The Higher Education Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande has announced that the department and its stakeholders have made necessary plans to make sure that students don’t experience difficulties when the 2023 academic year starts.
According to Nzimande, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) will be making upfront payments to tertiary institutions, to allow for the payment of allowances and minimise the financial impact on institutions due to beneficiaries of the government bursary not paying registration fee.
The table below indicates the allowances applicable to TVET College students for the 2023 academic year:
According to Nsfas, the allowances have been adjusted to address the gap between TVET College students and university students and may change once the Scheme’s budget allocation has been finalised for the 2023 academic year.
Bursary recipients who are distance-learning TVET College students only qualify for the personal care allowance of R3,045.
A student that is registered for an occupational qualification may qualify for allowances only when they are in simulated training. Students who have an employment contract do not qualify for Nsfas allowances.
Students residing in student residences qualify for one accommodation allowance type per academic term whilst students staying with relatives or close family members do not qualify for this allowance.
Students that were not allocated accommodation by their TVET College, can apply to Nsfas for private accommodation. The institution and Nsfas will then be expected to facilitate the rental /lease agreement on favourable terms for the student and students will also be required to confirm proof of home address when applying for student housing.
Students who do not provide the Scheme with proof of payment will automatically qualify for the travel allowance and not the accommodation allowance.
It is the responsibility of Nsfas to facilitate the accreditation and grading of private accommodation close to the TVET College campus areas.
It is mandatory for institutions to apply to Nsfas to continue with the accreditation of private accommodation and to pay the accommodation allowance directly to accommodation providers and landlords.
