# Arc — The Four-Year Career Platform

> Arc is a free career guidance platform for South African students from Grade 8 to first-year university. It provides bursary tracking, subject choice support, career exploration, and university application planning in 11 South African languages.

## About Arc

Arc was founded in 2024 by Tristan Losch and Elang Thelejane. It is operated by NextGen Intelligence LLC. Arc serves South African families — students, parents, teachers, and school administrators.

## Key Facts

- Free to start (Mahla tier). Premium plans from R99/month or R990/year.
- Supports 11 official South African languages: English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi, Xitsonga, siSwati, Tshivenda, isiNdebele.
- Tracks 80+ South African bursaries with personalised eligibility matching.
- Covers the full journey from Grade 8 subject choice to first-year university enrolment.
- South Africa has just 54 education counsellors serving the entire public-school system (PMG, 2024).
- The SIU recovered R1.7 billion in unspent student funding that never reached qualifying students (SIU, January 2026).

## Core Pages

- Homepage: https://www.arc-future.com/
- Manifesto: https://www.arc-future.com/manifesto
- 2026 Bursary Calendar: https://www.arc-future.com/bursary-calendar
- Four-Year Roadmap: https://www.arc-future.com/four-year-roadmap
- Pricing: https://www.arc-future.com/#pricing
- Blog: https://www.arc-future.com/blog

## Blog Posts (Published 2026)
Arc publishes original editorial content about career guidance, bursaries, and education in South Africa. All posts are written by the Arc team.

| Post | URL | Summary |
|------|-----|---------|
| The Decisions That Matter Are Made in Grade 9, Not Matric | /blog/decisions-that-matter-grade-9-not-matric | Subject choice in Grade 9 closes entire degree categories. Most families don't realise until matric. |
| Why Most SA Students Never Hear About Bursaries They Qualify For | /blog/bursaries-students-never-hear-about | The barrier is visibility, not eligibility. Arc tracks 80+ bursaries with personalised matching. |
| One Counsellor, Hundreds of Students | /blog/one-counsellor-hundreds-of-students | SA has 54 education counsellors for the entire public-school system. The arithmetic fails. |
| What a Four-Year Head Start Actually Looks Like | /blog/what-a-four-year-head-start-looks-like | Starting career planning in Grade 8 instead of Grade 11 changes outcomes. |
| The R1.7 Billion That Never Reached Students | /blog/the-r1-7-billion-that-never-reached-students | The SIU recovered R1.7bn in unspent student funding. Arc helps students find what's available. |
| APS Scores, Explained | /blog/aps-scores-explained | APS converts matric marks to a university entry score. Clear explanation from zero. |
| Myth: Career Guidance Starts in Grade 11 | /blog/myth-career-guidance-starts-in-grade-11 | The biggest career decision (subject choice) happens in Grade 9. Grade 11 is two years late. |
| The Real Cost of First Year | /blog/the-real-cost-of-first-year | Tuition is the known cost. Hidden costs (residence, textbooks, transport, food, laptop) break budgets. |
| Your Child's Marks Tell a Story | /blog/your-childs-marks-tell-a-story | A single term report is a snapshot. Four years is a trajectory. Read the trajectory. |
| Support Without Surveillance | /blog/support-without-surveillance | Arc shows parents enough to help without breaking teen trust. Privacy by design. |
| Career Guidance in All 11 Languages | /blog/career-guidance-in-all-11-languages | A student who thinks in isiZulu but plans in English is not getting guidance. Arc works in all 11 SA languages. |
| AI That Makes Students Sharper, Not Lazier | /blog/ai-that-makes-students-sharper-not-lazier | Arc uses AI to clear the ground for student thinking, not replace it. |

## Pricing Tiers

| Tier | Price | Details |
|------|-------|---------|
| Mahla (Free) | R0 | Core career guidance, basic bursary alerts, subject choice guidance |
| Monthly | R99/month | Full platform access, personalised bursary matching, AI career guidance |
| Annual | R990/year | Same as Monthly, 17% savings |
| Family | From R74/extra child | Multi-child discount |
| Schools | From R150/learner/year | Institutional access, bulk licensing |

## Bursary Calendar (2026)

Arc's Bursary Calendar lists the 10 canonical South African bursaries every family should know:

1. NSFAS — National Student Financial Aid Scheme (household income ≤ R350,000/year)
2. Funza Lushaka — DBE teacher-training bursary (priority subjects)
3. Sasol — Engineering, STEM, IT, Finance (Math ≥ 65%, Physical Sciences ≥ 65%)
4. Eskom — Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, IT, Finance
5. Anglo American — Mining, mechanical, electrical engineering, geology
6. Allan Gray Orbis Fellowship — Any undergraduate degree (APS ≥ 38)
7. Banking Sector (Investec, Standard Bank, Nedbank, FNB, ABSA) — CA, Actuarial, Finance, IT
8. Discovery — Actuarial Science, Data Science, IT, Finance
9. Transnet — Engineering (civil, electrical, mechanical, industrial)
10. Department of Health (Provincial) — Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy

## Four-Year Roadmap

Arc's roadmap guides students through 5 phases:
- Grade 8: Explore careers widely, no pressure to decide
- Grade 9: Subject choice — the most consequential decision
- Grade 10: Bursary awareness, marks become bursary marks
- Grade 11: First university and bursary applications submitted
- Matric: Execution — final applications close, NSFAS opens September

## Contact & Social

- Website: https://www.arc-future.com
- Instagram: @arcfuture_za
- YouTube: @arcfuture_za
- LinkedIn: /showcase/arcfuture-za/
- Facebook: /share/1cHVmY69T6/
- WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8pzLG9WtC4CJRfvC1F

## Sources & Citations

- SIU media statement, January 2026: https://www.siu.org.za/media-statements/
- PMG parliamentary reply on education counsellors: https://pmg.org.za/committee-question/37808
- NSFAS: https://www.nsfas.org.za
- Department of Basic Education: https://www.education.gov.za