University of Fort Hare Postgraduate Studies

The University of Fort Hare (UFH) offers postgraduate diplomas, honours degrees, master's degrees and PhDs on its Alice, East London and Bhisho campuses. Its guide, Postgraduate Studies at UFH 2027, sets out the programmes, admission rules and an unusually wide range of bursaries. Here is how it works, based on UFH's official pages.

Closing dates for 2027

• Honours and master's: 31 October 2026
• PhD: 31 March 2027

UFH charges a late application fee for applications received after the due date.

Admission requirements

Requirements vary by faculty and programme. Some faculties require minimum average marks, specific majors or professional body registration, and some may ask candidates to pass extra assessments.

Internal bursaries for 2027

• Vice-Chancellor's Merit Bursary: for high-achieving full-time students, at R130,000 for honours and postgraduate diplomas, R150,000 for master's and R180,000 for PhDs
• DVC-RPI Doctoral Bursary: R160,000 a year for South African women in the first year of a UFH PhD
• PG Enrolment Bursary: for strong students facing financial constraints, at R40,000, R60,000 and R100,000 for full-time honours, master's and PhD students
• Supervisor Linked Bursary: supervisors nominate students in need, at R20,000, R30,000 and R50,000 full-time, or R15,000 and R25,000 for part-time master's and PhD students
• Tuition fee waiver: covers tuition only. Honours applicants need an average of 70% in their final-year majors, and students with other bursaries are not eligible

UFH also lists the UFH and AngloGold Ashanti Legacy Bursaries for dairy science and technology, and external funders such as the NRF, NIHSS, CSIR, SAMRC and HWSETA.

Bursary conditions

You must be registered at UFH for the funding period. Funding lasts one year for full-time honours, two years for a full-time master's and three for a full-time PhD, or three and four years for part-time master's and PhD study. Recipients submit annual progress reports. Permanent staff and their dependants are not eligible, and late bursary applications are not considered.

Claiming excess funds

Postgraduate students can claim excess funds from their accounts on a claim form signed by both the student and the supervisor. Claims are processed weekly. You cannot claim the fee waiver as cash, because it offsets tuition. UFH advises keeping enough funds in your account for next year's registration.

Conference funding

The Department of Postgraduate Studies and Postdoctoral Fellowships helps postgraduate students attend conferences in South Africa. Students apply themselves, not through their supervisors.

Research support

The same department runs research writing workshops and writing retreats, a postgraduate conference during the Research Week of Excellence, and the Three Minute Thesis competition.

Related pages

See Fort Hare fees, Fort Hare bursaries and how to apply to Fort Hare.