Briefing the media on Tuesday on the Higher Education and Training Department’s readiness for the 2023 academic year, Minister Blade Nzimande announced that all prospective students who are approved for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding will be able to register for the 2023 academic year without having to pay any upfront registration fees.
Applications for Nsfas funding for the 2023 academic year opened on 28 September 2022 and will close on the 31 January 2023.
As of Friday, 20 January 2023, a total of 1 131 419 applications have been received through the scheme’s online application portal and 156 700 of these applications are from SASSA beneficiaries.
The bursary scheme will release NSFAS application results for those who applied for funding for the first time and returning students on 6 February 2023 while the funded list for continuing students was released on Tuesday, the 24th January.
He added that all Sassa grant beneficiaries will receive instant funding approval, pending registration at any of our public universities or TVET colleges.
Those who have applied for NSFAS finding for 2023 are encouraged to log onto their myNSFAS accounts to track their applications.
“The good news is that NSFAS applicants can access their application updates at the tip of their fingers through a new WhatsApp line and a USSD code,” continues the Minister.
In an effort to improve its communications system and simplify the application tracking process, Nsfas launched a new WhatsApp line where ttudents can add the scheme on WhatsApp 078 519 8006, or dial *120*67327 to track their 2023 application status.
Nzimande reminded unsuccessful applicants that they will have an opportunity to submit a NSFAS appeal for the funding decisions by submitting relevant supporting documents between the 20th of January and the 20th of February 2023.
All application decisions, including the appeal option and appeal processes will be available to applicants through the myNSFAS portal accessible via the NSFAS website.
Last year, Nsfas promised students that allowances for the 2023 academic year would be paid out on time as they plan for a delay-free year.
Nzimande says the Nsfas is currently finalising the upfront payments schedule for universities and TVET Colleges with payments to be made by the end of the month.
Furthermore, the department has encouraged prospective students who have not applied for NSFAS funding yet to do so before the closing day on 31 January 2023.
