FirstRand International Postgraduate Scholarships 2026

FirstRand Limited was formed in 1998 as a South African financial services provider, whose products include lending, investments, asset management, insurance and transactional services. Licensed by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), and headquartered in Johannesburg, FirstRand currently employs over 40 000 staff members. The FirstRand group was established by a merger between Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Limited (Anglo American plc) and RMB Holdings.

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): 1)FirstRand Laurie Dippenaar Scholarship: You must be a South African citizenYou must intend on studying towards a postgraduate qualification, in ANY field of studyYou must have applied to study at any international university outside of South AfricaYou must NOT currently or previously have studied overseasYou must be willing to return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing your qualificationYou must have an excellent academic recordMust demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; strong character; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen fieldPreference will be given to students under 35 years old 2) FirstRand Empowerment Foundation Scholarship: You must be a South African citizenYou must be from a previously disadvantaged backgroundYou must intend on studying towards a postgraduate qualification, in ANY field of studyYou must have applied to study at any international university outside of South AfricaYou must NOT currently or previously have studied overseasYou must be willing to return to South Africa for a minimum of 5 years after completing your qualificationYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; strong character; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen fieldPreference will be given to students under 35 years old 3) FirstRand Oxford African Studies scholarship at the University of Oxford: You must be a South African citizenYou must have been accepted to study towards a MSc in African Studies at the University of Oxford (read more about theMSc in African Studies qualificationhere) (applications close of 27 January 2026, 12:00 UK time for this study programme)You must have an excellent academic recordYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen fieldYou must contribute to South Africa after completing studies and returning to the country 4) FirstRand Oxford Blavatnik School of Government scholarship at the University of Oxford: You must be a South African citizenYou must have been accepted to study towards a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford (read more about theMaster of Public Policy qualificationhere) (applications close of 2 December 2025, 12:00 UK time for this study programme)You must wish to deepen your understanding of public policy challenges in order to become a more effective leader and changemakerYou must have an excellent academic recordYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen fieldYou must contribute to South Africa after completing studies and returning to the country 5) FirstRand Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment scholarship at the University of Oxford: You must be a South African citizenYou must have been accepted to study towards a MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford (read more about theMSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment qualificationhere) (applications close of 27 January 2026, 12:00 UK time for this study programme)You must wish to deepen your understanding of public policy challenges in order to become a more effective leader and changemakerYou must have an excellent academic recordYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen fieldYou must contribute to South Africa after completing studies and returning to the country 6) FirstRand IHE Delft Water Education scholarship at IHE Delft: You must be a South African citizenYou must have been accepted to study towards a MSc in Water and Sustainable Development at IHE Delft in any of these 4 thematic tracks: water, food and energy / water hazards, risks and climate / water and health / water resources and ecosystem health (read more about theMSc in Water and Sustainable Development qualificationhere – applications close on 19 February 2026)You must have an excellent academic recordYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen fieldYou must contribute to South Africa after completing studies and returning to the country 7) FirstRand IE School of Science and Technology scholarship: You must be a South African citizenYou must intend on studying towards an MSc in Business Analytics and Big Data or MSc in Computer and Business Technology, at the School of Science and Technology at the IE University in Madrid (applications close on 19 February 2026)You must have an excellent academic recordYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen field 8) Mandela scholarship supported by the FirstRand Empowerment Foundation: You must be a South African citizenYou must intend on studying towards a Masters degree in any discipline at the University of Sussex (applications close on 19 February 2026)You must have an excellent academic recordYou must demonstrate the following qualities: leadership skills; community involvement; and potential to be a destiny changer your chosen field

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Applications must be submitted online at:FirstRand Scholarship Application 2026 Applicants will be required toRegister an Accountbefore they canLoginand apply. Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your completed application form (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified): Minimum of 2 references (If you attended university less than 6 years ago, at least 1 must be from an academic. If you have been working for the past 6 or more years, 1 does not have to be from an academic.) (You may attach the references letter to your application or the referees may email it tofirstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.zaand clearly mark it as your reference, before the closing date). Note: university acceptance letters must be submitted as soon as they are received (no later than 7 April 2026), to firstrandpgscholarship@firstrand.co.za