Travel Grant Crisis: SA Universities Face Austerity Measures

Budgetary pressures at South Africa’s top-tier universities have led to a controversial decision to slash international travel grants for postgraduate students by 60% for the 2026/2027 academic year. Citing fluctuating exchange rates and rising institutional utility costs, several major universities have announced that funding for international conferences will now be restricted to "final-year candidates with confirmed plenary invitations." This move has sparked protests among the SSH community, where international networking and ethnographic fieldwork are essential components of doctoral training. "The humanities cannot thrive in a vacuum," argues PhD candidate Lwandle Mokoena. "Cutting travel grants effectively silos South African research at a time when we should be leading global conversations." While some institutions are suggesting "virtual conferencing" as a sustainable alternative, the lack of face-to-face engagement with global peers is a significant blow to the visibility of South African scholarship. Students are now being forced to seek external philanthropic funding or rely on bilateral exchange agreements to maintain their international research profiles.