• The South African Reserve Bank is looking to fund the studies of prospective Master’s students in the fields of data science, machine learning, AI and financial analytics.
• It is accepting applicants from top universities across the country and will cover a year’s tuition.
• Applicants close on 30th November 2023 and are for those looking to study in 2024.

Newly announced scholarships and bursaries, especially those in the tech and government sectors are often covered at Hypertext. The latest offer stems from an unlikely source as the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the country’s financial overseer, has announced that it is looking for interested young people to join its data science and machine learning bursary programme.

It says it often offers bursaries and scholarships to do its part in bridging South Africa’s skills gap.

“Are you passionate about Data Science and Machine Learning? The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has an incredible scholarship available for Master’s programmes that focus on these cutting-edge fields, particularly in the context of financial analytics,” shares the bank in an announcement on X.

If you are interested you will have to hurry, as applications close on 30th November 2023. Importantly, the scholarships are for students interested in pursuing their Master’s degree in the fields of Data Science, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on finance analysis.

There are some requirements, including that the applicant must have already been accepted into a Master’s degree programme in the above fields, that financial analytics must be an included module, that they are a full time student, a South African citien and be younger than 35 years old.

In terms of academics, you need a 65 percent overall pass mark, at least, for your Honours degree. The scholarship from SARB will cover relevant Master’s programmes from:

• North-West University (MSc Business, Mathematics and Informatics),
• University of the Western Cape (MSc Statistical Science with specialisation in Data Science),
• University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria, NWU, Universities of Venda, Limpopo, Sol Plaatje (MSc eScience),
• Stellenbosch University (MSc Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence),
• University of KwaZulu-Natal (Msc Data Science),
• UP (MIT Big Data Science),
• University of Cape Town (Master’s degree in Analytics or Data Science),
• and UP (MCom Advanced Data Analystics).

If you are considering or are already joining any of these programmes in 2024, consider applying for a scholarship from SARB to cover your costs.

In terms of what will be covered, the SARB says it covers one academic year, and that Bank bursary holders may be provided with work opportunities funding by the SARB. However, there may be differences between the varied bursaries the bank offers.

To apply, you need to submit your end-year exam results, proof of acceptance into one of the above-recognised institutions (a student number will do) and any other supporting documentation that proves you fit the criteria.

You can submit online here, and use the promo code SARB DSM24. If you have been accepted for the bursary, you will have until 31st December 2023 to submit your exam results. Late applications will not be considered.

[Image – Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash]