07 Jul 2026

Government has  announced major changes to the Top Achievers Sponsorship Programme. From the 2026/2027 financial year, government will sponsor qualifying beneficiaries for undergraduate studies only.

Minister of Higher Education, Mr Prince Maele, revealed this during the opening of  the in 2026/2027 Gaborone on July 6.

"Sponsorship under the Top Achievers Programme will no longer extend to Master's and Doctoral (PhD) studies as part of measures to ensure the programme remains financially sustainable," Mr Maele said. 

He noted the current model had become costly because government fully financed students at leading international institutions.

Going forward, beneficiaries will be required to select A-Level subject combinations aligned with government’s priority skills. Government will also determine countries and institutions of study based on programme quality, accreditation, relevance to national development and cost-effectiveness.

Furthermore, Mr Maele said 2026/2027, government had allocated more than P4.2 billion to tertiary education financing, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). This represents 57.9 per cent of the ministry’s total budget.

“The allocation demonstrates government’s continued commitment to investing in human capital development through expanded access to higher education and improved student support," the minister said

A dditionally, Mr Maele said 12 250 students under the 2026/2027 Tertiary Education Sponsorship Application Cycle  were eligible , with applications opening today and closing on August 7.

He said the intake would include 7 906 applicants with at least 36 points in the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) or equivalent, 1 200 applicants from marginalised and special-needs communities with a minimum of 31 points, 3 000 applicants who upgraded their results and 144 Top Achievers.

Despite more than 5 000 eligible former beneficiaries awaiting re-sponsorship, Mr Maele said government would not consider re-sponsorship and progression applications this year due to financial constraints.

Mr Maele urged applicants to submit their own applications and not rely on third parties. He also appealed for patience if the online system experiences congestion in the opening days due to high demand.

He encouraged parents and students to consider TVET as a first-choice pathway, saying the country’s future growth will depend on technically skilled graduates to support industrialisation, economic diversification, and digital transformation.

The minister further called on graduates who previously benefited from sponsorship and are now employed to honour their student loan repayments. He said repayments would strengthen the revolving student financing fund for future Batswana.

Prospective students were also advised to make informed career choices based on the 2026 Human Resource Development Council Priority Skills Report, which identified high numbers of unemployed graduates in Business Administration, Finance, and Building.  

Applications will be processed through the Department of Tertiary Education Financing’s (DTEF) online Student Loan Management System which started Monday and will close  August 7. 

“The online system will automatically assess applicants against the approved sponsorship criteria and process applications within an average of 30 minutes,” Mr Maele said. ENDS