The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) helps individuals pay for their studies through the NSFAS bursary. Applications for this bursary usually open around August/September and closes in November/December of the same year.
The NSFAS bursary covers a wide range of courses. NSFAS funds students and prospective students who wish to study at one of South Africa's public Universities or TVET Colleges.
NSFAS will cover any course studied at these institutions, with a few exceptions. It's important to remember that NSFAS only funds your first qualification and won't fund your postgraduate one.
In the case of wanting to pursue a postgrad qualification, the NSFAS loan would be available.
The financial aid scheme will also cover your online course should it be done through a public University or TVET College.
Courses Covered By The NSFAS Bursary
University
- Certificate qualifications which are registered on NQF Level 5, ie. Higher Certificate or National Higher
Certificate courses - Undergraduate qualifications on NQF Level 6, ie. Advanced Certificate, Diploma or National Diploma
- Undergraduate qualifications on NQF Level 7 or 8, ie. National First Degree
TVET College
- Pre-Vocational Learning Programme (PLP) courses for one academic term
- NATED/Report 191 qualifications
- NSFAS will only fund a student for one academic term on this qualification for Report 191 introductory courses.
- NC(V) qualifications
- Occupational programmes which are approved for NSFAS funding by the Department of Higher Education
Now which courses does the NSFAS bursary not fund?
- Postgraduate qualifications
- Part-time studies
- Private institution courses
- A second undergraduate qualification
- Short courses
A NSFAS bursary will pay for your tuition fees but will also cover other things such as your registration, accommodation, transport, meals and other living costs.
These are the requirements to be funded by NSFAS:
Universities
- Must be a South African citizen
- Must be applying or accepted at a University
- SASSA grant recipients immediately qualify
- Must have a household income below R350 000 per year
- If you're a person living with a disability, your household income must come to R600 000 or less
TVET Colleges
- Must be a South African citizen
- Must be registered or intending to register on a PLP, NC(V) or Report 191 programme at a TVET College
- Must have a household income below R350 000 per year
- If you're a person living with a disability, your household income must come to R600 000 or less
- Returning students must demonstrate proven and accepted academic performance in line with the College’s progression policy or the progression prescriptions of the Bursary Rules and Guidelines
- Must not be enrolling for a qualification that duplicates previous learning that was state-funded
NSFAS is a government entity under the Department of Higher Education and Training established according to the NSFAS Act (Act 56 of 1999) to provide financial support to disadvantaged students who wish to further their studies at public universities or TVET colleges.
