Postgraduate bursaries and postdoctoral fellowships in Visual History & Theory


The Visual History research platform is convened by the DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Visual History & Theory (UID 98911) and hosts a number of postgraduate student bursaries and postdoctoral fellowships.

For postgraduate bursaries:

As from 2021, applications for NRF bursaries at Honours, Masters and Doctoral levels are now conducted directly by postgraduate students through the online portal of the National Research Foundation. You may now apply on the NRF Online Submission System by accessing the link https://nrfsubmission.nrf.ac.za/ and also NRF Connect via https://nrfconnect.nrf.ac.za.

In your application for a General Scholarship, you must cite the Unique Grant Number or Identifier (UID) for the SARChI Chair in Visual History & Theory, which is UID 98911. This will assist your application. 

Universities have their own internal cut-off dates for applications and the applicants must abide by those dates. Submission dates to the NRF (after UWC approval) are open as follows:

  • Honours Applications: 1 April – 20 November 2023
  • Masters Applications:  1 April – 8 July 2023
  • Doctoral Applications:  1 April – 8 July 2023

If you are interested in applying for a postgraduate bursary with the NRF, please consult with the SARChI Chair in Visual History & Theory at visualhistoryuwc@gmail.com well in advance of the application deadline.

For postdoctoral fellowships:

the DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Visual History & Theory may nominate one postdoctoral fellowship per year directly linked to the project grant, which is renewable for a second and third year where appropriate. Please consult with the SARChI Chair in Visual History & Theory at visualhistoryuwc@gmail.com for further information.

Applications are normally invited in September/October each year. This will be advertised on the website of the Centre for Humanities Research at: https://www.chrflagship.uwc.ac.za/

Candidates may also apply directly to the National Research Foundation for the open competition for Postdoctoral Fellowships, by accessing the link https://nrfsubmission.nrf.ac.za/.

Applications are normally open between February and mid-May in 2023.