Can I Receive the SASSA SRD Grant and NSFAS at the Same Time?

By Dave Nyam •  Updated: 10/03/24 •  5 min read

Do you want to know if you can get funding from NSFAS and the SASSA SRD grant simultaneously if you’re a student in South Africa? Continue reading if so. While the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant recipients have good news, they should keep a few things in mind. This article will examine how the SRD grant and NSFAS

funding are related and offer helpful advice for applying to both schemes.

Can I Receive the SASSA SRD Grant and NSFAS at the Same Time?

If you are a SASSA SRD grant recipient and are wondering if you are eligible for NSFAS funding, this section is for you. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) offers financial aid to South African students from low-income backgrounds so they can pursue tertiary education at public higher education institutions.

The R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which is given to jobless people with no other source of income, may already have been awarded to some applicants for the NSFAS. However, you will lose your eligibility for the SRD grant if you have received the R350 grant and received NSFAS approval. This case is so because NSFAS is eligible for the R350 grant for people who do not receive any other grants or UIF funds.

It’s important to understand that no one can receive funding from the SRD R350 grant and NSFAS simultaneously. You will instantly be eligible for NSFAS if you have other SASSA grants besides the R350 grant. The R350 grant will eventually be terminated when SASSA conducts its monthly review, at which point the grant and payments will stop, and the SASSA grant status will reflect that you have another grant. If your status is declined, it will say “NSFAS registered.”

If you receive the R350 grant and want to apply for NSFAS, see if you can take advantage of their bursary program by reviewing the NSFAS entry requirements. The good news is that R350 grant recipients can still apply for an NSFAS bursary and will be accepted even if they are R350 grant recipients if they meet the requirements.

Does SASSA SRD Affect NSFAS?

You might wonder if you can still be eligible for the bursary program if you receive the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant and want to apply for NSFAS. The short answer is that you can still submit an NSFAS application if you receive an SRD grant. You will, however, lose your eligibility for the R350 grant as soon as you receive approval for NSFAS.

This case is so because NSFAS is a grant, and the R350 grant is meant for people with zero grants or UIF funds. However, even if you receive an R350 grant, you can apply for an NSFAS bursary and be accepted if you already receive SRD grant payments and meet the NSFAS requirements.

The R350 grant payments will stop once Sassa conducts its monthly reviews, and your Sassa grant status check will indicate that you have been declined and that NSFAS has been registered. Additionally, no individual may receive NSFAS funding and R350 grant payments simultaneously.

You will automatically be eligible for funding from Nsfas if you also receive any other SASSA grants besides the R350 grant. Thus, if you’re a South African student from a low-income family, you can still receive financial assistance through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) and pursue a tertiary degree at one of the nation’s public universities or colleges.

Will NSFAS Fund Me if I Receive R350 SASSA?

Do you have any doubts about receiving funding from NSFAS if you receive R350 from SASSA? The good news is that even if you receive the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, you may still apply for NSFAS funding. NSFAS is designed to help underprivileged South African students pay for their post-secondary education. However, if you are granted NSFAS funding, you will lose your right to receive the R350 grant. When SASSA conducts its monthly review and learns that you have another grant, it will halt the payments.

You should know that you cannot apply for an R350 grant if your status is “NSFAS Registered.” No one may receive NSFAS and R350 grant payments simultaneously. The R350 grant is intended for people with zero sources of income or other grants, such as NSFAS.

While NSFAS and SRD R350 grants do not complement one another, applicants who receive any other SASSA grant besides R350 may be eligible for the NSFAS bursary program. Before submitting your application, reviewing the NSFAS requirements for other grants is imperative.

Relief grants from NSFAS and SASSA are distinct from one another and assist beneficiaries on different occasions. They must be unrelated, even though you can apply for them anytime. You can apply for NSFAS funding after receiving an SRD grant, but the two can’t get combined.

In conclusion, even if you receive R350 SASSA, you can still apply for NSFAS funding; however, if you get accepted, you will no longer be eligible for the grant. Before submitting your application, review the NSFAS requirements for other grants. Also, be aware that the processing time for NSFAS applications can vary depending on several factors.

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