When the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) opened its 2023 application cycle, Higher Education Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande announced the new changes to the online funding applications system.
Nzimande explained that the application system has been simplified and developed to be more user-friendly for students.
Funding through the government bursary scheme is strictly online, and the Scheme only funds students who intend on registering in any of the public universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in South Africa.
As part of the applications system, students are required to choose three of the institutions of higher learning where they aspire to pursue their education.
This information allows NSFAS to share funding-related information with all institutions that the applicant may have applied to study at.
However, students will need to start by creating a myNsfas account and logging in using their details such as their ID number and password.
In the previous application cycles, students were using their email addresses and passwords when logging into the application system.
According to NSFAS Acting Senior Manager Operations, Khaya Ndima, students are required to choose three security questions out of a range of questions when setting a password.
This follows a number of incidents of students forgetting their passwords, and having to reset them, which then requires human intervention.
Here Are The New NSFAS Application Channels:
Nzimande announced that the Scheme’s application system has received a few but yet significant changes.
The NSFAS application system has been simplified and developed to be more user-friendly, making it similar to other platforms that prospective applicants are accustomed to such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
According to the government bursary scheme, this new form of communication platforms will allow prospective students to track their applications.
