Applying for NSFAS funding for 2021? This is what you need to know
Applications for student funding for 2021 are officially open.
Higher education, science & innovation minister Blade Nzimande on Monday announced that the 2021 application cycle for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has been opened. It was effective from Monday, and will close on November 30.
NSFAS applications are for students from poor and working-class backgrounds who want to further their studies at any public technical and vocational education and training college (TVET) or university.
To qualify for funding, the applicant must be a South African citizen and from a family with a combined annual household income of no more than R350,000. For students with a disability, the combined annual household income must not be more than R600,000.
“In the current academic year, NSFAS has funded more than 700,000 students — 248,242 at
Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) colleges and 481,339 at universities. This is a 20% increase from the previous year when we compared registration data received in the same period 2019 vs 2020,” said Nzimande. The minister said NSFAS accounted for 40% of the undergraduate population at universities, and 70% at Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) colleges.
The department said applications for 2021 funding would be done online via the my NSFAS portal (https://my.nsfas.org.za/Application/selfservice.jsp). The application system will require prospective students to submit their supporting documents, including: a copy of their ID;a parent or guardian’s proof of income; and a copy of the parent or guardian’s ID.
Nzimande said National Youth Development Agency centres would be fully operational and accessible to applicants from September 1 to help applicants.