The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has said that they have received almost 1.9 million applications as the NSFAS closing date nears. NSFAS applications for 2024 will close on 15 February.
Should applicants have their NSFAS application rejected, they would then have 30 days to submit a NSFAS appeal. This NSFAS appeal will see the financial aid scheme re-evaluate the NSFAS application which could lead to a rejection becoming an approval. Unsuccessful applicants will find an appeal option available on their myNSFAS accounts, where they can click to begin the appeal process.
There are several reasons why an application may be rejected, such as having a household income exceeding R350,000 per annum, not meeting academic eligibility criteria for submitting an incomplete application. It's essential for students or applicants to ensure they submit all necessary documents, as failure to do so could impact the outcome of their appeal.
It's important to note that appeal decisions are contingent upon budget availability. Applicants can submit their appeals online through the myNSFAS Portal.
Over 100 000 NSFAS applications have been rejected with more than a thousand NSFAS appeals having already been submitted.
NSFAS will upon making the funding decisions commence with the appeals process in order to ensure that appeals decision are communicated to students and the institutions on time.
How To Submit A NSFAS Appeal
- Click here to visit the myNSFAS website.
- Log into your myNSFAS account.
- Click the 'Track Funding Progress' option.
- Check the application progress tabs.
- If your application status reflects an unsuccessful message, you may submit an appeal by clicking on the 'Submit Appeal Tab'.
- Once you are on the 'Application Appeal' page, you can see the reason for your unsuccessful application status.
- You are then able to choose the appeal reason.
- Upload certified supporting documents to support your reason.
- Click 'Submit Appeal'.
Of the almost 2 million NSFAS applications received, NSFAS has said that:
- 967 303 have been provisionally funded
- 779 769 are Sassa beneficiaries and are immediately approved
- 191 493 non-Sassa applicants have secured funding
Many applicants have however said that they have applied but have received no response. A vast number of applicants have said that their NSFAS status is stuck on 'Awaiting Evaluation' and 'Financial Eligibility'.
While visiting the NSFAS offices, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Buti Manamela, addressed this by saying:
We are quite concerned. We've had a lot of queries from students, prospective students who have applied for NSFAS and they have not yet received responses. I'm quite excited that there are plans that have been put into place to make sure that we, as speedily as possible, deal with this.
Manamela continued, "Most of the universities will be beginning with their learning and teaching in the course of this month so we need all of this cleared up".
It's quite an anxious period for especially those who are going to university and TVET College for the first time. I think for us to say to them that if we had managed by now, it's been a short space of time since the results, to communicate about 900 000 decisions. It should be easier to complete the rest of the 311 000. I know if you're the one who's affected, the bigger picture doesn't make sense.
The Deputy Minister has urged applicants to submit their NSFAS consent forms so that NSFAS can verify household incomes of parents and guardians.
NSFAS Consent Form
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is calling on all applicants to submit a consent form to finalise their 2024 NSFAS bursary application. Failure to submit a consent form may delay confirmation of funding by NSFAS.
DOWNLOAD YOUR NSFAS CONSENT FORM HERE
Students must note that not submitting the consent form will result in delays in the outcome of the application. The consent form will ensure that NSFAS complies with all SARS requirements.
Almost all students who applied for an NSFAS 2024 bursary are required to submit a consent form. This includes individuals whose NSFAS statuses are Awaiting Evaluation, Financial Eligibility, and Application Data.
The only applicants who are not required to upload a consent form are South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant beneficiaries who have already been approved for funding. This is because no financial checks are conducted on the parents, guardians, or spouses of the applicants in this case.
