The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) plays a critical role in ensuring students from poor and working-class backgrounds can further their education without having to worry about the costs.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving learners enrolled in approved courses at universities and TVET colleges. This includes money for tuition and registration fees as well as several allowances for food, accommodation and learning materials.
The government bursary scheme have confirmed the allowance payments for June 2024.
Breakdown of NSFAS Allowances for June 2024
University NSFAS Allowances
- Living Allowance: University students receive an annual living allowance of R16,500, including R3,045 for personal care items and R13,455 for meals.
- Learning Materials: Students are allocated up to R5,460 annually for learning materials.
- Meal and Personal Care: These are distributed in 10 monthly instalments. For June, students will receive a meal allowance of R1,345, with those in catered accommodation getting a slightly lower personal care allowance of around R300 per month.
- Transport: Off-campus students living more than 10km away receive a transport allowance of R7,718 per year, which amounts to R771 per month.
TVET College NSFAS Allowances
- Living Allowance: TVET students are provided with R10,000 annually for living expenses.
- Learning Materials: The allowance for learning materials varies based on the course.
- Meal and Personal Care: Similar to university students, these are distributed in 10 monthly installments, with a meal allowance of R1,345 for June and a slightly lower personal care allowance of around R300 for those in catered accommodation.
- Transport: Off-campus students living more than 10km away receive a transport allowance of R7,718 annually, which translates to R771 per month.
Students with Disabilities NSFAS Allowances
NSFAS offers enhanced living allowances and additional support for learning materials for students with disabilities. Specific eligibility requirements must be met. Some TVET students may only receive allowances during simulated training periods.
Changes in NSFAS Allowance Payments
Due to irregular activities found between NSFAS stakeholders and service providers, NSFAS Direct bank accounts will no longer be used for allowance payments.
University NSFAS Allowances
Universities will directly distribute NSFAS allowances to students until the end of July, bypassing the NSFAS bank account system.
TVET College NSFAS Allowances
TVET college students funded by NSFAS will have their allowances directly deposited into their personal bank accounts. Students are encouraged to submit their banking details through the myNSFAS portal to facilitate this transition and avoid payment delays.
Only students with confirmed funding and submitted registration data can add their banking details on the myNSFAS portal. NSFAS will verify all submitted bank accounts.
For more detailed information on NSFAS allowances and eligibility, visit the NSFAS website or contact your institution's financial aid office.
Remember, NSFAS will only fund you if you maintain your academic eligibility criteria.
