Since NSFAS took on the form of a bursary instead of a loan in 2018, it meant that students were no longer required to pay back nsfas debt incurred during their period of study,
Students have since been relieved to be able to attain the necessary funding without having to worry about repaying student debts for potentially a lifetime.
NSFAS provides student allowances in a variety of ways. For those staying in student residences, allowances are provided, depending on the type of accommodation the student has chosen, whether it be a catering residence or self-catering residence, and so on. Students in Private Accommodation are also granted an allowance each month.
One allowance type that remains for each student, regardless of the type of funding they receive from NSFAS, is the Learning Material Allowance. This is a once-off payment made to NSFAS funded students at the beginning of the academic year. As of 2021, the allowance amounted to about R5 200.
This money is provisioned for students to attain any learning material required for the year’s work. This includes textbooks, course readings, necessary stationery, and whatever other learning material the student may deem necessary to complete the year’s work.
