GEM Elite scholarships

About the GEM scholarships

The ​Graduate School of Economic and Management Sciences (GEM) is currently recruiting for the GEM Elite doctoral scholarships - full-time doctoral scholarships, valued at R200 000 per year for three years. 

The new intake of full-time PhDs will commence their studies in Stellenbosch on the 18th of January 2027​.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for a scholarship:

  • A candidate must meet the minimum criteria for admission to a PhD programme at Stellenbosch University. This requires a master's degree in the relevant discipline.

  • The bursaries are open to South African citizens and foreign nationals. Preference will be given to previously disadvantaged South African citizens. 

  • Candidates must have achieved a minimum mark of 70% to be eligible for the GEM Elite Scholarships.

  • Only applications in one of the faculty’s Research Themes will be considered.

There are limited scholarships available.  Submission of an application, even if you meet all of the criteria, does not guarantee funding. 

The final allocation of scholarships is made at the discretion of the Graduate School governing board and is subject to funding availability; and where the Faculty can appoint a suitable supervisor.

The Graduate School reserves the right to not award any scholarships.

  How to apply and application details 

Follow these steps to apply for the 2027 cohort of the Graduate School:

  • Ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria before you submit an application.

  • Download and complete the Application Form:

    • You will be required to write a letter motivating your suitability for the scholarship (maximum length: one A4 page), as well as a research concept note (no maximum length) on a research topic which you intend to study during your doctoral studies. These should be completed on the application form in the relevant sections. 

    • Please consult the​​ 2026 Research Themes to guide you in choosing a research topic. Research topics outside the listed research themes can be accommodated only if it falls within the current research themes that are active in one of the Faculty's academic departments.

  • Compile the required supporting documents:

In addition to the completed application form, the following supporting documents are required:

  • Academic records: Full particulars of ALL previous and current tertiary studies. Please submit copies of certified diploma/degree certificates AND official study records (transcripts). Please note that academic records from student portals will not be acceptable.

  • ID or passport: A certified copy of your ID (South African) or passport (international) photo page

  • Proof of competency in English: Applicants either need to provide proof that they have obtained their qualifications from tertiary institutions where English is the language of instruction, or proof of English Language proficiency. This evidence must accompany your application and must not be older than 24 months from the date of application. 

  • Submission of your application:

  • Completed and signed application forms + supporting documents should be submitted to the Graduate School Office via email ([email protected]) by 7 August 2026. No late applications will be accepted.

  • Please ensure that your three references are informed that their referee letters, stating your capability to complete doctoral studies, should be sent directly to the Graduate School via email ([email protected]) on or before 7 August 2026. 

  • Applications which are incomplete will not be considered.

Due to the large number of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted by the Graduate School. 

If you have not received a response from the Graduate School Office by the 16th of October 2026, your application should be considered unsuccessful.

 

 ​​Scroll down to view the 2026 research themes by department.​

 

​ Business Management:

Department website

At the department of Business Management, the emphasis is on basic research and not on applied research. We do not accept students whose sole purpose is to address a company-related problem.

Admittance to the PhD programme requires a highly specialised academic background including under-graduate qualifications. It is thus not suitable to potential candidates with a more a more 'general' (non-specialisation) academic background.

  • Theme 1: Marketing to the benefit of society

  • Theme 2: Human creativity and marketing

  • Theme 3: Motives for consumer participation in the sharing economy

  • Theme 4: Meaningful consumption experiences: exploring symbolism, relationships, self-affirmation and self-transformation in South African food experiences

 

Stellenbosch Business School 

​Stellenbosch Business School website

 

  • Theme 1:  Healthcare leadership

    • Mental Health
    • Econometrics
    • Impact
    • Regulatory reform
    • Community engagement
    • Funding solutions
    • Training programs
    • Policy advocacy and review

  • Theme 2: Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace (Corporate, SMME’s and Educational Contexts)

  • Theme 3: Disability and Diversity in the Workplace (Corporate, SMME’s and Educational Contexts)

  • Theme 4: Paradox Theory

  • Theme 5: How to develop responsible climate leadership

  • Theme 6: Changing Culture with Team of Teams Coaching

  • Theme 7: Responsible Leadership in the Digital Era: Perspectives from South African Higher Education

  • Theme 8: Responsible leadership as recovery and repair: how leaders, teams and organisations move out of grey or toxic patterns back toward responsible practice

 

Economics:

Department website

  • Theme 1: FDI, climate change, and Global Value Chains

  • Theme 2: Firms and international trade

  • Theme 3: Public Debt Ownership, Inflation, and Fiscal Space: Domestic versus Foreign Holders in Modern Sovereign Debt Markets

