SA-CERN Excellence Scholarships Programme 2027
Full-cost-of-study scholarships for South African MSc and PhD students commencing studies in 2027 in SA-CERN fields: quantum field theories, fundamental interactions, nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, solid-state physics, LHC data analysis, big data and artificial intelligence, particle detectors, high-performance and high-throughput computing, and digital electronics. Administered by NRF-iThemba LABS with Department of Science, Technology and Innovation support.
| Amount / funding | Full-cost-of-study bursary values per annum: MSc up to ZAR 150,000, PhD up to ZAR 200,000 (official 2027 call PDF quoted in search results), for the duration of studies. |
|---|---|
| Deadline | Complete the online application by 30 December 2026; three letters of recommendation combined into a single PDF by 30 December 2026. |
| Start date | 2027 academic year |
| Level | Masters, PhD |
| Funding type | full |
| Field | 05 Natural Sciences |
About this scholarship
Full-cost-of-study scholarships for South African MSc and PhD students commencing studies in 2027 in SA-CERN fields: quantum field theories, fundamental interactions, nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, solid-state physics, LHC data analysis, big data and artificial intelligence, particle detectors, high-performance and high-throughput computing, and digital electronics. Administered by NRF-iThemba LABS with Department of Science, Technology and Innovation support.
Minimum requirements
Starting MSc or PhD studies in the 2027 academic year at a South African university (full-time); identify an eligible research project and an SA-CERN member supervisor before submitting; upload an up-to-date CV and other documents. Per secondary summaries (not confirmed from the official PDF text): South African citizenship and a 65% aggregate in the previous degree - verify these two items on the official call PDF before relying on them.
Application checklist
- Confirm you are starting full-time MSc or PhD studies in 2027 at a South African university
- Identify an eligible research project and an SA-CERN member supervisor before submitting
- Combine your three letters of recommendation into a single PDF
- Prepare an up-to-date CV and the other required documents
- Submit the complete online application by 30 December 2026
Application tips
- Supervisor matching comes first: do not submit until an SA-CERN member supervisor has agreed to the project.
- The three recommendations must arrive as one combined PDF, so collect them early rather than relying on separate referee uploads.
- Verify the citizenship and 65% aggregate items on the official call PDF itself, since they come from secondary summaries in this record.
Always verify deadline, amount and eligibility on the official page before applying. Values marked ESTIMATE are based on a previous cycle and are not confirmed for the current round.
Tags: sa-cern, cern, particle physics, nuclear physics, south africa, bursary