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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:

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

Small things matter

2017-01-17

Prof Felicity Burt (right) and Dr Dominique Goedhals
from the Department of Medical Microbiology and
Virology at the University of the Free State.
Photo: Anja Aucamp

The newly established virology section at the University of the Free State (UFS) boasts world class expertise. Not only are they one of just five laboratories in the country tasked with specialised HIV testing, but current research generates publications and subsidised funding.

The driving force behind this initiative is passionate and dedicated people who invest long hours into vital research. One such person is Prof Felicity Burt, who eloquently guides her students while making impressive progress within her own field of interest: vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. Prof Burt was recently awarded a research chair (2016-2020) to, among other areas, investigate medically significant vector-borne and zoonotic viruses currently circulating.

That means that her research focus is mainly on viruses transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks, and viruses transmitted from animals to humans. “Yes,” she laughs, “I catch mosquitoes and check them for viruses.”

Becoming familiar with different viruses
As if big screen moments like Outbreak and Contagion did not create enough virus paranoia, the world was recently bombarded by real world Ebola and Zika outbreaks. But awareness, Prof Burt says, is not a bad thing. “Years ago, when people heard that I did Ebola research, they got that distant look in their eyes, and changed the subject. One outbreak later, backed by many media reports, and Ebola is almost a household name. The same goes for the recent Zika virus outbreak in South America.”

The more familiar people become with these types of viruses, the better, Prof Burt feels. However, getting the right message across is not always that easy. The Zika virus outbreak, for example, was a very large outbreak and therefore presented large numbers of affected people. Generally, not everyone infected with an arbovirus will necessarily present with symptoms. But because vector-borne viruses can spread to new areas, surveillance and awareness is important. Here in Bloemfontein, Prof Burt and her team are establishing surveillance programmes.

Gaining knowledge and preventative measures
So, next time you get all wound up about a “biological disaster”, rest assured that competent people like Prof Burt and her colleagues continuously scan the environment to gain knowledge and develop preventive measures should any risks be looming. For example, developing next-generation vaccines that are very effective, but without risk – since they are not built on the virus itself, but only on the part of the virus that will induce an immune response.

Currently, Prof Burt is also looking into the relationship between the Sindbis virus and arthritis. It is clear that we can expect many exciting findings from the UFS’s new virology unit.

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