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Everything you need to know about NSFAS Funding

01 January 2021

1. What is my NSFAS status?

Please log in on your MyNSFAS account to check your status (www.nsfas.org.za).

2. I forgot my password for my MyNSFAS account. What should I do?

Click on the ‘Forgot your password?’ link:

Nsfas 1

Nsfas edit

3. I forgot my username for my MyNSFAS account. What should I do?

Click on the ‘Forgot your password?’ link:

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4. Do I have to pay for registration if my NSFAS funds were approved?

No, you do not have to pay for registration if your NSFAS funds are approved. Please note that Financial Aid will allocate your NSFAS funding on the UFS system, which will lift the registration pre-payment block for you to register without making any payment. Once the allocation is done, you will receive an SMS message to notify you.

5. I am funded by NSFAS – what should I do next?

The Financial Aid office at the UFS requests complete funded lists from NSFAS on a regular basis. Validation checks are done and an NSFAS allocation is made to qualifying students on the UFS system. Once the allocation is made, Financial Aid will inform the student via an SMS message. Please note that approximately five hours after allocation of the NSFAS funds, the registration prepayment block will lift automatically. You are now ready to register.

6. I am a NSFAS-funded student but did not receive an SMS from Financial Aid to confirm that my allocation was done. What should I do if I still need to register?

Please be patient.
Make sure that your cellphone number is correct on the university’s system.If you need to correct your number, please visit Student Academic Services.
However, if your funding has been approved by NSFAS for a week and you have not received the SMS, please visit the Financial Aid station/help desk.

7. I did not receive the NSFAS allocation SMS from the UFS, and the period for registration given to me when accepting the offer for admission has passed. Can I still register?

Please continue with online registration once you have received the SMS confirming your allocation.

8. I am a NSFAS student and I have outstanding fees. Will I be allowed to register?

The university is aware of your situation and will take the amount payable by NSFAS into consideration when you want to register. Please note that you will have to contact the Student Finance division.

9. I paid my own registration fees and received NSFAS thereafter. Can I get a refund?

Yes. However, you will have to apply for a refund. Financial Aid will communicate to all NSFAS students when refund requests may be submitted for registration fees paid. Any fees not paid by NSFAS (for example, fines, doctor’s fees, etc.) will be deducted from the amount paid and only the balance will be refunded. All refund requests for NSFAS students must be submitted to Financial Aid. Please note that a closing date for the submission of refund requests will be applicable.

10. When will I receive my first NSFAS allowances?

NSFAS allowances will be paid during the first week of each month over a period of 10 months. Please note that due to several variables a specific date for payment cannot be provided.

11. What NSFAS allowances do I qualify for?

Information will be provided for 2021 once the DHET Guidelines is available.

12. How will NSFAS allowances be paid?

NSFAS allowances will be paid in cash to the student via the Fundi system. Once the allowances are debited to your student class fee account, you will receive an SMS message from Fundi to upload your banking details. Fundi will confirm your banking details and payment will follow.

Please note that no payments will be made to a third party.

You only have to upload your banking details once. If you experience any problems with regards to the upload of your banking details please contact Fundi at +27 8 60 55 55 44.

13. I did not obtain my higher certificate last year and have to repeat some modules. Will I qualify for NSFAS?

Information will be provided for 2021 once the DHET Guidelines is available

14. Does NSFAS pay private accommodation deposits?

No, NSFAS does not pay private accommodation deposits or residence deposits.

15. How do I apply for private accommodation?

Please visit the UFS website for a complete guide:

Students

Financial Aid

16. How will the accredited private accommodation work?

If your landlord is not accredited, please refer him/her to the Department of Housing and Residence Affairs. No payments will be made in 2021 and onwards to landlords who were not accredited by the end of 2020.

17. When will I receive my NSFAS allowances?

NSFAS allowances will be paid during the first week of each month over a period of 10 months. Please note that due to several variables a specific date for payment cannot be provided.

18. Will NSFAS pay all my fees?

NSFAS does not pay for the following:

Outstanding balances

Fines
Doctor’s fees
Breakage costs
Fridge rental, etc.

