Stipends and equipment
Beneficiaries receive stipends, data allowances and laptops so that cost and connectivity do not decide who succeeds.
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- Tertiary Education Support
Changing the narrative
about uMkhanyakude
Since 2010 the Tertiary Education Support Programme has helped 194 young people from communities around the Park into university — and 168 of them have graduated.
2010
Programme running since
194
Students supported into tertiary education
168
Beneficiaries who have graduated
25%
Of employed graduates work for iSimangaliso itself
The programme
Skills the district needs, taught to the people who live here
The programme provides academic support to youth from neighbouring communities to access tertiary education in conservation, tourism and development-related fields.
It is one of the key programmes through which iSimangaliso is changing the prevailing narrative about uMkhanyakude. The intent is straightforward: ensure the youth of this district are trained and equipped with the skills that conservation and tourism actually require.
Since inception in 2010, the programme has supported 194 young people and provided psycho-social support to help them pass. Of the 168 who have graduated, more than 60% are employed — a quarter of them by iSimangaliso.
Graduates move into the conservation and tourism economy the Park sustains.
Support package
More than tuition
First-year students receive a package designed to help them adapt to university life, and support continues through to final year.
Workshops and mentoring
Training in financial management, time management and dealing with peer pressure, alongside psycho-social support through the academic year.
Work-based experience
Students spend time in the field they are studying, gaining real exposure to the work. In final year they are assisted with obtaining a driver’s licence.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Applications open on the day the final matric results are released. Students who meet all of the following criteria may apply.
01
Registered for first year
At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Zululand, Mangosuthu University of Technology or Durban University of Technology.
02
NSFAS confirmed
Students must apply for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and have confirmation that the NSFAS bursary has been awarded for the year of study.
03
A qualifying course
Conservation, tourism or development-related programmes, as well as finance, supply chain, business, infrastructure, law and engineering, among others.
04
A local connection
A South African citizen who is a verifiable member of the iSimangaliso land claimant communities, or a resident of the uMkhanyakude District Municipality near the Park, or of the Mfolozi Local Municipality — particularly the Sokhulu area.
iSimangaliso visits these universities during orientation week for exhibitions and recruitment. Students who miss the team on campus can download the application form from this website.
Apply for support
Applications open when the final matric results are released. Download the form, or apply online through the bursary page.