Funza Lushaka Bursary: Everything You Need to Know

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The Funza Lushaka Bursary is a DBE-managed programme that funds selected students for an initial teacher education qualification in priority subject areas. Recipients must teach at a public school for the same number of years they received funding. This CAPS123 page is a practical summary for students and teachers. It is not an official Department of Basic Education (DBE) publication, always check the live portals and the current Application Notes before you act.

If you need this now

Status as of September 2026

New applications for the 2026 academic year have closed. Official pages still describe that cycle. National DBE / Funza portals had not published confirmed opening or closing dates for the next (2027) cycle when this page was refreshed. Treat secondary “opens on …” claims as unverified until education.gov.za or funzalushaka.doe.gov.za update.

For the closed 2026 cycle: open 7 October 2025; returning bursars re-apply by 30 November 2025; new applications close listed as 24 January 2026 on the DBE programme page and 1 February 2026 on the Funza portal. Both are official DBE-family pages. When dates disagree, trust the live portal closing date at apply time.

Use this quiet period to sort university acceptance, gather documents, and watch the official links for the next funding-year button.

Who it is for

South African citizens with a valid SA ID, accepted (or provisionally accepted) at a public higher education institution for an initial teacher education programme Funza is funding that cycle, usually a four-year B.Ed. (Foundation, Intermediate, or Senior & FET). The 2026 notes also listed B.Ed. ECCE (ECD Grade RR–R) at University of Pretoria and North-West University only. Foreign / temporary-resident students are not eligible.

Age (first-time applicants): Official wording conflicts, some pages say “30 years or younger”, others “below the age of 30”, and the 2026 notes add a confusing note about turning 30 around the October open. Confirm the current-cycle age rule on the live portal and Application Notes; do not treat one slogan as fixed.

PGCE: The undated FAQ still mentions PGCE. The 2026 Application Notes said PGCE would not be funded in 2026. Check live notes each cycle before planning around PGCE funding.

Also not funded (2026 notes examples): Already holding a teaching qualification; extended programmes; Higher Certificate in Education; postgraduate degrees beyond the funded initial qualification; subjects listed as oversupply or low uptake that year.

Selection is competitive, minima ≠ automatic award. If the university’s admission bar is higher than Funza’s academic floors, the higher bar applies. You must specialise in priority areas funded for that cycle.

Suitability checks (2026 notes): Check (1) SAPS police clearance, (2) not on the National Register for Sexual Offenders (NSRO) via DOJCS, and (3) not on the National Register for Child Offenders via DSD. Offence more than 10 years ago, you may apply for expungement via DOJCS; less than 10 years, not eligible under those notes.

What it covers and the teach-back

Within a cap (HEI costs differ): tuition; accommodation including meals (transport may apply if you stay home); books and learning materials; teaching-practice support; and, if funds allow, a small living allowance.

If costs exceed the cap, you top up. Below the cap, Funza pays actual cost, not automatically the full cap. You usually pay registration while awaiting an outcome. You cannot hold Funza with another full bursary.

Teach-back: One year of public-school teaching for every year of Funza funding. Meet the obligation and it is not repayable. Fail progress, leave priority areas unilaterally, fail to take up a public-school post, or leave early, and the amount (plus NSFAS-determined interest) can become repayable.

Placement (2026 notes): Graduates must purposefully apply for public-school posts within six months of graduating and keep evidence. There is no preferential placement by provincial education departments. Older FAQ wording that implies automatic PED placement is out of date for current copy.

Awarded one academic year at a time. Returning bursars must re-apply annually (for 2026 study, re-apps closed 30 November 2025). Re-award has its own academic minima in the notes. Drop Funza for a year and the 2026 notes say you will not be considered for future funding if you try to return later.

How to apply

Online only.

  1. Get a valid university student number and acceptance / provisional acceptance at a public university.
  2. Sign in at eservices.gov.za (or via the Funza landing).
  3. Open e-Services → Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme.
  4. Select the application for the current funding year on the dashboard (the year on the button changes with the cycle).
  5. Complete the online form carefully.
  6. Submit supporting documents to your university’s Funza office as the notes require.

Overview: FL Application Process.

Screening forms ≠ the application. District recruitment sometimes uses a SurveyMonkey-style form (including forms labelled for a future year). Completing it does not submit a Funza bursary application, you still need the official e-Services / Funza portal when that cycle opens.

Priority subjects

Lists and oversupply exclusions change by cycle. Do not copy a long subject table from an old blog or an undated FAQ.

For orientation only: Foundation Phase preference for South African Indigenous Languages and specialised support areas; Intermediate / Senior combinations such as Languages, Mathematics, Natural Science & Technology; FET scarce STEM, technical and language areas. The 2026 notes also listed oversupply examples (including subjects older FAQ lists still name) and low-uptake arts/religious subjects as not funded that year; two-language combinations were discouraged.

For what is funded now, open the current Application Notes PDF and confirm exclusions on the live portal. Replace that PDF link when the next cycle’s notes appear.

Official contacts

  • Email: inquiries.funzalushaka@dbe.gov.za
  • Phone: 012 357 3000
  • NSFAS / Student Financial Aid at your HEI handle the money side once selected; selection sits with the institution under DBE rules.

Related on CAPS123

Heading into teaching? Keep the curriculum side practical: What is CAPS? and the CAPS terms glossary. Funza funds the qualification path; CAPS is what you teach from in the classroom.

When new Application Notes appear, re-check age wording, PGCE status, subject exclusions and closing dates on the official sites, treat this page as a map, not the rulebook.