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05 March 2019 | Story André Badenhorst

 

UPDATE: 11 March 2019
General NSFAS information 

Do you come from a poor or working-class family with a combined household income of not more than R350 000 per annum?

The Department of Higher Education and Training has a bursary designed to assist you with funding towards a tertiary qualification of your choice. The bursary is administered by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and is available for persons who wish to or are studying at a public institution of higher education and training (university or TVET college).

Who qualifies for NSFAS?

Funding will be available to:

  • Students from families with a combined household income of not more than R350 000 (three hundred and fifty thousand rands) per annum, registering at TVET colleges and universities for the first time.
  • Students returning to TVET colleges and universities to complete or continue their first undergraduate qualification. Only select postgraduate qualifications are funded, please refer to the website for the full list.
  • Students from families with a combined household income of up to R122 000 (one hundred and twenty-two thousand rands) returning to TVET colleges and universities after a gap year or two to complete their first undergraduate qualification.
  • Students from families who are recipients of child-support grants or disability grants administered through the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will automatically qualify for NSFAS funding.
  • Orphans will automatically qualify for NSFAS funding, provided that there is confirmation of their status.


    NSFAS funding for postgraduate qualifications

    NSFAS only accepts funding applications for the following postgraduate qualifications:

    BTECH: ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY

    BTECH: ARCHITECTURE (PROFESSIONAL)

    BTECH: BIOKINETICS

    BTECH: BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

    BTECH: BIOTECHNOLOGY

    BTECH: CARTOGRAPHY

    BTECH: CHIROPRACTIC

    BTECH: CLINICAL TECHNOLOGY

    BTECH: DENTAL TECHNOLOGY

    BTECH: EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: CHEMICAL

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: CIVIL

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: ELECTRICAL

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: INDUSTRIAL

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: MECHANICAL

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: MECHANICAL: MECHATRONICS

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: METALLURGY

    BTECH: ENGINEERING: REFRACTORIES

    BTECH: FORESTRY

    BTECH: HOMOEOPATHY

    BTECH: NURSING

    BTECH: NURSING SCIENCE

    BTECH: NURSING: COMMUNITY NURSING

    BTECH: NURSING: PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

    BTECH: NURSING: OCCUPATIONAL NURSING

    PGCE

    LLB

    MB CHB

    PGDA

What the bursary covers

NSFAS funding covers the actual cost of tuition plus prescribed learning materials – this means the tuition fee for the specific programme that the student is registered for; these fees differ, depending on the field of study (e.g. engineering; medicine; art; history, etc.) and the institution that the student is admitted to; AND dependent on eligibility, subsidised accommodation and living costs, including meals. The bursary funding is for the duration of study and does not require any repayment.

Upon qualifying for the NSFAS bursary, a beneficiary is required to sign a NSFAS Bursary Agreement with terms and conditions. Beneficiaries will then be expected to:

  • Comply with all academic requirements as set by institutions;
  • Attend and participate in lectures, tutorials, and academic support programmes as required by the institution;
  • Complete all set assignments and/or tasks as required in terms of the due performance requirements of the institution;
  • Undergo all tests and examinations (written and oral) as required in terms of the due performance requirements of the institution.


Statement: 6 February 2019
NSFAS completes review of rejected applications and prepares for appeals

The online application process for 2019 NSFAS private accommodation allowances is open.

More information on how to apply for NSFAS Private Accommodation

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has completed all assessments of the 2019 applications of first time entering students. Of the 417 000 applications received, more than 300 000 students have been declared approved, pending registration at public institutions for NSFAS funded qualifications.

Read the full statement

Also see the following documents:

1.    NSFAS Bursary Information 2019: Admitted to Higher Education prior to 2018
2.    NSFAS Bursary Information 2019: FTEN and 2018 FTEN Renewals
3.    Annexure A: NSFAS Allowance 2019
4.    Annexure B: NSFAS Appeal Form (Application Review)
5.    Annexure C: NSFAS Appeal Form

Statement: 5 February 2019
Application form for NSFAS appeals

With reference to our previous communication (4 February 2019; "Students who had a gap year in NSFAS funding or failed to register previously and could not reapply for funding, must also follow the appeal process"). It is herewith confirmed the application form for NSFAS appeals from returning students who had NSFAS funding in 2018, but who did not meet the funding requirements for 2019, was received on Monday 4 February 2019 and is available on the UFS web. Students must please make sure that they appeal for funding on the correct application form.

These appeal-application forms as well as all relevant documentation must be handed in at the Financial Aid offices, George du Toit Administration Building, Room S011 on the Ground Floor.
 
The closing date for submission to Financial Aid is 8 March 2019.
 
Returning students in this category who appeal for 2019 funding may register provisionally and refer to the provisional-registration requirements and processes.


Statement: 4 February 2019
More information about NSFAS allowances

New first time entering students and 2018 first time entering renewals
Admitted to Higher Education prior to 2018


NSFAS appeals for rejected 2019 funding applications
The appeal process for first-time NSFAS applicants who do not qualify for 2019 NSFAS funding, may submit an appeal to have their applications reviewed. The appeal form is available on the NSFAS website. NSFAS will reconsider an unsuccessful funding decision based on the changed material circumstances of a senior student who applied for NSFAS for the first time. NSFAS intends to resolve these appeals within seven working days of receipt, unless there is insufficient information. The closing date for the appeal process of students who applied for 2019 funding prior to the closing date of 2 December 2018, is 8 March 2019.
 
