A bursary is a monetary award made by an institution to individuals or groups of people who cannot afford to pay full fees. In return for the bursary the individual is usually obligated to be employed at the institution for the duration as the bursary. According to The Good Schools Guide, a bursary is “usually for helping out the impoverished but deserving and those fallen on hard times”.
There are two types of bursary awarded by institutions (such as universities). The first is a means-tested bursary which is available for all students whose parents earn under a threshold value per annum. It is often given out using a sliding scale, with people at the lowest end of the scale receiving a full bursary and the monetary award decreasing in value with proportion to the parental earnings.
The second type of bursary, also known as a “scholarship” or “prize”, is one based on performance. These awards are generally given for good performance in the exams preceding university or college entrance in which the student achieves grades above the standard entry. These can be awarded by the university or, sometimes, by companies.
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