The bursaries offered by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) cover tuition and registration fees, as well as several allowances for food, accommodation, and learning materials. NSFAS allowances help students cover essential expenses while they pursue their tertiary education qualifications.
Here’s how NSFAS allowances for Unisa students will work in January 2025.
NSFAS Allowances For Unisa Students For January
NSFAS allowances are divided into 10 payments every year. This means that in January 2025, Unisa students will not receive any allowances.
December and January are different to every month due to NSFAS not paying allowances during this month. NSFAS only pays allowances for 10 months every year, during the academic year.
The academic year commences in February and ends in November for most institutions which means that NSFAS pays allowances from February until November only.
What Unisa Students Receive from NSFAS
Unisa students funded by NSFAS are eligible for two main allowances: the Learning Materials Allowance and the Living Allowance.
Learning Materials Allowance
This is based on the number of registered modules. Students receive R700 per module for the first four modules and a one-time payment of R5,460 for five or more modules.
If R5,200 has already been paid for five modules, no additional funds are provided for any extra modules. This allowance is used for purchasing textbooks and other required study materials.
Living Allowance
Students registered for ten or more modules qualify for a living allowance. Additionally, they are eligible for an incidental allowance as specified by Unisa.
In addition to these allowances, NSFAS covers both tuition and registration fees.
