Bursaries, Mentoring and Academic Development

Foundation Programme Bursaries
The University runs foundation programmes in its three largest faculties, Humanities, Science and Commerce. The programme is open to applicants from disadvantaged school backgrounds who, on their matriculation results, would not otherwise qualify for entry to Rhodes University, but who have demonstrated their potential. The programme runs for a student's first two years at Rhodes. During that time they must complete four first year courses and in addition they study life skills, English language skills, computers and other courses which are based on their chosen academic discipline.

Cost per student per year: R30 000 with a commitment period of two years

Undergraduate Bursaries
Fifty percent of the approximately 1500 new first year students come from backgrounds which enable them to pay their own way through university. As a result, many of the students who are academically accepted to attend the university are unable to do so for financial reasons. Funding support is required to support these disadvantaged students.

Cost per student per year: R33 500 with a commitment period of three years

Professional Degree Final Year / Honours Degrees
At Rhodes there are several degrees that qualify students for specific professions, entailing a fourth year Honours course. Only students graduating with Honours degrees or with four year professional degrees, are able to enrol for Masters degrees, therefore it is crucial that students who show academic promise are funded to remain in the academic system through their Honours or fourth year. Funding support is required to support students in their fourth or honours year.

Total per student per year R40 500 with a commitment period of one year

Masters and PhD programme
A structured and nurturing environment has been developed at Rhodes to ensure that students can reach their full potential and acquire an increasingly confident intellectual independence. As topical research output is a prime measure of a university's academic standard, Rhodes wishes to encourage students with academic intellect to remain within the scholastic environment.

Total per annum (Masters) R55 300 with a commitment period of two years
Total per annum (PhD) R66 400 with a commitment period of three years

Trojan Academic Initiative Mentoring Programme (TAI)
The Rhodes University Trojan Academic Initiative (TAI) ensures that promising first year students from disadvantaged backgrounds settle into their new environment at Rhodes and become academically productive and successful as soon as possible. First year students from such backgrounds will be matched with a Higher Diploma in Education, Honours, Masters or PhD student as a mentor who will be responsible for nurturing and assisting the student through the first six months of their academic year, except for Science students, who are mentored for two years.

There are TAI programmes running in the Humanities, Science, Commerce and Pharmacy Faculties. Mentors in the Humanities, Science and Commerce programmes are required to be part of a Foundation programme. This has a specially structured first year component, which develops foundational knowledge, such as academic skills, study and research methodology, etc, using materials from the discipline of that course of study.

The strength of the TAI Mentoring Programme rests in the appointment of mentors who have themselves experienced the alienation that comes from engaging with an unfamiliar culture. They are thus in a ‘first hand' position to understand and assist their protégés. Although mentors need to be in good academic standing in order to be appointed, academic prowess is not primary in the selection process. Rather, mentors are appointed on the basis of their ability to understand and communicate with first year students.

One or two first year students are assigned to each mentor. Mentor-protégé pairs then meet on a regular basis so that the mentor can support the protégé in maximising the opportunities offered by study at Rhodes. The Rhodes Certificate in Peer Mentoring is based on a SAQA registered unit standard, which is worth 12 credits at level 5 of the NQF.

Mentors are backed by a faculty supervisor who is able to provide administrative assistance as well as on-going support for the task of mentoring. The project is under the overall management of the Academic Development Centre, which also provides training and on-going support for both mentors and supervisors.

If you or your company can assist the University with any of the Campaign projects, we can be contacted at development@ru.ac.za

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