ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER – SAICA

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) is a South African based accountancy body, in fact they are the top accountancy body in the country. The history of the company dates back to 1894, when it was formed in Johannesburg as “The Institute of Accountants and Auditors”. SAICA is one of the global leading Institutes and currently boasts more than 36 000 members. The company prides itself on providing their CAs with advice, support and services over the course of their professional lives.

In 1987, SAICA joined forces with the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants (ABASA) and the PAAB to create the CAs’ Eden Trust, as a means to provide bursary funding to black CAs(SA). The name then changed to the Thuthuka Bursary Fund in 2002 and has since assisted many struggling students complete their studies and reach their dreams of becoming a CA.

SAICA has been awarding bursaries to disadvantaged African and coloured students who want to study to become CAs(SA), since 2005, by way of the Thuthuka Bursary programme.

MORE ABOUT THE THUTHUKA BURSARY PROGRAMME – EXPENSES COVERED & OTHER BENEFITS

The bursary will provide cover for the following expenses: tuition, books, meals, residence fees and accommodation.

Bursary recipients will also have access to the following benefits: academic support (including various academic enrichment programmes: additional tutorials, study skills workshops etc), social and emotional support, work-readiness and life skills training, mentoring and counselling, and access to dedicated programme manager exposure to experienced chartered accountants and business leaders as mentors.

The Thuthuka Bursary will NOT pay for existing loans or debts.

MORE ABOUT THE THUTHUKA BURSARY PROGRAMME – SELECTION

Bursary recipients will be required to sign a contract with the Thuthuka Education and Upliftment Fund (TEUF) and NSFAS.

Bursaries are awarded annually and are renewed at the discretion of the fund. Candidates will be selected based on 3 main criteria: academic results, financial need as determined by the NSFAS financial means test and National Benchmark Test (NBT) results.

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted – if you do not receive any feedback, please regard your application as unsuccessful.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SAICA THUTHUKA BURSARY

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

§  You must be a Black African or Coloured student

§  You must be from a disadvantaged background

§  You must be currently in Matric OR have completed Matric within the last 2 years

§  You must have achieved a minimum result of 60% (level 5) for Mathematics in Grade 11 (NOT Mathematics Literacy or Technical Mathematics)

§  You must be studying OR intend on studying towards one of the qualifications listed above, in 2026

§  You must have applied or are in the process of applying, to study towards one of the qualifications listed above, at one of the SAICA accredited universities

§  You must have a combined family income of NOT more than R350 000 per annum

§  You must have written or will write the National Benchmark Tests (NBT) before the bursary closing date

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE SAICA THUTHUKA BURSARY

Applications must be submitted online at: SAICA Thuthuka Bursary Application 2026 

https://www.thuthukabursaryfund.co.za/

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

§  ID document (certified copy)

§  Grade 11 final results (certified copy)

§  Matric latest results, if currently in Matric (certified copy)

§  Matric final results, if completed Matric (certified copy)

§  Proof of University provisional acceptance/ registration, if currently in Matric (on University letterhead)

§  Full University academic record, if currently studying (on University letterhead)

§  Parents or guardians ID documents (certified copies)

§  Parents or guardians proof of income (latest payslips if employed, affidavit if unemployed) (certified copies)

§  ID documents or birth certificates of other dependents in your family income (certified copies)

§  Signed Thuthuka Consent Form

 

CLOSING DATE FOR THE SAICA THUTHUKA BURSARY

31 August 2025 (at 12:00).
(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 SAICA directly:
Tel: 011 621 6600
Email: tbf@saica.co.za