At the beginning of the year, National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) rejected over 300 000 funding applications. Applications were rejected for several reasons, including not submitting certain documents.
Students who were rejected, were urged to lodge an appeal within 30 days, so that the reason behind their rejection could be investigated and finalised.
Back in February, NSFAS experienced a backlog of over 200 000 appeals, leaving students unsure of whether they had received funding. However, in one day, the Appeals Tribunal was able to reduce this backlog by 100 000.
While thousands of lower-income students were left awaiting funding decisions by NSFAS, their university spaces were given up to students who could afford to pay for their own studies.
Students also missed registration deadlines, leaving them without a university spot, even though they had previously been accepted by the institution.
After concerns were raised by the South African Union of Students (SAUS), the Appeals Tribunal sat from Monday to deliberate the thousands of NSFAS appeals submitted by students.
Despite NSFAS stating that funding decisions would be finalised by 6 February 2023, they are still working through the appeals.
By Thursday afternoon, the tribunal has processed over 20 000 appeals and continues to make progress daily as they work through them.
Students will be notified continuously of the outcomes of their appeals as the tribunal processes them.
NSFAS also warns students of fake NSFAS Appeals notices making the rounds. These notices inform students that if they are awaiting appeal confirmation, they can check their statuses from May. However, this is fake news and students are urged to check the official NSFAS website and social media pages for accurate information and updates regarding appeals.
