The University of the Free State (UFS) is a progressive, multi-campus public university, located in Bloemfontein and first established in 1904. UFS excels in teaching, research and learning and is highly focused on making a positive social impact.
The university’s vision is to contribute to the development and social justice in South Africa. They aim to do this by producing globally competitive graduates and knowledge.
UFS achieves its vision through its many goals- to improve its student’s overall success and well-being, transform the curriculum, support social development and justice by the means of scholarship programmes, increase the university’s contribution to knowledge, achieve financial sustainability, and more.
ABOUT THE UFS DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
The University of Free State’s SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development Research Programme (HEHD) is inviting Doctoral students to apply for scholarship funding, for the 2024 academic year.
The areas of research for the 2024 academic year, may include (but are not limited to):
- Educational Technology in Higher Education
- Inclusion or exclusion in African Higher Education
- International Student Mobility
- Participatory Methods in Higher Education Research
- Private higher education in Africa (comparative perspectives)
- Refugees in Higher Education
- University and Community Collaborations
The ideal Doctoral Research candidate must have preferably partaken in research such as development studies, education and development, and higher education studies or related disciplines such as sociology, philosophy, and politics for their Honours and Masters degree.
Successful candidates will be required to perform doctoral research on human development and higher education. They will also be required to participate in relevant HEHD activities and the School of Postgraduate Studies.
This programme collaborated with partners and will include theoretical and empirical research pertaining to human development which is applied to social justice challenges in development and higher education. HEHD will undertake a suite of graduate research as well as mixed methods research under the guidance of SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development, Professor Melanie Walker.
MORE ABOUT THE UFS DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – COVERAGE VALUE
The university will select 2 qualified, motivated and talented students, to receive the scholarship award. The value of the fellowship is R180 000 per year, as well as an extra R30 000 for research expenses (registration fees will be deducted each year).
Funding will be awarded for a maximum of 3 years, on the condition that recipients maintain satisfactory performance for doctoral studies.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UFS DOCTORAL 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):
- You must be a South African citizen or a foreign national
- You must intend on pursuing full-time research at the University of the Free State, in 2024
- You must have graduated with a Masters degree in a relevant discipline
- You must have graduated within the last 5 years
- You must have graduated with a minimum overall aggregate of 70%
- You must NOT be employed on a full-time basis (and not take up full-time employment for the full duration of the fellowship)
- You must be willing to reside as a full-time student at UFS for the duration of the programme (and relocate if you are not located near UFS)
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE UFS DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP
Candidates who meet all of the eligibility criteria, may apply by submitting clear copies of the following supporting documentation (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):
- ID document, if a South African citizen (certified copy)
- Passport, if a foreign national (certified copy)
- Masters degree certificate (certified copy)
- Full academic record/ transcripts (on institutions letterhead)
- Motivational letter to support your application
- SAQA verification certificate
- Proposed doctoral research outline, including: the aim, research questions, a preliminary literature review, and methods (6 to 10 pages in length)
- Masters Thesis (pdf copy)
- Curriculum Vitae, including: research publications, conference papers and grants received
- Contact details of 2 academic referees who have taught or supervised you and can vouch for you
Note: there is no application form, candidates need only submit the list of documents above to apply.
Applications must be submitted via email to Dr Faith Mkwananzi at: [email protected]
(Insert the words “Doctoral Scholarship HEHD” in the email subject line).
CLOSING DATE FOR THE UFS DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP
29 October.
(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 this bursary programme, please contact the University of Free State directly:
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Bloemfontein campus – Tel: 051 401 9111
Qwaqwa campus – Tel: 058 718 5000
South campus – Tel: 051 401 9111