Computer Science and IT Bursaries South Africa 2027

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There is a great skills shortage in the Computer Science/ IT industry, both within South Africa and the rest of the world, but according to payscale.com (who rank job types according to the earning potential), employees in the computer science industry have some of the top median salaries of any other job niches.

If you think you can bridge the gap in this sparse market but lack the funding to carry out your studies, why not apply to one of the bursary programmes below.

View all bursaries OPEN for application here

How much can I earn within the Computer/ IT field in South Africa?

The Information Technology (IT) sector is one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying industries in South Africa. IT professionals play a crucial role in developing software, managing computer systems, protecting digital information, analysing data, and supporting the technology infrastructure that businesses rely on every day.

Salaries in the IT industry vary depending on factors such as qualifications, experience, technical skills, industry, and location. Professionals with expertise in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data science, and artificial intelligence are often among the highest-paid employees in the country.

The table below provides estimated annual salary ranges for some of the most common careers within the Computer Science and Information Technology sector in South Africa.

CareerEstimated Salary Range (per annum)
IT Support TechnicianR130,000 – R350,000
Help Desk TechnicianR150,000 – R400,000
Systems AdministratorR250,000 – R800,000
Network AdministratorR250,000 – R700,000
Network EngineerR350,000 – R1,200,000
Software DeveloperR250,000 – R1,500,000+
Full Stack DeveloperR350,000 – R1,800,000+
Mobile App DeveloperR300,000 – R1,500,000+
Web DeveloperR250,000 – R1,200,000
Database AdministratorR350,000 – R1,200,000
Data AnalystR250,000 – R900,000
Data ScientistR350,000 – R1,500,000+
Data EngineerR500,000 – R2,000,000+
Business Intelligence AnalystR450,000 – R1,500,000
Cybersecurity AnalystR400,000 – R1,500,000
Information Security ManagerR800,000 – R2,500,000+
Cloud EngineerR500,000 – R2,000,000+
Cloud ArchitectR900,000 – R3,000,000+
DevOps EngineerR600,000 – R2,000,000+
Solutions ArchitectR900,000 – R3,500,000+
IT Project ManagerR500,000 – R1,800,000
IT ManagerR700,000 – R2,500,000+
Chief Information Officer (CIO)R1,500,000 – R6,000,000+

Where can I find Computer/ IT bursaries in South Africa?

As this sector is fast growing, there are many companies who provide funding within the Computer and IT field. Scroll down to find bursaries, scholarship and funding opportunities for studies within the following fields:

  • Computer Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Data Science
  • Graphic Design
  • Informatics and Information Systems
  • Information Technology (IT)
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Multimedia and Interactive Media
  • Software Engineering and Software Development

Please note that some of the bursaries listed below may be closed. Always check the closing date of each bursary on the relevant bursary page.

COMPUTER ENGINEERING BURSARIES FOR 2027

Computer engineering is the integration of computer science and several fields of electrical engineering to develop computer software and hardware. Computer engineering involves many aspects of computer software and hardware such as circuit design, microprocessors, microcontrollers, personal computers and supercomputers.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Computer Engineering field:

COMPUTER SCIENCE BURSARIES FOR 2027

Computer science studies the engineering, theory and experimentation that is the foundation for the design of computers. A computer scientists job entails conducting research to create new computer technology, which ultimately helps problem solving in many fields.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Computer Science field:

DATA SCIENCE BURSARIES FOR 2027

Data Scientists are individuals with advance training in Mathematics and Computer Science, with expertise in data mining and information management. Data Scientists are vital to businesses as they aid in mitigating risk and fraud; they aid businesses in seeing what products and services are selling the most, and they aid in personalising customer’s experiences by helping the sales and marketing team in understanding their target audience.

Data Scientists work both in the field of technology and social science, finding the latest trends to manage data. Data Scientists make sense of all data collected from social media feeds, smart devices, emails, etc. and compile them into a structured database.

It is essential for a Data Scientist to have excellent communication skills as well as be data-driven, analytical thinkers, leaders, and highly organised.

If this sounds like a career path you would be interested in pursuing, you should apply for these Data Science Bursaries:

GRAPHIC DESIGN & GAME GRAPHIC BURSARIES FOR 2027

Graphic designers are responsible for the creation of illustrations, typography and photography to communication visually and problem solve. Graphic designers create ideas and messages by way of combining symbols, images and text.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Graphic Design field:

INFORMATICS & INFORMATION SYSTEMS BURSARIES FOR 2027

Informatics involves information processing and engineering of information systems. Informatics is the science of computer information systems and information; it also entails interactions between people and information.

Information systems on the other hand, study the systems specifically related to information and software and hardware networks used to collect, filter, process, create and distribute data.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Informatics and Information Systems field:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BURSARIES FOR 2027

Information technology (also known as “IT”) is the use of computers and the internet to transmit, store, retrieve and edit data or information. Information technology is a branch of Information and Communication Technology (also known as “ICT”).

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Information Technology (IT) field:

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY BURSARIES FOR 2027

Information and Communication Technology (also known as “ICT”) is an extension of the IT field, with the aim of unified communication and integration of computers, telecommunications, audio-visual systems, software and middleware to allow people to store, edit, access and transmit information.

Salaries in this field are in line with the IT sector.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field:

MULTIMEDIA & INTERACTIVE MEDIA BURSARIES FOR 2027

Multimedia is a field that combines various forms of content (such as images, text, audio, video, animation and interactive content).
While interactive media encompasses products and services on computer systems, that responds to actions by the presentation of text, audio, animation, moving images and videos.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Multimedia and Interactive Media field:

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING & SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT BURSARIES FOR 2027

Software engineering (also known as “SWE”) is the process of engineering to the development, design, testing, maintenance and implementation of software in a systematic way.

Software development involves bug fixing, testing, documenting and computer programming to create and maintain software products.

Here are a list of bursaries and scholarships for studies within the Software Engineering and Software Development field: