The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) may need additional information from you to process your application, in the form of supporting documents. When providing these required documents, ensure that you have all the relevant information.
Nsfas provides funding to students studying at one of South Africa's public Universities and TVET Colleges, who come from poor and working class backgrounds. The Nsfas bursary covers more than just your tuition fees with allowances given for transport, accommodation and other student needs.
You will need the following to complete your NSFAS application:
- Your own cellphone number and email address.
- A copy of your ID or birth certificate.
- ID copies of parents, guardian or spouse (or death certificate where applicable).
- Marriage certificate (where applicable).
- Your proof of income or 1 year’s IRP5 (if applicable).
- Your parents, guardian or spouse’s proof of income; if you are a SASSA grant recipient, no proof of income will be required.
- A court order (where applicable).
- Applicants with a disability must submit a completed and signed Disability Annexure A Form.
- An applicant who is recognised as a Vulnerable Child by the Department of Social Development must provide a completed and signed Vulnerable Child Declaration and Consent Form.
Students must upload the necessary documents as directed by the platform. Keep in mind that no affidavits will be accepted.
The application system might ask for supporting documents if the information provided does not correlate with third party information.
Nsfas applicants will be able to pause the process and continue at a later stage without restarting from scratch.
Applications for Nsfas bursaries can also be submitted through the NSFAS mobile App, USSD line and WhatsApp.
NSFAS has helped thousands of South African students to access higher education by providing financial support in the form of bursaries. Without this support, many students would not have been able to afford the fees and related costs of their tertiary education. Through NSFAS, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those from low-income families, are given an opportunity to improve their lives and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Over the years, NSFAS has helped to address the issue of inequality in access to higher education in South Africa. It has enabled students who are academically capable but financially challenged to pursue their studies and achieve their goals. NSFAS has also helped to improve the retention and graduation rates of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, thereby promoting social mobility and reducing poverty.
NSFAS has also implemented various initiatives to support students, such as providing allowances for accommodation, meals, and transport and offering academic support programmes to improve students' academic performance. Overall, NSFAS has had a significant positive impact on the lives of many South African students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, by providing them with access to education and the opportunity to build a better future for themselves and their families.