  • Theme 4: Understanding personal financial decisions in the age of AI

  • Theme 5: The Economics of Black African Internal Migration in South Africa, 1890–1939: Labour Markets, Household Decision-Making, and Macroeconomic Shocks under Racial Segregation

  • Theme 6: Shades of Belonging: The Economic Legacies of Bureaucratic Colourism in Apartheid South Africa

  • Theme 7: South–South Migration, Economic Insecurity and the Politics of Immigrant Exclusion

​

School of Public Leadership (SPL):

SPL website 

  • Theme 1: Blue economy, blue justice and ocean governance

  • Theme 2: Blue economy, circular economy and just transitions

  • Theme 3: Community governance, co-management and resource monitoring

  • Theme 4: Waste management, environmental justice, livelihoods and coastal governance

  • Theme 5: Applied Environmental and Ecological Economics; Integrated assessment and Modelling; Environmental policy and Governance

  • Theme 6: Environmental Care: Values, Attitudes, Habits and Beliefs

  • Theme 7: Decolonising Administrative Theory and Practice

  • Theme 8: Institutional Studies and Economic Governance

  • Theme 9: Political Economy of Corruption and Development

  • Theme 10: Comparative Public Policy and Governance

  • Theme 11: Developmentalism and the Developmental State

 

Logistics (Transport Economics):

​Department website

  • Theme 1: Comparing Hybrid Work and Workplace Mobility in the Emerging UAE Metropolitan System and Cape Metropolitan, Western Cape, South Africa

  • Theme 2: Transport Accessibility and Economic Welfare 

    • Accessibility and household expenditure patterns
    • Transport mode and activity profiles (public transport users compared to private car users) 

  • Theme 3: Road user charging and distance-based user charges as an alternative to the fuel levy

  • Theme 4: Urban, regional and transport economics

  • Polycentric urban development patterns in South Africa 

  • Theme 5: Maritime Transport and Port Development

Logistics (Operations Research):

​Department website

 

  • Theme 1: Computational modelling, simulation and optimisation in public healthcare systems

  • Theme 2: Resource allocation modelling for epidemic response decision support

  • Theme 3: Health systems accessibility and spatial vulnerability modelling

 

​School of Accountancy​:

​School website

 

  • Theme 1: Accounting Education, Learning, and Professional Competence: Covers pedagogical innovation, learning effectiveness, and professional skills development in accounting education.
  • Theme 2: Financial Reporting and Assurance: Focuses on financial reporting quality, disclosure, and assurance-related decision-making.
  • Theme 3: Corporate Governance, Remuneration, and Accountability: Examines how governance mechanisms, executive remuneration, and disclosure practices influence firm performance, transparency, and ethical outcomes.
  • Theme 4: Technology, Digitalisation, and IT Governance: Addresses technology-driven developments in accounting, auditing, cybersecurity, and data governance.
  • Theme 5: Taxation Policy, Compliance, and Reform:  Explores doctrinal and empirical perspectives on tax law interpretation, compliance, and fiscal policy reform.
  • Theme 6: Corporate Finance, Investment, and Valuations: Examines how corporate finance-decision making, investment strategies, and valuation practices enhance value creation and capital efficiency in organisations.
  • Theme 7: Business Rescue, Financial Distress, and Going Concern: Investigates valuation, governance, and reporting challenges during financial distress and corporate restructuring.

 

Africa Centre for Inclusive Health Management

ACIHM website

 

  • Theme 1: Spirituality and wellbeing

  • Theme 2: Disability studies/social theory of disability

  • Theme 3: Indigenous knowledge systems and health

  • Theme 4: Decolonial/postcolonial theories

  • Theme 5: Critical methodologies

  • Theme 6: Qualitative research 

  • Theme 7: Community-led care interventions

  • Theme 8: Critical management studies in health

  • Theme 9: Afrocentric health management theories

  • Theme 10: philosophies & values

  • Theme 11: African cosmologies of wellbeing and indigenous health knowledge 

  • Theme 12: Caregiving and the care economy

  • Theme 13: Health systems management, 

  • Theme 14: Community health management

  • Theme 15: Health communication

  • Theme 16: Health-based document analysis and design 

  • Theme 17: Digital Health

  • Theme 18: Men’s health (mHealth)

  • Theme 19: Health literacy 

  • Theme 20: Healthcare innovation and Universal Health Coverage 

  • Theme 21: Health systems research, innovation and Universal Health Coverage

  • Theme 22: Social determinants of health in promoting inclusive health 

  • Theme 23: Stigma, discrimination, and health equity among vulnerable and marginalized populations

  • Theme 24: Critical pedagogical and social justice approaches to health and inclusion

  • Theme 25: Culture, policy, and leadership in fostering inclusive and equitable work environments