The appeal process (media release) has been communicated through social media, Blackboard, emails, NewsFlash, the media, the UFS website, and the SRC.
 
It was also indicated that Financial Aid would be in a position to assist students with the appeal process from 1 February 2019. Students are therefore requested to visit the Financial Aid offices. Alternatively, students can submit appeals, together with the required documentation, directly to NSFAS at applicationreview@nsfas.org.za
 
The appeal-application form, as well as the media release, also indicates which documents students should bring along when they are appealing.
 
Students who had a gap year in NSFAS funding or failed to register previously and could not reapply for funding, must also follow the appeal process.
 
The appeal process for 2018 NSFAS-funded students (returning students) who no longer meet the criteria for funding in 2019, will be communicated as soon as we receive official communication as well as application forms for completion from NSFAS. This will be a different process with a separate appeal-application form.



Statement: 25 January 2019
NSFAS completes review of rejected applications and prepares for appeals

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has completed all assessments for the 2019 applications of first-time entering students. Of the 417 000 applications received, more than 300 000 students have been approved, pending registration for NSFAS-funded qualifications at public institutions.
 
According to André Badenhorst, Deputy Director: Financial Aid at the University of the Free State, this process is only for students/applicants who applied for 2019 NSFAS funding prior to 2 December 2018. The appeal process for continuing/returning students who had NSFAS funding in 2018, will be communicated as soon as we receive official communication from NSFAS in this regard. It would be a different process with a separate appeal application form.
 
“Financial Aid offices will be in a position to assist students with the appeal process as from Friday 1 February 2019,” he said.
 
The closing date of the appeal process for students who applied for funding in 2019 prior to the closing date of 2 December 2018, is 8 March 2019.

Read the full statement



News Archive

Research by experts published in Nature
2011-06-02

 
The members of the research group are, from the left, front: Christelle van Rooyen, Mariana Erasmus, Prof. Esta van Heerden; back: Armand Bester and Prof. Derek Litthauer.
Photo: Gerhard Louw

A  research article on the work by a team of experts at our university, under the leadership of Prof. Esta van Heerden, and counterparts in Belgium and the USA has been published in the distinguished academic journal Nature today (Thursday, 2 June 2011).

The article – Nematoda from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa – sheds more light on life in the form of a small worm living under extreme conditions in deep hot mines. It was discovered 1,3 km under the surface of the earth in the Beatrix Goldmine close to Welkom and is the first multi-cellular organism that was found so far beneath the surface of the earth. The worm (nematode) was found in between a rock face that is between 3 000 and 12 000 years old.

The research can shed some new light on the possibility of life on other planets, previously considered impossible under extreme conditions. It also expands the possibilities into new areas where new organisms may be found.

These small invertebrates live in terrestrial soil subjected to stress almost for 24 hours They live through sunshine, rain, scorching temperatures and freezing conditions. Through time they developed a means to cope with harsh conditions. Terrestrial nematodes (roundworms, not to be confused or related to earthworms) are among those very tough small invertebrates that deal with those conditions everywhere. After insects they are the most dominant multi-cellular (metazoan) species on the planet having a general size of 0,5 to 1 mm and are among the oldest metazoans on the planet, Nature says in a statement on the article.

They inhabit nearly every imaginable habitat form the deep seas to the acid in pitcher . Some nematodes simply eat bacteria and these are the ones we study here. Terrestrial nematodes have developed a survival stage that can take them through hard times (absence of food, extreme temperatures, too little oxygen, crowding, and more).

At the head of the research was Prof. Gaetan Borgonie of the Ghent University in Belgium and a world leader in the discipline of nematode research. He was brought into contact with the South African research leader, Prof. Esta van Heerden, who set up a cooperation agreement with the University of Ghent and Prof. Borgonie. Prof. Van Heerden manages the Extreme Biochemistry group at the UFS and the research was funded by several research grants.

The search for worms began in earnest in 2007, but it was soon clear that the sampling strategy was insufficient. A massive sampling campaign in 2008-2009 in several mines led to the discovery of several nematodes and the new nematode species Halicephalobus mephisto. It is named after the legend of Faust where the devil, also known as the lord of the underworld is called Mephistopheles.

Nature says special filters had to be designed and installed on various boreholes. Unfortunately, there is no easy way of finding a magic formula and designs had to be adapted by trial and error; improving existing designs all the time. The work of the UFS Mechanical Workshop, which manufactured, adapted and helped design it, was crucial in this respect. Filters were left on the holes for varying periods, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for months. Prof. Derek Litthauer from the UFS played a big role in sampling, filter designs and coming up with ideas for names for the new nematode with Prof. Borgonie.

Research showed that the nematodes can live in the deep for up to 12 000 years. Three students – Armand Bester, Mariana Erasmus and Christelle van Rooyen from the UFS – did the work on this.

The importance of multi-cellular animals living in the ultra-deep subsurface is twofold: The nematodes graze on the existing bacterial population and influence their turnover. Secondly, if more complex multi-cellular organisms can survive in the deep subsurface on earth, this may be good news when looking for life on other planets where the surface is considered too inhospitable (e.g. Mars). Complex life forms can be found in ecosystems previously thought to be uninhabitable. Nature says this expands the possibilities into new areas where new organisms may be discovered.

Future research will focus on selective boreholes to look for more metazoans, so that a better idea of the complexity of the ecosystems there can be obtained. It will also look for metazoans in the deep subsurface on other continents to determine similarities and differences.

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