The Santam Bursary Programme is open for South African students who want to build careers in the short-term insurance industry. The bursary supports selected undergraduate, honours and postgraduate diploma studies in fields such as actuarial science, data science, agriculture, engineering, finance, mathematics and risk management.
Applications must be completed online before 30 September 2026 to be considered for funding for the 2027 academic year.
For students who want funding plus a clearer career pathway into financial services, insurance, agriculture or technical risk fields, this bursary is worth serious attention.
What Is The Santam Bursary Programme?
The Santam Bursary Programme was created to build a pipeline of critical and future-ready skills for the financial services sector, with a strong focus on the short-term insurance industry.
Santam established the bursary as part of its Skills Development Academy to support talented students in study areas linked to insurance, technical risk, analytics and specialist business needs.
The programme aims to develop skilled, capable and high-calibre graduate learners with both technical and leadership potential.
Who Can Apply For The Santam Bursary?
South African citizens may apply if they are studying in one of the supported fields.
The bursary is aimed at students who will be in their second, third or final undergraduate year, or pursuing Honours or a Postgraduate Diploma in the next academic year.
Applicants must also show academic potential and motivation for a future career with Santam.
Which Fields Of Study Are Funded?
The Santam Bursary supports studies linked to short-term insurance and specialist technical skills.
Supported fields include:
- Actuarial Science
- Data Analytics
- Data Science
- Statistics
- Agriculture
- Civil Engineering
- Geomatics Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Construction
- Insurance Technical Accounting
- Economics
- Finance
- Mathematics
- Risk Management
Students should make sure their qualification fits one of these fields before applying.
What Does The Santam Bursary Cover?
The bursary covers selected study-related costs, subject to caps.
Funding may include:
- Registration or tuition fees
- Accommodation costs, including deposit and administration fees
- Learning materials, including books and e-manuals
- Laptop support
- Monthly allowance
- Travel or transport allowance
This support can help reduce the pressure of university costs while allowing students to focus on academic performance and career preparation.
What Academic Average Is Required?
Applicants must have achieved an average of 65% and above for their undergraduate degree and in their latest mid-year or June examinations.
This means applicants should be academically consistent and able to show strong performance in their current programme.
Meeting the minimum average is important, but selection will also consider motivation for a career with Santam.
What Should Agriculture Applicants Know?
Santam places special focus on agriculture because of its role in crop insurance, underwriting, sales and relationship management.
Agriculture applicants may be considered for a development pathway that includes vacation work, practical exposure and graduate programme participation.
Santam Agriculture aims to close the scarce skills gap in agricultural crop insurance by growing talented students through specialist knowledge transfer.
What Can Agriculture Bursars Expect?
Agriculture bursars and graduates may receive structured career exposure linked to Santam’s agricultural business.
This may include:
- A career journey with a rolling forward approach
- Possible permanent retention as trainee area managers
- Automatic participation in the graduate programme
- Vacation work
- Mentor allocation
- Invitations to relevant business engagements or conferences
This makes the agriculture route especially useful for students who want to combine farming knowledge, risk management and client-facing work.
What Agriculture Qualifications And Skills Are Preferred?
Agriculture applicants should have studies linked to crop production.
Preferred qualifications and skills include:
- Two-year or three-year agricultural studies with a focus on crop production
- Agricultural degree or diploma with plant production and/or soil science as preferred subjects
- Microsoft Excel skills
- Assertiveness
- Good verbal and written communication
- Negotiation skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Flexibility and teamwork
- Self-starting attitude
- Customer focus
Preference will be given to Employment Equity candidates.
Itumeleng’s Insider Tip: If you are applying through the agriculture route, do not only say you “love farming.” Show your understanding of crop production, risk, weather impact, soil science, client service and why agricultural insurance matters to farmers.
What Core Competencies Does Santam Look For?
Santam looks for students with both technical ability and workplace readiness.
Important competencies include:
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Good people skills
- Multilingual ability, depending on geography
- Self-drive
- Learning agility
- Critical thinking
- Self-awareness
- Confidence
These skills matter because insurance, risk and client-focused roles require more than academic results.
How Can Students Apply Online?
Applications must be completed online through StudyTrust’s application platform.
Students must submit their application through the official Santam Bursary Programme application page.
Applicants should carefully read the application instructions before starting and upload all required supporting information clearly.
When Do Applications Close?
The application season runs from 1 June to 30 September.
Applications must be completed online before 30 September 2026 to be considered for bursary funding for the 2027 academic year.
Students should apply early to avoid last-minute document or platform issues.
Why Is This Bursary Worth Considering?
The Santam Bursary Programme is valuable because it supports studies connected to real skills needed in the short-term insurance industry.
It is especially strong for students interested in actuarial science, data, statistics, agriculture, engineering, finance, mathematics and risk management.
The agriculture pathway is also notable because it may include vacation work, mentoring, graduate programme exposure and a potential career journey within Santam’s agricultural business.
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Final Thoughts
The Santam Bursary Programme 2027 is a strong opportunity for South African students who want to build careers in short-term insurance, analytics, agriculture, engineering, finance or risk-related fields.
The bursary may cover tuition, accommodation, learning materials, laptop support, monthly allowance and transport costs, subject to caps.
Students who meet the requirements should prepare early and submit their online application before 30 September 2026.
