What Are The Requirements To Stay Funded By NSFAS?
NSFAS stands for National Student Financial Aid Scheme, a government-funded program that provides financial assistance to eligible students in South Africa. To stay funded by NSFAS, you need to meet the following conditions and criteria:
Requirements To Stay Funded By NSFAS
- You need to have a South African citizenship or a permanent residency with a valid study permit.
- You need to enroll in a public university or TVET college in a recognized program.
- You need to have a household income of no more than R350 000 per year.
- You need to attain at least 50% pass rate if you are a new student and at least 55% pass rate if you are a continuing or returning student. This standard will rise to 60% in the future.
- You need to follow the N+ rule, which means you can only receive funding for the normal duration of your program plus one additional year.
What Is The N+ Rule?
The N+ rule is a NSFAS policy that sets a limit on the duration of funding for a student. ‘N’ is the minimum duration to complete a course, and ‘+’ is the additional years NSFAS provides funding. For instance, for a three-year course, NSFAS funds for ‘N+1’ or four years. However, this depends on the student’s initial registration year for higher education. Students who first registered before 2018 get ‘N+2’ or two extra years of funding, while those who registered from 2018 onwards get ‘N+1’ or one extra year of funding.
Conclusion
If you fail to meet these requirements, you may lose your funding or have to repay some or all of the money you received from NSFAS. Therefore, it is important to study hard and make good use of the learning resources provided by NSFAS.
