The 2021 academic year is about to start and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme(NSFAS) is set to disburse allowances. NSFAS is said to have received near to 800 000 applications for funding in 2021.
Allowances will be disbursed to students once NSFAS receives registration data from the institution. This means that even if you haven’t registered yet, you won’t receive any allowances until you do so and then verification processes need to happen between NSFAS and your University. NSFAS will also cover your registration fee.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande made it clear that NSFAS will not be taking any late applications. However, students who were rejected have a second chance by submitting an appeal to NSFAS.
Some people believe that NSFAS has not done much to solve the problem of the missing middle, referring to those students who are too poor to pay their fees themselves but are seen as too rich to be funded by NSFAS. The NSFAS CEO acknowledged that this is a policy issue that needs to be looked at while speaking to Radio 702. He continued to say:
“The plan of the department does speak to solving funding for the missing middle and we are supposed to do our little bit in trying to assist so the only thing we can do from NSFAS perspective, there is government funding that can fund households with an income up to R350 000 per year.”
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a government student bursary scheme which receives its funding budget from, and reports to the Department of Higher Education and Training. NSFAS will cover more than just your tuition fees, should you qualify. NSFAS offers bursaries to South African students who plan to study at public universities and TVET colleges. They cover funding for registration, tuition and allowances. NSFAS funds students depending on the duration of their course or degree.
