Overview
Government of Lesotho loan-bursary applications for Basotho candidates pursuing eligible full-time Bachelor’s, Honours, Master’s or PhD study at selected sponsored public universities in South Africa beginning January 2027.
Complete scholarship details
NMDS is accepting applications from 1 September to 2 October 2026 for Government of Lesotho bursary loans for January 2027 study at selected sponsored public universities in South Africa. Eligible study must be full-time, within the minimum duration, and in a programme on the published 2025 Priority Areas list. The call states that the bursary loan is competitive and merit-based. Bridging, extended and part-time programmes are not sponsored. The public call does not state a bursary amount, tuition amount, stipend, housing allowance or travel allowance, so none is claimed here.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants must be suitable Basotho candidates applying to eligible priority programmes at selected sponsored South African public universities. Undergraduate routes include qualifying AS/LASC/NSC/Matric, A-Level or IB pathways under the published minimums; MBChB applicants must have at least a B symbol in all school-leaving subjects. Relevant first-degree qualifications are required for Honours/Master’s and a relevant Master’s degree for PhD. Previously sponsored applicants must have paid at least 50% of their Loan Bursary and cleared existing arrears, with proof of payment. Employed applicants need an employer nomination letter. Applicants must satisfy the specific sponsored-programme and institution requirements.
Tips for this scholarship
Practical Job and Scholarship guidance. These tips do not replace official rules or create new eligibility requirements.
- Apply early enough to resolve any NMDS query before the 2 October 2026 closing date; check the current priority-programme and sponsored-university lists before submitting.
- Check eligibility, funding coverage, study/project level and every required document before investing time in the application.
- Prepare transcripts, references, language tests, proposal/motivation statement and proof documents early.
- Separate the scholarship deadline from any university/program admission deadline; they may be different.
- Treat “fully funded” as a source fact only when the official provider explicitly confirms the covered costs.
Verification notes
The official Government of Lesotho NMDS service page confirms the regional/international Loan Bursary Fund application process, documents and that the application itself has no cost. The current NMDS Updates notice dated 26 August 2026 was independently checked for the January 2027 South Africa call and states that documents must be hand-delivered to the NMDS Scholarship Office from 1 September through 2 October 2026. Its statement that applications are attended to at 10:00am is not treated as a deadline time, so only deadline_date is stored. No funding amount or 'fully funded' status is inferred.
Job and Scholarship is the discovery and verification layer. Confirm eligibility, dates, salary/funding and application instructions on the original source before submitting anything.
Government of Lesotho — NMDS Loan Bursary Fund ↗Browse current Job and Scholarship listings from Government of Lesotho — NMDS Loan Bursary Fund →
