If you meet the criteria for one or more of our schemes, you will be shortlisted for these and considered for a preliminary interview. If you are invited to a preliminary interview, these are normally held at a regional venue and will be conducted by a Career Wise staff member. You will be screened for overall suitability for the bursary/scholarship for which you are being considered and you will be asked general questions regarding your personal and schooling background as well as your study and career interests. We try to keep these interviews as informal as possible so that we can elicit good information. By all means prepare some questions as this is the right opportunity to clarify any concerns you may have regarding the selection process and the bursary/scholarship for which you have applied or are being considered. You do not need to dress formally for this interview, school uniform or smart casual dress is appropriate.

For our corporate bursaries as well as for most of our Trust and Foundation scholarships you will need to attend a final interview with the sponsor should you be selected from the preliminary interview. You will be carefully briefed as to what you can expect during this final stage interview as they vary from client to client. You will usually need to travel to Johannesburg or another central venue for his but again you will be briefed. Dress is somewhat more formal but school uniform is a safe option.

You will be given feedback after attending a final interview and if at all possible, considered for other opportunities if you are not successful.

Most of the bursaries/scholarships administered by ourselves are what is called a full bursary or scholarship, i.e. they cover the full costs of registration and tuition fees, a book/cash allowance and residence and meal costs. If you are accommodated out of residence, an allowance equivalent to the costs of a university residence and meals is usually payable. The values of the cash/book allowances vary with the government funded schemes paying at minimum levels and the corporate and privately funded programmes usually paying more generous amounts. Some company bursary schemes pay computer allowances. You will be briefed as to the exact conditions of the bursary/scholarship for which you are being considered if you attend a preliminary interview.

Please note that all bursary/scholarships pay for study related costs only, i.e. they cover your costs whilst you are studying. You and your family will remain responsible for personal expenses such as travel, medical, clothing and any other costs related to personal items.

It is your responsibility to apply for admission to an institution of your choice depending on the course which you intend to study. We recommend that you apply to at least two, if not three institutions as there is a lot of demand for limited places available. Ensure that you also apply for residence and financial aid if this is required. If you secure a bursary, you can cancel the financial aid application. However, you cannot apply late. We prefer our bursars to be accommodated in a university residence but if this is not possible, try to secure suitable private accommodation close to your institution. This will avoid having to spend long hours commuting and ensure you have accommodation suited to study purposes. You are also encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities which is easier if you live on campus or close by. If you are required to pay a deposit, ensure that you do this on time so as not to lose the place.

We will send you an offer letter with details. If you are made a final offer for a bursary or scholarship, we normally ask you to accept sooner rather than later. This is to ensure that we can confirm numbers and consider other applicants if you are not accepting the offer. Should there be any change in decision regarding your response to our offer, please let us know immediately so that we can consider other shortlisted candidates.

It does not reflect positively on your status as an independent student if we receive calls from your parents regarding the application process or status. You should be dealing with us directly at all times regarding all aspects of your bursary application. This continues to apply should you be successful in your application and receive one of administered bursaries. All queries and correspondence should be handled by yourself. We cannot deal with others acting on your behalf.