FirstRand International is a financial services firm in South Africa founded in the year 1998. The South African Reserve Bank licenses it, and its main headquarters is in Johannesburg. It currently has more than 40,000 staff members. The FirstRand group was initially established by merging RMB Holdings and the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Limited. The portfolio includes transactional, insurance, lending, and investment products, and it has operations in 8 other African countries.

FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarships 2026

For the Academic Year 2026, the FirstRand group offering five scholarships for international postgraduate studies to South African citizens. These scholarships include:

• FirstRand FNB Fund Oxford Education Scholarship – for a masters degree in education
• FirstRand FNB Fund Scholarship – for international postgraduate study in education
• FirstRand Foundation Scholarship – for international postgraduate study
• FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship – for international postgraduate study in any discipline at an international university.
• FirstRand Oxford African Studies Scholarship – to the University of Oxford

Interested applicants should consider the following essential points:

• Applicants must complete their applications for the scholarships online, and it must include the required reference letters and other necessary documents.
• Interested applicants must have already applied to the university of their choice directly by submitting their application.
• The adjudication panels will treat all applications in the strictest confidence.
• The decisions made by the adjudication panels are all final, and any correspondence regarding these decisions won’t get entertained.
• The adjudication panels reserve the right not to award either one of these scholarships.
• All late applications won’t get accepted.

FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarships 2026 Requirements and Eligibility

For interested applicants to qualify, they must have excelled academically in their chosen field of study. They should also demonstrate:

• Strength of character
• Leadership qualities
• Community involvement
• The potential to be someone who can inspire change in their chosen field

Applicants who have studied or are currently studying overseas aren’t eligible for this scholarship. Also, successful applicants must return to South Africa for at least five years after the completion of their studies.

How to Apply and Application Details

Applicants must complete their applications for the scholarships online at https://bursaries.firstrand.co.za/.

Before you can begin with the application process, you will need to Register an Account and then Login and proceed with your application.

Prepare the following supporting documentation ready to submit it along with your completed application form (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application be disregarded):

• Copy of your ID document
• Photo of face
• Copy of your Matric results
• Minimum of 2 references (people whom you have worked under in an academic setting or in another area of interest). Confidential references can be emailed from the referee to: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za and clearly marked with your name (or can accompany your application form).
• A personal statement explaining why you deserve to be awarded this scholarship (max. 1 000 words)

The applicants will receive confirmation notices, which they will receive through email upon receipt of their application. The applications will get evaluated by a minimum of 3 preliminary evaluators from FirstRand, RMB, TSI, FNB, and those who have won the scholarship in the past.

From these evaluators, a list of around 40 applicants will get interviewed in person either in Sandton or Cape Town. If the situation doesn’t allow face-to-face interviews (because of COVID), they will be electronically interviewed via Microsoft Teams.

Out of this list, four shortlisted candidates will get selected for the two educational scholarships. The candidates should attend their final interviews in Sandton on May 14, 2026.

The ten shortlisted candidates will get selected for the FirstRand Foundation International Postgraduate Scholarships, the FirstRand Oxford African Studies Scholarship, and FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar. The selected applicants should attend their final interviews in Sandton on May 18, 2026. A final announcement will come out before the end of May 2026.

Opening and Closing Date

Applications open on 16 December 2026 and close on 4 March 2026. No late applications will be accepted.

Contact Details

Address: 4 Merchant Place, Corner Fredman Drive and Rivonia Road, Sandton

Telephone #: +2711 282 1808

Email Address: firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za