Frequently Asked Questions

Each year, qualifying first year financial aid students from the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria, and Stellenbosch University are invited to apply to the Dell Young Leaders programme. Invites will be sent during the second term from the university’s financial aid office and directly from the programme via email. Applications from students at other universities, or outside of those individuals invited to apply, are not accepted at this time.

To be invited to apply for the Dell Young Leaders programme, you must be:

• South African citizen (or permanent resident)
• In your first year of study working toward a professional or in-demand degree focused on STEM subjects
• Eligible for financial aid based on the NSFAS means test

Candidates who receive an invitation will then be asked to complete an online application and participate in an interview. This helps us understand your aspirations, university and career goals so we can best determine if you are a fit for the programme.

The financial scholarship funds are used as a top-up model to NSFAS funding to cover any gaps in a student’s full cost of attendance.

We’ve learnt that getting through university and into meaningful employment is a challenge for many university students, and support is needed in addition to financial assistance.

The programme is relationship-based, supporting students in four areas including academic, financial, wellness and career. Our students have access to one-on-one support with programme staff, who are available for students on each campus. The programme staff guide students through everyday university challenges, as well as coach students based on their own individual circumstances as students move into meaningful careers.  

Dell Young Leaders works on a top-up model to NSFAS. As such, your funding through NSFAS will not be impacted in any way and the programme will also work with you to manage your cost of attendance at university.  

Not at all, there are no repayments or work-back terms or conditions involved in the programme. Our mission is to increase the number of students in South Africa who make it to graduation and into meaningful employment. The programme is funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. 

We expect students to maintain the minimum academic requirements to be eligible to continue studies at their university and to maintain NSFAS funding. However, there are no specific academic sub-minimum requirements that the programme imposes above this.  

Throughout 11 years of supporting students through the Dell Young Leaders programme, we’ve learnt through our 1:1 interactions that the four areas we can support our students most are academic, financial, wellness and career. As the programme continues to evolve, we add additional elements that provide value for the students. For example, we noted that the students found value in a peer to peer perspective and added the alumni mentor programme in 2018 as another element to help our Dell Young Leaders continue to succeed.  

No, none at all. Our mission is to support NSFAS students to university graduation and into meaningful employment. Our programme costs and partnership services are fully funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

The best way to find Dell Young Leaders students and graduates who are looking for employment opportunities is to visit candidates.dellyoungleaders.org. There you can browse all of the Dell Young Leaders who could join your team, add them to a list, and submit a request for more information about the candidates.

Each request goes directly to our dedicated Program & Partnerships Officer who supports employers’ recruitment needs and helps students to secure placement. You can also click on the “?” icon on candidates.dellyoungleaders.org to send us your general requests and our team will reach out to discuss how the programme can support your talent search.

Each year, qualifying students from our partner universities are invited to apply to the Dell Young Leaders programme. We currently partner with the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria, and Stellenbosch University. Students are required to be in their first year of study in a professional or in-demand degree and be a South African citizen (or permanent resident). Students are also required to meet the criteria for National Student Finanicial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding. We connect with our student candidates to learn more about their aspirations, as well as their university and career goals, prior to inviting them to join the programme.

Applications from students at other universities, or outside of those individuals invited to apply, are not accepted at this time.

We undergo a full due diligence process before partnering with a university to ensure alignment to our mission and to ensure institutional capacity to support our programme operations.