CFA Society South Africa Local University Research Challenge

CFA Institute Research Challenge

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that connects university students with investment professionals from within the CFA Society^® network. The competition provides students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and ethics and tests participants' analytical, valuation, reporting writing, and presentation skills.

Members of our society, along with a faculty advisor and an industry mentor, work with teams of students to value a stock, write a research report, and present their recommendations. Teams then compete with peers from other schools at local-level competitions organized and judged by CFA Society members and volunteers. The winning university team(s) from each local competition then advances to see who will become the sub-regional, regional, and global champions.

Learn more and read FAQs See the schedule and get involved

2025/2026 CFA Institute University Research Challenge

CFA Society South Africa is delighted to host the 17th annual local University Research Challenge.

Excited to be part of this initiative that offers students the unique opportunity to learn from leading industry experts and compete with peers from the world's top finance programs.

The local University Research Challenge kicked off.

CFA Society South Africa proudly announces that Woolworths Holdings LTD is this year's Subject Company. Teams will analyse all aspects of the company and write their written report.

EquityRT is the official Data Sponsor for this year’s CFA Institute Local University Research Challenge!

As part of this collaboration, participating students will gain full access to the EquityRT platform, giving them a powerful edge as they dive into financial data, research tools, and real-time insights.

This invaluable resource will support students in crafting high-quality analysis reports on the subject company – helping bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world investing.

Here’s to empowering the next generation of financial leaders!

What it is

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. Each student will be tested on their analytic, valuation, report writing, and presentation skills. They gain real-world experience as they assume the role of a research analyst.

How it Works

Local-level competitions are organized and judged by CFA Society^® members and volunteers who function as local hosts.

The winning university team from each local competition advances to one of the three regional competitions.

The regional and global competitions are hosted by CFA Institute in the Americas; the Asia Pacific; and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. The winning teams from each regional competition advance to the Global Final, where one team emerges as the global champion.

How to Get Involved

The Research Challenge provides all participants – both individuals and organizations – with incredible opportunities to get involved.

Students: Find out if your university participates by asking your professor, our Society, or checking the participating universities list.
Universities: Form your team and give students the opportunity to compete against their peers and gain real-world experience.
Employers: Become a judge, mentor, grader, speaker, or corporate sponsor.

View the live recording - Click here

2025 Participating Universities:

Botswana Accountancy College (Botswana)

Copperbelt University (Zambia)

Nelson Mandela University

Northwest University

Stellenbosch University

Tshwane University of Technology

University of Cape Town

University of Fort Hare

University of the Free State

University of Johannesburg

University of South Africa

University of Botswana (Botswana)

University of Lusaka (Zambia)

University of Zambia (Zambia)

University of Pretoria

University of the Western Cape

University of the Witwatersrand

University of Zululand

University of KwaZulu-Natal

University of Namibia (Namibia)

BA ISAGO (Botswana)

Botho University (Lesotho)