The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has confirmed that university students will be paid their allowances in September 2024.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving learners enrolled in approved courses at universities and TVET colleges. This includes money for tuition and registration fees as well as several allowances for food, accommodation and learning materials.
In April 2024, NSFAS unveiled plans that would give Universities the responsibility for the payment of NSFAS allowances to students until the end of July 2024. However, the government bursary scheme revealed that universities will continue to pay NSFAS allowances until the end of the year.
Following a meeting between Universities South Africa (USAF) and the NSFAS Administrator, Mr F Nomvalo, NSFAS has decided that university students' allowances will continue to be distributed allowances through universities for the remainder of the 2024 academic year.
In September 2024, Universities will be responsible for paying students their allowances. NSFAS will allocate funds to universities
This means NSFAS will disburse allowances to institutions, which will then distribute them to students, until the end of the 2024 academic year. The pilot accommodation process remains unchanged.
NSFAS confirmed that it will continue to disburse allowances and tuition fees to institutions based on valid student registration data.
Universities must provide accurate student registration information to NSFAS to ensure all registered and eligible students receive their NSFAS allowance payments.
Institutions are urged to validate student data before disbursing allowances to ensure accuracy.
Updates On Proposed NSFAS Allowance Payment System
In May, NSFAS Administrator Freeman Nomvalo revealed that a new system for allowance payments will be fully developed by September 2024. It remains unclear whether this will remain the case after the scheme’s confirmation that universities will continue disbursing NSFAS allowances to students.
Further information regarding allowance distribution channels for the 2025 academic year will be communicated later.
