How to Apply For NSFAS South Africa : A Step By Step Guide

How to Apply for NSFAS South Africa : A Step by Step Guide

The National Student Financial Assistance Program (NSFAS) is a South African government student financial aid scheme that helps undergraduate students pay for their higher education after they graduate from high school. The Department of Higher Education and Training funds it. The program also administers scholarships from the Sector Education and Training Authorities, such as the Funza Lushaka Teacher Bursary (for students seeking a teaching qualification), the DHET Disability Bursary, and other bursaries (SETAs).

Funding Request for NSFAS Account:

1. Go to www.nsfas.org.za to register as a myNSFAS user or to re-register an existing account.
2. Select “myNSFAS” from the drop-down menu.
3. “Register” may be accessed by clicking on it.
4. Allow NSFAS to validate your information by checking the box.
5. Then, as shown on your South African Identity Document, put your ID number in the space (ID)
6. As shown by your ID number, type in your entire name and surname.
7. Put your current email address in the box below.
8. Your email address must be confirmed.
9. Enter your phone number here.
10. Make a password for yourself
11. Password verification
12. Send us a copy of your ID.
13. Register by clicking on it.
14. An OTP will be issued to the entered email address and phone number (this OTP expires after 24 hours)
15. Click Submit after entering the OTP.
16. Your re-registration process is now complete.
17. To access the online application form, choose the APPLY option.

NSFAS application documents

Prepare certified copies of the following papers that are less than three months old. The South African Police Service or the South African Post Office will need to certify your papers. This also applies if you are under the age of 18 or 18 and STILL DEPENDENT on your parent’s or legal guardian’s combined household income:

• A legitimate copy of your South African ID or a birth certificate that has not been tampered with.
• You must provide a certified copy of your unabridged birth certificate if you are less than 16 years old and do not have a green bar–coded ID or smart ID card.
• Parental and/or guardian identification cards (death certificate if applicable)
• Each member of your family’s identification
• Proof of yearly family income, such as a paystub or appointment letter, for your parents or guardians, or yourself if working. (This applies to all sorts of work or income for all family members.) This includes income from SASSA grants, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), and any lump-sum or monthly payments of retirement, life, disability, or other benefits.)
• Your most recent academic transcript or exam results, certified. (You do not need to submit this if you are presently in Grade 12)
• Registration papers from the university (if applicable)
• Documents for Travel and Staying (if applicable)
• Marriage proof (if applicable)
• Download the permission form and sign it with the signatures of everyone whose income was indicated in the application.
• Download and fill out the Disability Annexure A Form if you have a disability.

NSFAS Application Forms (Manual) / Offline:

You’ll be handed a physical copy of the application form to fill out at one of the application locations.

Fill out the nsfas application form in black ink, and use CAPITAL letters to fill inside the blocks.

Make sure you don’t leave any text blank and write correctly.

Sign the permission form with your parents/guardians.

Before submitting the application form, get certified copies of the required supporting papers and staple them to the application form.

Documents must be certified on the front side of the page within three months after receipt.

Sign and return the completed application form to one of the NYDA assistants.

A barcode will be included with the application. Wait for the receipt card’s little acknowledgement with the replicated barcode to appear.

Check the progress of your NSFAS application.

By visiting https://my.nsfas.org.za/, you may check the progress of your NSFAS application.

Learn how to log in to your myNSFAS account.

Plumstead 7801, South Africa, Private Bag X1.

Phone: 0860 067 327 Email: [email protected] Address: 10 Brodie Road, House Vincent 2nd Floor, Wynberg, Cape Town 7700
@myNSFAS is a Twitter account dedicated to the National Society for the Advancement of Science
F.A.Q. (FQA)
How can a student restore their profile if they forget their former login, password, or telephone number?

To recover your myNSFAS login information, follow the steps below:

Go to www.nsfas.org.za, select’myNSFAS,’ then ‘lost password.’

Enter your ID number and choose whether you need assistance with your password, username, or both, then click “submit.”

SMS and email will be used to provide the username and a link to reset your password.

To access the password reset page, click the link.

Follow the on-screen instructions to change your password.

Is it possible for me to make an appeal?

You may be able to file an appeal if your NSFAS application was refused.

Visit https://my.nsfas.org.za/Application/selfservice.jsp to log into the MyNSFAS site.

Choose the option to monitor funding progress.

Examine the progress tabs for the program.

If your application status is failed, you may make an appeal by clicking the Submit Appeal option in the appeal application box.

This will lead you to the Application Appeal website, where you may find out why your application was rejected.

Provide a motivating letter outlining the grounds for your appeal.

To back up your assertion, provide any official application papers.

Submit your appeal by clicking on the button.

The MyNSFAS site allows you to follow the status of your appeal.

About NSFAS

History

The Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa (TEFSA) was replaced by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme in 1996.

TEFSA was a non-profit organization that controlled and operated NSFAS from its inception until 2000. TEFSA was renamed NSFAS in 1999 as it was transformed into a statutory agency. The plan is funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training, as well as local and foreign contributions, totaling about R30 billion in 2018. For “full time” students, the bursaries cover tuition, housing, food, and travel allowances; for “part time” students, the bursaries simply cover tuition.

As of November 20th, 2019, NSFAS has received 365,922 applications for financial assistance in 2020, compared to 278,738 applications the year before.

Dr. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, said in 2019 that the government has set up roughly R80 billion for NSFAS for the next three years.
Qualifiers for financial help

South African nationals who fulfill the means test and enrol for the first time at a public South African higher education institution may be eligible for a scholarship. The applicant’s total family income (gross) must not exceed R350,000 per year to pass the means test. A few post-graduate student credentials are also covered by the bursary (such as a postgraduate certificate in education).

Repayment of a loan (pre-2018)

Prior to former President Jacob Zuma’s declaration in 2017 of free higher education for underprivileged students, NSFAS bursaries were “loans” that had to be repaid. Once the student had found work and was earning R80,000 or more per year, the loan payments started. If the student was jobless, they were not required to return the loan until they found work. The loan would still have to be returned if the student dropped out of university or college without completing their degree. All accumulated “loans” from NSFAS previous to 2018 must be paid back as of 2019. [20]
Higher education is provided at no cost to the student (post-2018)

Former President Jacob Zuma said on December 16, 2017, that the South African government will phase in “totally financed free higher education and training for poor and working class South African students” over a five-year period.

The NSFAS declared in March 2021 that its financing was inadequate to cover first-year students. In the same month, the NSFAS executive board was chastised for expending billions of rands in irregular expenditures over the previous three years, including R522 million this year.
The procedure for submitting an application

NSFAS bursaries may be applied for both online and in person. In the year before the first year of higher education, applications are normally available between September and November. On the NSFAS website, applicants may submit their applications online. Applications are also available at the Financial Aid Office (FAO) or Student Service Centre of the higher education institution to which the student has applied, as well as at the offices of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).