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14 August 2020 | Story Amanda Tongha | Photo NSFAS

Applications for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) 2021 are now open.  

The NSFAS application cycle will run for a period of four months starting from 3 August to 30 November 2020. 

NSFAS applications are open to students from poor and working-class backgrounds who wish to further their studies at any public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college or university. To qualify for NSFAS funding, the applicant must be a South African citizen; come from a family with a combined annual household income of not more than R350 000; for students with a disability, a combined annual household income of not more than R600 000. 

Applications for 2021 funding will be completed online via the myNSFAS portal as per previous years. 

New applicants need a copy of their ID or birth certificate to register and create a myNSFAS account or profile on the myNSFAS portal. Applicants with existing accounts must log on to their accounts to complete an application. Applicants are not allowed to create more than one profile on the portal. The applicant will be required to give consent to NSFAS to verify their personal information with third parties and will not be able to create a profile without giving this consent. This feature allows NSFAS to conduct a three-step verification process with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), where an ID number will be linked to the name and surname of the applicant and the parents' details. 

In response to the status quo due to the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants will not be required to submit or upload the consent form; however, they will have to grant consent electronically during the application process, along with accepting the terms and conditions for funding. 

Applicants will, however, still be required to submit their supporting documents, comprising a copy of own ID; parents’/guardian's proof of income; copies of parents’/guardian's ID; and/or Annexure A for applicants with disabilities. 

Qualifying students are urged to make use of this opportunity and apply for funding in time. 

 
 

News Archive

Mid-year prize-giving ceremony for UPP and Extended Programme students
2012-09-20

Prof. Neil Heideman, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, with top achiever Buyisani Masabalala.
20 September 2012

With a subject percentage of 94% in Chemistry and 89% in Mathematics, Buyisani Masabalala is at the top of his class. The student, who is part of the University Preparation Programme (UPP) offered on the South Campus of the University of the Free State, was named top student in the Natural Sciences for students in the programme.

Buyisani and 28 other students on the UPP and Extended Degree programme, received certificates at a prize-giving ceremony held on the South Campus. They were top performers during their first six months in all subjects on the UPP and Extended Degree programme. The UPP is a one-year bridging programme for students who do not meet the initial admission requirements for mainstream studies at a university. The extended degree programme caters for students who do meet mainstream university admission requirements but have a lower admission score.

With their excellent results, Buyisani and the other top achievers are now one step away from entrance into mainstream studies. They are now awaiting their final results that will be out at the end of the year. As an incentive to study even harder, the UPP top achievers in the Faculties of Humanities, Economic and Management Sciences, Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Sciences and Education will each receive a bursary at the end of the year. The same applies for top achievers in the B Com and BSc Extended Programme and the Vocational Directed Preparation Programme top achievers.

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