Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

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:

Nsfas 1

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

UFS takes lead in improving quality of training in economics in schools

2006-06-20

The fourth international workshop for trainers in the National Council on Economic Education’s (NCEE) outreach programme for Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East will be presented in Bloemfontein from 18-24 June 2006.

“Because of the rapid success we achieved in the Free State with similar workshops in Economics education that were presented by the NCEE the past year, we have now invited representatives from education departments and universities of five other provinces to attend the international workshop for trainers,” said Prof Klopper Oosthuizen, lecturer at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Agricultural Economics and initiator of the cooperative agreement with the NCEE.

The UFS and the Free State Department of Education are the NCEE’s first partners in Africa who received this training. “The attendance of the five provinces and universities is the first step in the extension of the programme to the rest of the country,” said Prof Oosthuizen.

The NCEE is based in the United States of America (USA) and the workshop forms part of the council’s effort to improve the quality of the training of Economics teachers and lecturers across the world.

“South Africa is urgently in need of efforts to improve the integration of black people into the market economy. An understanding of how markets work is one of the pillars of democracy. Equipping young people with economic understanding and skills will help empower them for responsible roles as individuals and citizens,” said Prof Oosthuizen.

According to Prof Oosthuizen representatives from the education departments of the Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West will also be attending the international workshop for trainers. Representatives from the Universities of Rhodes, of KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Durban University of Technology as well as the Cape Peninsula University of Technology will also attend the workshop.

During this workshop teachers and lecturers in Economics will receive certificates.

Various subjects will be covered during the workshop such as world trade patterns, cost and benefits of free trade, exchange rates and international finance. The training will be done by representatives from the NCEE by using methods such as direct instruction and role play.

The NCEE is also in the process of training teachers and learning facilitators in the Free State in an effort to improve the quality of Economics classes in secondary schools.

“A group of 84 teachers and learning facilitators were trained in December 2005, 50 were trained in January 2006 and the last group of 40 will be trained at the UFS Main Campus in Bloemfontein from 26 June - 1 July 2006,” said Prof Oosthuizen.

During this seminar the teachers will be trained in issues such as broad social goals in an economy, economic decision making, government’s role in a market economy and fiscal policy. The training will also be done by representatives from the NCEE.

The NCEE has been working together with international partners since 1992 to strengthen their Economics teaching systems. They have already succeeded in increasing literacy in Economics at schools in the USA and more than 20 East Block countries. More than 1,5 million learners in the East Block countries have already been served by this initiative. Since 2004 the NCEE’s focus has moved away from the East Block countries to Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

“Our future plans include strengthening the growing partnership between the UFS, the Free State Department of Education and the NCEE. We also want to establish a council and centres for economic education which will serve as an umbrella for our joint efforts,” said Prof Oosthuizen.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
20 June 2006

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept