Scholarships are one of the best ways to learn while studying overseas, but what if you were offered an opportunity to study at the country’s top university without paying anything at all?
Tom Queba Scholarships Fund (TQSF) offers South African students the chance to study in any of the following programs at UNISA, tuition-free:
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Social Sciences, Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Accounting, Marketing, and Finance, Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering with majors in Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Engineering, and Postgraduate Programmes.
The history of the Tom Queba scholarship
Tom Queba studied engineering at the University of Cape Town. After he graduated, he recognized a need in his country, then known as apartheid-stricken South Africa, for engineers with strong education and work ethic.
To solve this problem and make up for the shortcomings of the then-Apartheid government’s education system, he created an endowment fund that would award scholarships to qualified black Africans who would otherwise not be able to afford tertiary level education.
There is also a second scholarship called The Environmental Engineering scholarship (in honor of Anna Leshoza), which awards USD 6,000 over two years to two black African undergraduate students per year in any field within the sciences.
The application process
- Applications are accepted from January 1-March 1, 2023 and applications are available on March 13.
- The essay should answer the following question: In what ways can you positively contribute to changing our world? and cover 250 words or less.
- You must write about a specific solution that you would apply in your chosen field (academic, social service, environmental stewardship) that would have a positive impact on society as a whole.
- Applicants must provide two written letters of recommendation sent directly by the recommender with their contact information not visible on the outside of the envelope.
Do I qualify?
Did you know that there are scholarships available that give money to students in exchange for them committing themselves to spend their career working in a developing country? Well, if you’re an African student with an interest in the healthcare industry and live in a developing country such as South Africa, then this scholarship may be what you’re looking for.
It is called the Tom Queba Scholarship Fund and it’s established by members of the pharmaceutical industry who want to use their influence on behalf of poverty-stricken populations. The Fund specifically awards deserving African nationals who are pursuing undergraduate degrees, and who will commit to completing at least one year of residency training during their studies.
What are my chances?
Applicants are required to be eligible citizens or permanent residents of the Republic of South Africa, living in one of the poorest communities identified by Google Maps (e.g. Govan Mbeki Township, Sasolburg), with a sound academic record and without access to any scholarship funding, who is committed to pursuing undergraduate studies in the fields of law, economics, or political science.
All applications are screened by a team chaired by Professor Firoz Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor at SOAS University of London and President-elect of the Royal Society on International Affairs. Funding is available for up to four scholarships which will be awarded as full bursaries covering tuition fees and living expenses during your studies in London.
Where do I send my information?
The Board of Trustees offers twenty-four scholarships per year, twelve undergraduate and twelve graduate, in the name of Thomas Cuba. To be eligible applicants must be:
- In good academic standing with a university or college at which they are registered to obtain a degree; and
- In good academic activity with a political party recognized by the Electoral Commission, or formally affiliated with such party by their party headquarters, on the date of receipt of notification from the Vice-Chancellor in acknowledgment that they have been offered a scholarship.
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