Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Bursary South Africa 2025
ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER – ARC
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is a premier science institution that provides a strong scientific base and a broadly distributed technology transfer capacity to the entire agricultural industry in South Africa.
ARC’s specialities include Agricultural Research – Crops and Livestock, Agricultural Economics, Technology transfer, Biotechnology, Animal Health, Plant Health, Proteomics, Agricultural Capacity Development, and Natural Resource Management.
ABOUT THE ARC BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is inviting students to apply for their bursary programme, for the 2025 academic year.
Bursaries will be awarded for Masters degree studies, within Agricultural (Plant Science, Animal Sciences, Biotechnology, Engineering, and Economics) and related fields.
The bursary will cover studies in the following fields:
Agricultural Economics and Capacity Development:
- Agribusiness Management
- Agricultural Economics
- Agricultural Extension
- Econometrics
- Environmental & Natural Resources Management
- Information Systems
- Intellectual Property and Commercialisation
- Socio-Economics
Agricultural Engineering:
- Agricultural Engineering
- Agricultural Mechanization
- Agrometeorology
- Bio-resource Engineering
- Farm Structures and Farm Infrastructure
- Irrigation Engineering
- Post-Harvest and Agro-Processing
- Precision Agriculture
- Renewable Energy
Animal Sciences:
- Animal Breeding and Genetics
- Animal Nutrition
- Animal Science
- Aquaculture
- Classical Virology
- Food Safety
- Food Science/Technology
- Immunology
- Meat Science
- Rangeland or Pasture Science
- Reproductive Physiology
- Sero-Diagnosis of Bacteria Disease
- Zoology
Biotechnology:
- Animal Health
- Aquaculture
- Biofuels And Renewable Energy
- Biochemistry
- Bioinformatics
- Classical Virology
- Ethnoveterinary Medicine
- Genetics
- Genome Engineering Novel Crop Development in Plants
- Life Sciences
- Molecular Biology
- Molecular Breeding in Plants
- Molecular Pathology in Plants and Animals
- Plant Tissue Culture and Food Safety
- Taxonomy
- Toxicology
- Veterinary Science
- Veterinary Technology
- Veterinary Virology
- Zoology
Plant Sciences:
- Agro-Processing & Product Development
- Agronomy
- Analytical Chemistry
- Bacteriology & Crop Protection
- Data Science
- Earth Observation
- Entomology
- Environmental Restoration
- Geographic Information System (GIS)
- Horticulture
- Marker Assisted Breeding
- Microbiology
- Mine Rehabilitation Crop Protection
- Mycology Crop Protection
- Natural Products Chemistry
- Nematology
- Plant Breeding
- Plant pathology/Virology
- Remote Sensing
- Soil & Water
- Weed Sciences
ABOUT THE ARC BURSARY PROGRAMME – EXPENSES COVERED, PAYMENT & SELECTION
The bursary will be awarded to the value of R140 000, to be used towards study fees, accommodation, transport, food, and/or any other expenses.
Bursary recipients will also receive the following benefits: mentor from the ARC to assist with real-life research projects for studies, attending workplace training during academic holidays or times discussed with the mentor.
The bursary will be payable in 12 monthly instalments after signing a contract, and after submitting valid proof of registration.
Successful applicants will be subject to a positive security clearance.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ARC 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 South African citizen
- You must have completed an Honours Degree in Agricultural Sciences or related field
- You must be studying or intend on studying towards a Masters degree, in one of the Agricultural Sciences or a related fields of study listed above
- You must be studying or registered/ accepted to study at a University in South Africa
- Preference will be given to students from designated groups, in terms of the ARC Employment Equity Plan
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE ARC BURSARY
Applications must be submitted online at: Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Bursary Application 2025
(Reference number: ARC-PDP0001)
Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation along with your application (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):
- Cover letter
- Detailed Curriculum Vitae
- ID document (certified copy)
- Certificates of completed qualifications (certified copies)
- Proof of registration/ acceptance at a university (on institutions letterhead)
- 3 contactable referees
CLOSING DATE FOR THE ARC BURSARY
25 October 2024.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
CONTACT THE BURSARY PROVIDER
For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) directly:
Contact people: Mr Ndikho Mbuce / Ms Nebreska Heyns
Email: arcpdp@arc.agric.za
Tel: 012 427 9815 / 012 427 9858
Please do NOT contact the ARC if this bursary has already closed.