NSFAS Allowances Are On Their Way, says Unisa

There is light at the end of the tunnel for Unisa students who have been wondering when they'll be receiving their NSFAS allowances as many students are left in the dark at the beginning of this academic year.

Unisa students who were funded by NSFAS in 2020 will receive their NSFAS allowances by the end of April. 

As for first-time entering students funded by NSFAS, Unisa has said that their allowances will be released based on NSFAS confirming that the processing of student registration data has been successful.

Unisa released a statement which read:

The disbursements of allowances for returning students funded from 2020 will be released by the end of April 2021. The disbursement of allowances for first-time entering students will be released based on NSFAS confirmation of successful processing of registration data.

The allocation of the NSFAS allowances to students is different as the teaching Unisa provides is different to that of other universities. 

Unisa students who are funded through NSFAS only receive a Learning Materials Allowance and Living Allowance. 

Learning Material Allowance is calculated based on the number of modules registered. Unisa students will then receive R600 per module for the first four modules and a R5200 once off amount for five modules to ten modules.

This then means that should the amount of R5200 Learning Materials Allowance be paid for the first five modules, no additional Learning Materials Allowance will be paid for additional modules.

Living Allowances are paid to students who are registered for ten or more modules.

NSFAS will also pay your tuition fees and your registration fee.

NSFAS Appeals 

NSFAS appeals for Unisa students, according to Unisa's website, is said to have closed on 18 April.

New applicants must appeal directly with NSFAS. This is how:

1. Log into your myNSFAS account
2. Click on 'Track Application Progress' to view your application status
3. If unsuccessful, you should see 'Appeal'
4. Click on 'Appeal'
5. Provide the relevant information and supporting documents

Visit the Unisa website for more information on NSFAS at Unisa.