Cyril Ramaphosa  Education Trust (CRET) Bursary South Africa 2025

ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER – CYRIL RAMAPHOSA FOUNDATION & CRET

The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) Bursary Programme was formed by the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, with the aim of providing financial assistance to students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, who demonstrate strong academic results and would otherwise not be able to afford to study further.

The Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation that aims to improves lives of South African youth and creates opportunities through  education and enterprise development.

The history of the Foundation dates back to 1996, when president Cyril Ramaphosa started providing bursaries for disadvantaged students to attend university, through money earned from his public speaking engagements. The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) was then formed in 2000, based on this mission.

ABOUT THE CRET BURSARY PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED

The Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) is inviting students to apply for their bursary support programme, for the 2025 academic year.

Bursaries will be awarded for undergraduate studies, within the following fields:

• Commerce and Finance
• Education
• Engineering
• Sciences (excluding MBChB)
• Technology
• Scarce or critical skills training (including Boiler Making, Welding, Plumbing, OHS, Renewable Energy, Waste Management, Green Technology, Entrepreneurship, etc)

The CRET bursary aims to provide funding to students who may otherwise be overlooked by other bursary programmes – the programme considers the holistic needs of candidates, their potential, and student who with enough support, nurturing and mentoring, will become leaders of the future.
 

The bursary will provide full cover for the following expenses: tuition fees, textbooks and other study materials, accommodation, meals, a monthly living allowance, and transport, where required.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted – if you do not receive any feedback, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Candidates will be required to participate in a formal assessment process, which may include but is not limited to Psychometric evaluation and a formal interview.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CRET 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 a valid South African ID number
• You must be between 16 and 27 years old
• You must be currently in Matric or have completed Matric
• You must be studying or intend on studying towards an undergraduate qualification, within one of the fields of study listed above
• You must be studying or have applied/ registered to study at a recognised and accredited tertiary institution in South Africa (University, University of Technology, TVET College or other recognized learning institution)
• You must be in financial need, with a total household income of NOT more than R650 000 per annum

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE CRET BURSARY

Applications must be submitted online at:
Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) Bursary Application 2025

Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation, so please ensure you have these documents ready (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

• ID Document (certified copy)
• Most recent academic record (certified copy)
• Proof of tertiary acceptance for 2025 (on institutions letterhead)
• Motivational letter to support your application (read our tips on how to write a motivational letter for your bursary application)
• Proof of parents or guardians household income (latest pay slips if employed, affidavit if unemployed, proof of pension or grant if applicable)
• Proof of home address
• Proof of undertaking a psychometric test (that supports your chosen field of study) (applicants may download and complete the free psychometric evaluation test and submit their results with their supporting documents)

CLOSING DATE FOR THE CRET BURSARY

13 December 2024.
(Applications submitted after these dates 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 Cyril Ramaphosa  Education Trust (CRET) directly:
Tel: 011 592 6560
Email: info@cyrilramaphosa.org
Please do NOT contact CRET if this bursary has already closed.