As South Africa commemorates Youth Month, the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) is proud to announce a significant milestone in its mission to address the funding crisis among poor and “Missing Middle” students. Since its inception, ISFAP has taken major strides in moving beyond the “Right to Access” to achieve the “Right to Succeed,” producing 1,625 graduates to date.
This achievement represents a strategic investment of approximately R2.1 billion into high-potential youth pursuing degrees in sectors critical to the national economy. The momentum is underscored by the most recent 2025 academic cohort, which added 148 successful graduates to the talent pipeline.
While enrollment is a starting point, ISFAP defines its impact by qualifications in hand. The organisation’s holistic approach, which combines financial aid with essential “wraparound” services, has resulted in an impressive 85% progression rate.
“ISFAP’s graduation success is the outcome of a model that funds the fees and the human being behind the student number,” says Nokuthula Siqebengu, Executive: Business Development and Marketing at ISFAP. “We have always maintained that providing a bursary without psychosocial support, mentorship, and life-skills training is like providing a car without a steering wheel. Our 1,625 graduates are proof that when you support the whole student, they don’t just enter university, they finish”.
The ISFAP graduate pipeline is intentionally aligned with the country’s most urgent economic needs. To date, the programme has produced a diverse cohort of professionals across several critical sectors:
- Accounting: 387 graduates.
- Engineering: 386 graduates.
- Medicine & Health Sciences: 346 and 102 graduates respectively.
- Actuarial Science & Maths: 84 graduates.
These graduates are entering the labour market as “workplace-ready” professionals, having received financial literacy and soft-skills training as part of their funding package.
The data further underscores ISFAP’s role in driving meaningful transformation. Of the 1,625 graduates, 1,373 are Black and 908 are Female, marking a significant shift in the demographic landscape of historically under-represented fields like Actuarial Science and Engineering.
“The ‘Missing Middle’ is our greatest untapped asset for economic stability,” notes Werner Abrahams, ISFAP CEO. “By investing R2.1 billion into these students, our partners are strategically building the next generation of the South African middle class”.
As these newly qualified engineers, accountants, and scientists enter the labour market, they move from being financially vulnerable students to becoming the breadwinners and professional leaders of tomorrow. ISFAP invites corporate South Africa to join us in scaling this success, ensuring that the ‘Right to Succeed’ becomes a reality for every capable student from poor and Missing Middle backgrounds.
About ISFAP:
The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme Foundation NPC (ISFAP) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to funding and supporting the higher education of South Africa’s poor and missing middle students. Established in 2017, ISFAP partners with universities and private sector entities to ensure that students in need can access and succeed in higher education, contributing to the nation’s economic development.
For more information, visit: www.isfap.org.za