Please note that students who were registered for the first time at a tertiary institution before 2018, are subject to a maximum NSFAS amount for the year. The maximum NSFAS amount for 2021 will be confirmed.

19. I am funded by NSFAS but will study a course that is not funded by NSFAS. What should I do?

Your NSFAS funding is subject to you registering for a NSFAS-funded course. If you want to register for a course that is not funded by NSFAS, you will be unfunded.

If you want to register for a course that is not funded by NSFAS, you will have to find another source of funding and pay your own registration fees.

Courses not funded by NSFAS is, for example, University Access Programmes / University Preparation Programmes, Postgraduate Diploma in General Accountancy, honours, etc.

Please note that NSFAS-funded students who are registered or would like to register for courses not funded by NSFAS, will be handled as follows:

Students must make the minimum required registration payment to register.
NSFAS funding for students will be cancelled or not allocated if they are registered or open for courses not funded by NSFAS.
If students have registered with NSFAS funding, they will be deregistered and requested to make the minimum payment before being registered again.

20. I have a registration block for the outstanding NSFAS agreement. What should I do?

Please visit Financial Aid for assistance. According to NSFAS, you have received your agreement link to sign, but you have not signed yet.

21.When will I receive my private accommodation payment?

You must apply online for your private accommodation. It is compulsory to upload your rental agreement and proof of home address. If your private accommodation application is approved by the 25th of a month you will receive payment from your move in date up to date during the first week of the following month and thereafter you will receive your monthly payments until November.

22. How will I know if my private accommodation application status has changed?

You will immediately receive an email on your ufs4life email address when your status change.

23.What should I do if my private accommodation application is incomplete?

Please log in on your Student Self Service. The reasons for your incomplete application will be listed under your private accommodation application. Please correct the application and resubmit. Please do not resubmit if the application was not corrected. Please visit the website for clear explanations on the reasons for incomplete applications if you are unsure what is expected from you.

Please note that no payment will be made before your private accommodation application is approved.

24. When is the closing date for NSFAS private accommodation applications?

The closing date for applications for private accommodation is 10 September 2021. Please note that no extension will be given.

25.I qualify for NSFAS transport allowance. What do I do to receive this allowance?

This process will be confirmed

Merit Bursaries

26. Do I have to apply for a merit bursary?

You do not have to apply for a merit bursary. The system will identify qualifying students and you will receive an SMS message to inform you of the amount you qualify for.

27. How do you determine who qualifies for a merit bursary?

Please visit the UFS website for complete information regarding the merit bursary.

28. Can I use my merit bursary to register?

Yes, you can use your merit bursary to pay for registration or a part of your registration fee, depending on the amount received.

29. For how long will my merit bursary be valid?

The merit bursary will be valid for five years.

30. When will my merit bursary be paid?

The merit bursary payment will be done after registration.

31. Is the merit bursary refundable?

NSFAS students cannot receive a refund on the merit bursary, since NSFAS is the last resort of funding and will only pay what the student needs.
When a student has another bursary, it will depend on the donor.
If the tuition fee account has been paid in full by the student, parents or guardian, then any possible credit may be refundable.

32. I was a final-year student and received a merit bursary. Do I have access to the funds?

You have to register again for a qualifying course in order for the merit bursary to be paid to your tuition fee account. The merit bursary is valid for five years.

Financial Aid

33. I am in need of funding. What should I do?

Please visit the UFS website for bursary information:

34. Where do I find Student Academic Services?

You can visit Student Academic Services at the following venues:

Bloemfontein Campus: George du Toit Administration Building, First Floor

Qwaqwa Campus: Administration Building, Ground Floor

35. Where do I find Financial Aid?

You can visit Financial Aid at the following venues:

Bloemfontein Campus: George du Toit Administration Building, First Floor

Qwaqwa Campus: Administration Building, Ground Floor, Room 17

36. Where do I find Student Finance?

You can visit Student Finance at the following venues:

Bloemfontein Campus: George du Toit Administration Building, First Floor

Qwaqwa Campus: Administration Building, Ground Floor

News Archive

MBA Programme - Question And Answer Sheet - 27 May 2004

2004-05-27

1. WHAT MUST THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE (UFS) DO TO GET FULL ACCREDITATION FOR THE MBA PROGRAMMES?

