Santam

About Santam

Santam is South Africa's largest short-term insurer. It was founded on 1 May 1918 as the Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Trust en Assuransie Maatskappy. One month later, its life assurance business was set up separately, and that business grew into Sanlam. Today Santam is listed on the JSE, has its head office in Bellville in Cape Town, and is majority-owned by Sanlam.

The company offers personal, commercial and agricultural insurance. It sells through brokers, agents and direct channels. Because insurance depends on careful maths and sound judgement, Santam needs a steady supply of skilled graduates.

How Santam supports students

Santam runs a bursary programme to help build that supply. It is managed together with StudyTrust, an organisation that supports students through their degrees and into work. The programme is aimed at students in their second, third or final year of undergraduate study. Honours and postgraduate diploma students can also apply.

Published fields of study include insurance, risk management, finance, economics, mathematics, technical accounting, civil and mechanical engineering, geomatics, construction, and agriculture such as crop production and soil science. Agriculture is on the list because Santam insures farms and crops. The aim of the support is to let students focus on their studies rather than on money worries.

Santam employs more than 6,000 people, which shows how many different jobs sit behind a short-term insurer. Underwriters judge risk, actuaries price it, and claims teams and engineers assess damage. For example, a civil engineering graduate might help assess how buildings respond to storms, while a data science graduate could study claims patterns. Santam also insures farms, which is why agricultural students appear on its bursary list. Keep your marks, registration proof and income documents ready, because incomplete applications are hard to assess.

What to know before applying

Applicants must be South African citizens who study full-time at a recognised South African institution. A minimum average of about 65% is usually required for the previous academic year, including mid-year marks. Santam also wants applicants who are interested in a career in short-term insurance.

Applications go through the StudyTrust online portal, and email or paper submissions are not accepted. You normally upload a certified ID, your academic record, proof of registration or acceptance, a motivation letter, a CV and proof of household income. Santam bursaries are generally linked to work-back, which means you may need to work for Santam or an industry partner after graduating. However, the length of this period can differ between awards. Check the details in your own contract, and confirm the current fields and closing date on the official site.