Many students benefit from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) by receiving financial support. These students are provided with assistance to cover their registration costs, tuition fees, and accommodation costs.
In addition to those, NSFAS also offers their students allowances that go towards learning materials, living expenses, and transport costs.
Students who stay in student accommodation receive an allowance, depending on the type of accommodation the student has chosen, for example catering or self-catering residence.
Those in private accommodation are also provided with an allowance each month.
The only type of allowance which is granted to all students is the learning material allowance, which is provided once at the beginning of the academic year.
Currently, the allowance amounts to R5 200, however, this may vary depending on the type of tertiary institution.
Students may use the learning material allowance to purchase textbooks, stationery, course reading materials and any other learning materials the student may need to complete their modules.
Since 2018, NSFAS is no longer a loan which means that students are not required to pay back NSFAS debt incurred during the duration of their studies.
NSFAS grants students these allowances to ensure they complete their studies without worrying about how they will pay for the cost of higher education.