According to the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) evaluation, the three MBA programmes of the UFS clearly and significantly contribute to students’ knowledge and skills, are relevant for the workplace, are appropriately resourced and have an appropriate internal and external programme environment. These programmes are the MBA General, the MBA in Health Care Management and the MBA in Entrepreneurship.

What the Council on Higher Education did find, was a few technical and administrative issues that need to be addressed.

This is why the three MBA programmes of the UFS received conditional accreditation – which in itself is a major achievement for the UFS’s School of Management, which was only four years old at the time of the evaluation.

The following breakdown gives one a sense of the mostly administrative nature of the conditions that have to be met before full accreditation is granted by the CHE:

a. A formal forum of stakeholders: The UFS is required to establish a more structured, inclusive process of review of its MBA programmes. This is an administrative formality already in process.

b. A work allocation model: According to the CHE this is required to regulate the workload of the teaching staff, particularly as student numbers grow, rather than via standard management processes as currently done.

c. Contractual agreements with part-time staff: The UFS is required to enter into formal agreements with part-time and contractual staff as all agreements are currently done on an informal and claim-basis. This is an administrative formality already in process.

d. A formal curriculum committee: According to the CHE, the School of Management had realised the need for a structure – other than the current Faculty Board - where all MBA lecturers can deliberate on the MBA programmes, and serve as a channel for faculty input, consultation and decision-making.

e. A system of external moderators: This need was already identified by the UFS and the system is to be implemented as early as July 2004.

f. A compulsory research component: The UFS is required to introduce a research component which will include the development of research skills for the business environment. The UFS management identified this need and has approved such a component - it is to take effect from January 2005. This is an insufficient element lacking in virtually all MBA programmes in South Africa.

g. Support programmes for learners having problems with numeracy: The UFS identified this as a need for academic support among some learners and has already developed such a programme which will be implemented from January 2005.

The majority of these conditions have been satisfied already and few remaining steps will take effect soon. It is for this reason that the UFS is confident that its three MBA programmes will soon receive full accreditation.

2. WHAT ACCREDITATION DOES THE UFS HAVE FOR ITS MBA PROGRAMME?

The UFS’s School of Management received conditional accreditation for its three MBA programmes.

Two levels of accreditation are awarded to tertiary institutions for their MBA programmes, namely full accreditation and conditional accreditation. When a programme does not comply with the minimum requirements regarding a small number of criteria, conditional accreditation is given. This can be rectified during the short or medium term.

3. IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ACADEMIC CORE OF THE UFS’s MBA PROGRAMMES?

No. The UFS is proud of its three MBA programmes’ reputation in the market and the positive feedback it receives from graduandi and their employers.

The MBA programmes of the UFS meet most of the minimum requirements of the evaluation process.

In particular, the key element of ‘teaching and learning’, which relates to the curriculum and content of the MBA programmes, is beyond question. In other words, the core of what is being taught in our MBA programmes is sound.

4. IS THE UFS’s MBA A WORTHWHILE QUALIFICATION?

Yes. Earlier this year, the School of Management – young as it is - was rated by employers as the best smaller business school in South Africa. This was based on a survey conducted by the Professional Management Review and reported in the Sunday Times Business Times, of 25 January 2004.

The UFS is committed to maintaining these high standards of quality, not only through compliance with the requirements of the CHE, but also through implementing its own quality assurance measures.

Another way in which we benchmark the quality of our MBA programmes is through the partnerships we have formed with institutions such as the DePaul University in Chicago and Kansas State University, both in the US, as well as the Robert Schuman University in France.

For this reason the UFS appreciates and supports the work of the CHE and welcomes its specific findings regarding the three MBA programmes.

It is understandable that the MBA review has caused some nervousness – not least among current MBA students throughout the country.

However, one principle that the UFS management is committed to is this: preparing all our students for a world of challenge and change. Without any doubt the MBA programme of the UFS is a solid preparation.

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