Tag Archives: South Africa

MSC IN MACHINE LEARNING & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE—A ONE-YEAR STRUCTURED MASTER’S PROGRAMME AT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY 

Application Deadline:  15 August, 2026

LOCATION: South Africa

The MSc in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is a one-year structured master’s programme at Stellenbosch University, designed for students with a strong mathematical and computational background. It will equip you with the fundamentals of ML and AI, plus a suite of sophisticated techniques and concepts at the research forefront of these fields.

ELIGIBILITY:

As a minimum requirement for admission, you must have one of the following qualifications by the time of enrolment: 

an honours degree in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Mathematical Statistics; 

a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Engineering; 

an NQF level 8 qualification deemed equivalent to the above in a field closely linked to ML and AI. 

You should also have existing and demonstrable proficiency in Python or an equivalent programming language, and be comfortable with numerical linear algebra, vector calculus, basic probability theory and statistics. Though not strictly required, it is highly recommended that you should have already completed an introductory course on machine learning. 

Due to capacity limitations, a selection committee will give final approval for admission. Preference may be given to students with higher marks and with preceding studies better aligned with the programme’s specialisation. 

Applications for the 2027 intake close on 31 October 2026. A first round of selections and notifications will happen in August/September, so apply early if you can! Please keep in mind that space is limited. 

To apply for admission into the MSc programme, follow the steps below. 

Go to the applicant portal on SUNStudent, create a profile if you haven’t already, and log in. 

Click on “Programme selection”. 

Faculty: “Faculty of Science – Stellenbosch” 

Programme type: “Postgraduate” 

Programme: “MSc (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence)”, full-time or part-time 

Complete the required information from the menus on the left panel. 

If you complete an application for the programme before 15 August, you will be considered for the scholarships that they manage.

If you apply before 15 August, you will be notified in September. If you apply between 15 August and 31 October, you will be notified in November.

BENEFIT:

Full scholarships available for students from Africa.

Do also keep an eye out for external scholarships that support this programme, such as the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarhips with closing date 3 June 2026.

APPLY

PERNOD RICARD SCHOLARSHIP TO ATTEND ONE YOUNG WORLD SUMMIT 2026

Application Deadline: 14 July 2026

LOCATION: South Africa

Pernod Ricard is teaming up with One Young World, the global community for young leaders, to launch the One Young World | Pernod Ricard Scholarship. The scholarship will identify and connect an interdisciplinary team of 10 committed young leaders who are working to build positive social spaces and tackle harmful drinking and its wider impacts in their countries and communities. Scholars will receive full funding to participate in the One Young World Summit 2026, which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 3 to 6 November.

ELIGIBILITY:

Scholars will participate in the Summit as members of Pernod Ricard’s delegation, have opportunities to help shape our interventions at the event and receive expert mentorship to accelerate their initiatives. In addition, scholars will participate in post Summit collective thinking sessions to reflect on the future of socialising.
Harmful use of alcohol kills more than 3 million people each year, most of them men (who.int) 

WHO Commission on Social Connection Chart: One in Four Young People in the World Feels Lonely | Statista

Successful applicants will share our ambition to encourage positive social occasions and tackle harmful drinking. They will be actively making an impact in support of these goals through their own projects, as emerging leaders in larger organisations, through their own work and experience, or by contributing to collective understanding through research. 

This can include people working in the hospitality sector (bartenders, bar managers, restaurant owners, etc) who are active on responsible drinking, balance, moderation, or consumer information, or have initiatives fighting harmful or excessive drinking. It can also include those contributing to other fields, who are working on creating inclusive and safe spaces for people to come together.

Relevant activities include:

Initiatives that aim to promote balance and moderation.

Prevention and education initiatives that aim to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.

Prevention initiatives that aim to reduce social harm. 

Projects that tackle the harmful impacts of excessive alcohol consumption.

Projects that encourage the bringing together of communities, the savoir être of being together and educational initiatives around social inclusion and fighting isolation. 

Projects that improve physical and psychological safety in social environments.

Research into habits and the behavioural patterns of Gen Z, trends in socializing, including the role of alcohol in this socializing.

In addition, candidates must:

Be of legal drinking age in their country of residence at the time of their application.

Available to commit to contribute to collective post-Summit thinking sessions alongside other scholarship recipients. See below for further details.

BENEFIT:

Scholarship include:

Participation in the One Young World Summit 2026 in Cape Town as a Pernod Ricard delegate.

Hotel accommodation in Cape Town between 2 and 6 November (inclusive) 2026.

The cost of travel to and from Cape Town (flights in economy)

Catering, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Transport between the Summit accommodation and the Summit venue.

Access to Pernod Ricard professionals in their field on the basis of needs & consultancy.

Collaborate with other scholars to influence Pernod Ricard’s thinking on socializing and efforts to reduce excessive alcohol consumption. Make your voice heard through the collective sessions with guest speakers.

APPLY