National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) offers bursaries to South African students who plan to study at public universities and TVET colleges. They cover funding for registration, tuition and allowances.
So how much must your parents earn in order for you to qualify for funding? NSFAS has stated that your combined household income should be under R350 000 per year for you to qualify. If you are a person living with a disability, your combined annual household income should be less than R600 000.
The other NSFAS are:
- You are a South African citizen
- Financial constraints which doesn't allow you to fund your own studies such as:
- You are a SASSA grant recipient
- You are applying to get a formal qualification from a public university or TVET College
- You passed grade 9 to 12 (for those applying for TVET funding)
- You passed grade 12 (for those applying for University funding)
If approved, the only requirement to stay funded is that you need to pass your modules.
NSFAS uses the N+2 rule for the number of years they fund you. N is the number of years it normally takes to finish the degree, and plus two years. For each degree the number of years changes for example a medical degree can take up to 7 years. NSFAS funds the extra 2 years of study should a student fail.
For more information, you can visit the NSFAS website.