Last Updated on March 23, 2022
The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust (OMT) is the charitable trust of the Oppenheimer family. They are deeply committed to education in South Africa and offering opportunities to underprivileged students, and, as such, the OMT awards scholarships for postgraduate studies in academia, research, development, or related fields at master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels.
The OMT is a fantastic opportunity as it covers any respective degree that you wish to apply for.
The application to the OMT bursary requires a lot of detailed information and will take time, so it is important to ensure you supply all the correct documents and put in extra effort. You will not be included in the process if you do not supply them to the OMT.
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About The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Bursary
THE OMT has incredibly high standards in academic performance, and there is a lot of competition to obtain it. The OMT is aimed at developing and improving the lives of underprivileged people in South Africa.
Applications are open to underprivileged Grade 12 and university students with an overall average of at least 75%. The applicants should have proven leadership skills and involved in extra-curricular activities.
Eligibility
The OMT bursary is applicable to South African students for Master’s, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral level degrees. Preference may be given to Doctoral and Postdoctoral programmes.
It is also applicable to foreign nationals; however, they may only apply for Postdoctoral programmes.
What does this bursary cover?
The bursary is granted on an annual basis and is not automatically renewed each year. The students need to prove that they can continue receiving the bursary. The bursaries have various time limits:
- Master’s degree – maximum two years
- PhD – maximum three years
- Postdoctoral – maximum 2 years
The awards are not fully covered and can vary depending on the different circumstances. The Trustees determine what each student’s awards will focus on. They do encourage candidates to apply for additional cover. The student needs to inform the Trustees if they have applied for additional funding.
How to Apply
As mentioned above, the application process for the OMT bursary requires a lot of information and documents so it will take time. The submissions for the OMT bursary must be submitted with the following:
1. Personal Motivation:
- A signed statement including:
- Background and schooling
- Interests and personal philosophy
- Short to medium plans and priorities
- Career aspirations
** IMPORTANT – the statement cannot be more than 500 words.
2. Intended Study:
- Outline your choice of degree, programme of study, choice of institution, period of study
- Brief description of proposed course work, fieldwork, dissertation topic
- Relevance and significance of your choice
- The benefits to you, the South African academy, and the community
- Supervisor’s name and current designation (if known)
- Proof of registration or offer
3. Personal Information, Qualifications and Academic Record:
- Up-to-date CV (not more than three pages)
- A recent photograph (3×4 cm)
- Complete academic transcript/s and certified copies of degree certificates
- The names and designations of three referees
4. Letters of Recommendation / Referees’ Reports:
- Referees must be aware of the applicant’s current work and study plans
- Can attest to the candidate’s academic achievements
- They must submit their signed letters or reports under separate and confidential cover directly to the Trust
5. Budgets:
Applicants must disclose their personal financial position and submit a one-page income and expenditure budget indicating:
Please use the budget template to be downloaded from the OMT site – Click here
- Annual estimates of costs for the duration of the period of study: tuition fees, books, and subsistence costs (as applicable)
- Income from all sources including savings, family contributions, loans, offers of scholarships and bursaries or other awards, and funding applied for but not yet approved or confirmed
Overall:
To apply for the OMT bursary, you need to do the following:
- Applications must be submitted electronically
- In Word format in four parts including:
- 1. Your motivation
- 2. CV
- 3. Intended study programme
- 4. Budget estimates
- Supporting documentation required by the Trust in PDF format under a separate cover:
- Transcripts
- Degree certificates
- Offer of admission and /or proof of registration
Application Deadline
Depending on the start dates of the bursary, there are three different application closing dates throughout the year:
- January to March – closes on the 30th of September of the previous year
- April to June – closes on the 31st of January in the same year
- July to September – closes on the 31st of March in the same year
Therefore, the next OMT bursary application will be for January 2022 – March 2022. The applications must be submitted by 30th September 2021.
Contact information
You may contact them by email:
South African applications – localpostgrad@omt.org.za International applications – intlpostgrad@omt.org.za