Have you had thoughts of applying for the NSFAS funds for the long term? Are you skeptical about applying for the NSFAS funds? Then this article is for you.
The NSFAS has been formed to ease the burden of students who either come from poor homes and earn a very low income of not more than R350000 per year or who earn nothing at all but would like to further their education at the tertiary level. That is any public university or TVET college in South Africa, precisely the undergraduate level.
How Many Years Does NSFAS Cover?
The NSFAS is not just given without any time range. The bursary is awarded to students depending on the funds available during the year of application, only if it meets or can cover the amount required for the programme the institution gives to a student to offer and the time duration of the course. However, a maximum of five years is awarded to any scheme beneficiary. If your course of study is in four years or below, you will be fortunate to enjoy the bursary from the registration period till the end of your education. Nevertheless, if your course of study exceeds five years, You would have to pay for the rest of the tuition fees till completion.
How Many Months Does NSFAS Give Allowance?
NSFAS beneficiaries receive allowances that cover almost all their academic expenses. The bursary covers registration fees, accommodation, transport, Tuition fees, book allowance, living allowance, and personal care allowance. With this, the scheme uses a procedure to fund its beneficiaries. Students being funded by NSFAS receive funds on the first week of every month; This continues for ten months.
How Many Times Does NSFAS Fund Students?
Per the terms and conditions of NSFAS, students will only be funded once they get admitted into an institution to offer or read a programme. The funding will only take place after your application has been successful. NSFAS doesn’t fund two or more programmes.
How Do I Know If NSFAS No Longer Funds Me?
NSFAS will not just withdraw its aid of providing a bursary for your education if you are a beneficiary. It will take a cause before the benefit you receive will be nullified. If you fail to meet the academic requirements of NSFAS, you will not be funded for your education; This means you have to attain a grade of 50% and more in your modules. Again, you can know you are no longer a beneficiary of NSFAS after you have visited MYNSFAS portal to track your application status. However, you can only be able to track your application status after you have done the following;
- Step 1: Log in to the NSFAS website using the link:http://www.nsfas.org.za/
- Step 2: Select the MYNSFAS account
- Step 3: Enter username and password
- Step 4: Click on the login button
- Step 5: Select Track Application Progress
All the information about the funds from NSFAS is available. You will know whether you will still benefit from the program or not.
NSFAS will stop funding your education if you defer a course of studies for a whole academic year. If you want to continue benefiting from the scheme, you must reapply when ready to retake the course.
Can NSFAS Fund You for More Than 5 Years?
As far as NSFAS is concerned, you can only receive financial aid for a maximum of five years. You would have to pay for any additional course surpassing five years. However, the N+2 rule is adapted after you have completed a degree or attained qualification, and it deems necessary to reread other courses and modules. With this, NSFAS will provide you with a bursary for the next two years; This means that if you can attain a degree within three or four years, it becomes necessary to do a course again or modules, and NSFAS will fund you for an additional two years. With the N+2 rule, you can only become a beneficiary of the scheme depending on the years you have been registered for the course of study in the institution to which you have been admitted.
