The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a financial aid scheme that provides tertiary education funding to South African students who wish to study at TVET Colleges or public universities, however, are unable to afford it.
In the past NSFAS funded both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, however, recently the organisation decided to no longer fund those postgraduate courses.
The following postgraduate courses were funded by NSFAS:
- Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA).
The announcement stated that postgraduate certificates, postgraduate diplomas, honours degrees, masters, and PhD degrees would no longer be funded.
However, those who were funded during 2020 for any NSFAS funded postgraduate qualifications will continue to receive funding in 2021 for the completion of their course.
Students seeking funding for postgraduate qualifications are encouraged to contact and apply through the National Research Foundation (NRF).
Visit www.nrf.ac.za for application dates.
Funding received from NSFAS is in the form of bursaries that cover the cost of tuition fees, accommodation, and various allowances.
If you have applied for funding from NSFAS but unsure about whether your funding has been approved, then check your application status via your myNSFAS account. There you will find more information on which stage your application is at.
Once you have been approved for funding, you will need to pass all your modules to continue receiving the NSFAS bursary. However, if you fail one year, NSFAS has agreed to fund you for an additional year.
