Ninety One #Changeblazers Bursary 2027

What Ninety One Is Actually Offering Here

Ninety One is one of South Africa's leading independent asset management firms, and they are putting real money behind this bursary. The #Changeblazers programme is not one of those opportunities where you read the headline and then discover the fine print halves what was promised.

The bursary covers full tuition fees, accommodation, meals, and learning materials. That is your degree, your housing, your food, and your textbooks handled in one programme. For a matric student whose family is carrying financial pressure, that combination removes the biggest barriers between you and a university education.

But what actually caught my attention when I read through this is the support structure sitting alongside the financial package. Private tutoring, career guidance, resilience training, mental health support, and financial wellness sessions are all part of what recipients get. Someone at Ninety One understood that money alone does not get a student through four years of university. Life does. And they built around that.

Top performers get extra. Assistance with a driver's licence and a working wardrobe for your first job might sound small but those are the exact costs that catch new graduates off guard when they are transitioning from student life into their first professional role.

Is This Bursary For You?

Apply if you:

• Are a South African citizen currently in matric and planning to start your first year at a recognised South African university in 2027

• Will be under 21 in 2027

• Have a Grade 11 average of at least 70% in English and Mathematics or Science

• Come from a household earning less than R600,000 per year and can show documented proof of that

• Have shown leadership in some form, whether at school, in your community, or through any initiative you have run or contributed to

• Are planning to study in one of the listed fields

Do not apply if:

• You are already in university. This bursary is strictly for first year entry in 2027. Current students are not eligible

• Your household income exceeds R600,000 per year. The financial need requirement is a hard filter and they will ask for documented proof, not your word for it

• Your planned degree is in dentistry, medicine, or veterinary science. Healthcare is on the list but those three are specifically excluded

• You cannot produce certified copies of your documents. Missing or unclear documents result in disqualification and Career Wise, who manages the applications, processes high volumes. They will not chase you for documents you forgot to upload

Things That Will Actually Help You

1. Get your proof of income documents sorted before anything else. This is where most applications fall apart. Proof of parents or guardians household income requires payslips if employed, an affidavit if unemployed, and a SASSA or pension slip if applicable. These documents take time to get certified and if one parent is employed and another is not, you need both sets of proof. Do not start the application and then realise you are missing this.

2. Use the promo code when applying. The listing specifies a promo code of NINETY ONE when submitting through the application portal. It sounds like a small thing but leaving it out may affect how your application is tracked and processed by Career Wise. Use it exactly as written.

3. Prepare for the panel interview like it is a job interview, not a school presentation. Shortlisted candidates attend an interview assessment between October and December 2026. Career Wise runs these panels and they are assessing leadership, communication, and your ability to carry yourself professionally. Know why you chose your field, know what Ninety One does as a company, and be ready to talk about a time you led or initiated something. Generic answers about wanting to succeed will not separate you from the other shortlisted candidates in that room.

Why This One Is Worth Your Time

South Africa's graduate unemployment rate is a real problem, and a lot of it comes down to students who finish degrees carrying debt, with no professional network, no work experience, and no one who invested in their development beyond the classroom. Ninety One's approach to this bursary is trying to interrupt that pattern.

The career guidance, the resilience training, the working wardrobe support, these are not extras that universities typically provide. They are the kind of practical preparation that students from well-connected families get through informal networks and that first-generation university students often have to figure out alone. Ninety One is building some of that into the programme.

For a matric student who is genuinely strong academically but whose family cannot fund a university education, this bursary removes the financial pressure while building the kind of professional scaffolding that usually takes years to assemble on your own.

The 31 August 2026 deadline is 43 days away and late applications are flatly not accepted. That is not a warning. It is a wall. Get started this week.

How to Apply

1. Click on the "apply now" button below to start your application.

2. Complete the online application form in full

3. Enter the promo code NINETY ONE when prompted

4. Upload all required documents as clear certified copies: your South African ID, Grade 11 final results, latest matric results, proof of university application or registration on institution letterhead, and proof of household income through payslips, an affidavit, or SASSA and pension slips as applicable

5. Check every document is uploaded correctly before you submit. Missing documents mean disqualification

6. Submit before 31 August 2026

7. Shortlisting and panel interviews run between October and December 2026. Provisional acceptances go out in December with final confirmation after matric results in January 2027.