Absa Group Limited is a financial services group located in South Africa and listed on the JSE. The Group is a major stakeholder and owner of banks in South Africa, as well as in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. They are also located in Namibia, Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Group is one of the biggest diversified financial services groups on the African continent and they offer clients the following services: personal banking, business banking, corporate banking, investment banking, credit cards, bancassurance, wealth and investment management.
ABOUT THE ABSA FELLOWSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
Absa are inviting students from selected African countries, to apply for the Absa Fellowship Programme. Students will not only receive a full merit scholarship, they will also receive exposure to a specifically designed Leadership Development Programme and mentorship by Absa leadership and industry experts. The Absa Fellowship aims to provide financial assistance for tertiary studies, develop capable leadership, encourage transformative collaboration and aid progressive thinking.
The scholarship will provide cover for NQF7 undergraduate degree studies within the fields of: Creative Arts, Digital or Data Design, Engineering, Humanities (Social Sciences), Mathematics, Science and Technology, including the following:
ARTS:
- Creative Arts
- Digital Arts
- Drama
- Drama and Film Studies
- Drama and Performance
- Drama and Theatre Studies
- Fine Arts
- Film and Media Production
- Film and Television
- Media Studies
- Theatre and Performance
- Visual Arts
- Visual Studies
DESIGN:
- Architecture
- City and Regional
- Digital Media
- Game design
- Graphic Design
- Industrial Design
- Information Design
- Integrated Art and Design
- Interior Architecture
- Media and Writing
- Multi Media
- Multimedia (Digital) Design
- Urban Design
- Urban, Regional and Development Planning
- Visual Communication
ENGINEERING:
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Bioresources Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering (Construction, Engineering and Civil Engineering Informatics, Engineering and Management, Structural Engineering, Water and Environmental Engineering)
- Construction Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Electronic, Energy, Informatics, Robotics, Telecommunication)
- Energy
- Extraction Metallurgy
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechatronic Engineering
- Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Nuclear Science and Engineering
- Physical Metallurgy
- Robotics
- Sound Engineering
- Water and Environmental Engineering
SCIENCE (any BSc degree, including but not limited to):
- Agriculture
- Applied Bioinformatics
- Applied Chemistry
- Applied Physics and Engineering Mathematics
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Biochemistry
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Biology
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Biology
- Chemistry
- Chemistry and Chemical Technology
- Chemistry and Polymer Science
- Chemistry with Chemical Engineering
- Developmental Biology
- Earth Sciences
- Food Science
- Genetics
- Geoinformatics
- Hydrology
- Marine Biology
- Meteorology
- Molecular Biology
- Ocean and Atmosphere Science
- Oceanography
- Physics
SOCIAL SCIENCE: HUMANITIES (any BA degree, including but not limited to):
- Arts and Visual Arts
- Audiology
- Drama
- Education
- Languages
- Law
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Philosophy
- Political Sciences
- Politics
- Social Dynamics
- Social Work
- Speech-Language
- Theatre and Performance
MATHEMATICS:
- Actuarial and Financial Mathematics
- Actuarial Science
- Applied Mathematics
- Applied Statistics
- Computational and Applied Mathematics
- Econometrics
- Mathematical Sciences
- Mathematical Statistics
- Mathematics
- Mathematics of Finance
- Pure Mathematics
- Statistics
- Statistics and Data Science
TECHNOLOGY:
- Business Computing
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Computer Science and Informatics
- Computer Science and Statistics
- Informatics
- Information and Knowledge Systems
- Information Engineering
- Information Systems
- Information Systems and Computer Science
- Information Systems Management
- Information Technology
MORE ABOUT THE ABSA FELLOWSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE, RENEWABILITY & SERVICE CONTRACT
The fellowship will provide cover for the following study related expenses: tuition fees, textbooks, educational equipment, laptop, accommodation, meal allowance and a monthly stipend.
Students will be required to take part in Absa’s leadership development programme, which will include the following: online lectures and assessments, leadership programme, learner modules and guides, travel expenses (if required), emotional wellness check-ins, academic tutoring and mentoring.
Fellowships are awarded for 1 academic year at a time and will be awarded for the following year based on these factors: academic performance, conduct at the end of the academic year, current eligibility requirements, attendance participation of at least 85%, and participation in the leadership programme workshops and interventions.
Students are NOT required to pay back the award after graduation/ completing their studies.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ABSA FELLOWSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP
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):
- Must be a citizen and permanent resident in South Africa (or any of these countries: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia)
- Must be between 18 and 25 years old
- Must be currently in Matric or have completed Matric
- Must have received a minimum overall average of 65% in Matric or an equivalent qualifications from a TVET college
- Must be studying or intend on studying full time, towards an undergraduate degree in one of the aforementioned fields of study
- Must have receive provisional or full acceptance from one of these Universities in South Africa: University of Cape Town/ University of Stellenbosch/ University of Johannesburg/ University of the Witwatersrand/ University of Pretoria/ University of KwaZulu-Natal (other institutes are NOT covered)
- Must be entering your first year of study
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE ABSA FELLOWSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP
Applications must be submitted online at: https://absafellowship.sv.co.za/pages/login
Students will be required to register an account before proceeding with their application: https://absafellowship.sv.co.za/pages/register
* Please download and read the Absa Fellowship FAQ’s (.pdf) before applying.
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 may be disqualified):
- ID document (certified copy)
- Passport/ ID document if not an SA citizen (certified copy)
- Matric students: final Matric results/ NCV Level 4 results
- Current tertiary students: last years final exam results
- Provisional or final acceptance from one of the aforementioned universities
- Disability certificate, if applicable
- Confirmation of tuition and accommodation fees
- Proof of parents/ guardians household income: pay slips if employed/ affidavit if unemployed/ SASSA slip if applicable/ Pension slip if applicable/ proof of maintenance if parents are
- divorced/ death certificate if deceased (certified after December 2020)
SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE ABSA FELLOWSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP
Students will be selected based on these criteria: academic merit, assessed skills, competency, field of study and university. The selection process will include the following steps:
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited to take part in online assessments.
- Further shortlisted candidates will be invited to take part in online panel interviews with Absa’s Senior Managers.
- The next stage of shortlisted candidates will be submitted to the Scholarship Committee for pre- final selection and these recipients will then undergo a social media background check and thereafter a provisional offer letter will be sent.
- Candidates who receive the provisional offer letter, must then submit proof of final acceptance/ registration at a selected university, as well as final matric results and quotes from the university for tuition and accommodation.
CLOSING DATE FOR THE ABSA FELLOWSHIP/ SCHOLARSHIP
5 April.
(Applications will reopen in the last quarter of 2021, for the 2024 academic year).
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
CONTACT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER
For any queries related to this scholarship programme, please contact Absa directly:
Head Office
Tel: 011 350 4000