South African Journal on Human Rights (SAJHR) Bursary South Africa 2027

WHAT FIELDS OF STUDY DOES THE SAJHR BURSARY PROGRAMME COVER?

The SAJHR is inviting students to apply for their Postgraduate top-up bursary, for the 2025 academic year.

The bursary is aimed at postgraduate students, who are studying towards an LLM degree qualification, dealing with constitutional, human rights and/or justice-related issues in any field, at any public university in South Africa.

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THE SAJHR BURSARY?

This is a ‘top-up’ bursary, therefore it only covers a portion of study-related fees, to the maximum value of R50 000 (the final amount will be determined on a case-by-case basis).

This is a once-off payment aimed to provide assistance in covering the candidate’s cost of study.

WHAT IS THE SELECTION PROCESS OF THE SAJHR BURSARY?

Successful candidates will be notified by the end of June 2026. If you do not receive any feedback by this date, please regard your application as unsuccessful.

WHAT IS THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE SAJHR 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 Black South African or African
• You must have recently graduated with an LLB qualification, from any university in South Africa
• You must have achieved a minimum overall average of 65% for your LLB studies
• You must be registered to study towards an LLM degree, in your 1st or 2nd (final) year, at any public university in South Africa
• You must be completing coursework and research report/ mini-dissertation or full research dissertation in the vast field of human rights, constitutional, and/or justice-related law
• Preference will be given to students who graduated from any of the following universities, (however students who completed their studies at other universities may also apply):
  • University of Fort Hare
  • University of Venda
  • University of Limpopo
  • University of Zululand
  • University of the Western Cape
  • Walter Sisulu University
• Preference will be given to students with a strong academic record and proof of financial need

HOW CAN I APPLY FOR THE SAJHR BURSARY?

Students who meet the above criteria, may apply via email to: kok.joey@gmail.com
(Insert the words “SAJHR top-up bursary 2026” in the email subject line).

Note: there is no application form to be completed for this bursary application – students need only submit the list of documents below to apply.

WHAT DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE SAJHR BURSARY APPLICATION?

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

• ID document, if a South African citizen (certified copy)
• Passport with permanent residency, if a permanent resident in South Africa (certified copy)
• Full academic transcript/ record (on institutions letterhead)
• Updated Curriculum Vitae
• Contact details of 2 contactable references
• Motivational letter to support your application and prove your financial need (for example, a student account statement) (read our tips on how to write a motivational letter for your bursary application)

WHEN IS THE CLOSING DATE FOR THE SAJHR BURSARY?

31 May 2026.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

HOW CAN I CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER?

For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact the SAJHR directly:
Contact person: Dr Joey Kok (Managing Editor)
Email: kok.joey@gmail.com

WHAT DOES THE SAJHR DO?

The South African Journal on Human Rights (SAJHR) was founded in 1985 by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and is housed at the School of Law, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

The SAJHR is one of the top public law journals in the country and publishes the highest standards of scholarships for a worldwide readership. The SAJHR is committed to enhancing scholarships on human rights, constitutional, and justice-related law within South Africa