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2020 NSFAS Funding at Universities

04 March 2020

What does the bursary cover?

• Accommodation
• Transport (up to 40 km from institution)
• Meal allowance (including incidental allowance)
• Book allowance
• Registration
• Tuition
• Funded students with disabilities need to submit claims for assistive devices and human support directly to the university’s Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS)/Financial Aid office.

Who qualifies for NSFAS allowances?

STUDENTS STAYING IN A RESIDENCE:
• Books up to a maximum of R5 200
• Actual accommodation cost
• Meals (including incidental allowance) up to a maximum of R15 000

STUDENTS LIVING OFF CAMPUS IN FAMILY ACCOMMODATION

• Books up to a maximum of R5 200
• Meals (including incidental allowance) up to a maximum of R15 000
• Transport up to a maximum of R7 500

STUDENTS LIVING OFF CAMPUS IN ACCREDITED and NON-ACCREDITED ACCOMMODATION:

• Books up to a maximum of R5 200
• Private accommodation amount to a maximum of R34 400
• Meals (including incidental allowance) up to a maximum of R15 000

DISTANCE-LEARNING STUDENTS:

• Books based on the number of modules registered, up to a maximum of R5 200

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 2020 is R93 400.
According to NSFAS policy, payments must be made in the following order of priority if your qualifying NSFAS costs exceed the maximum amount:
1. Tuition
2. Books
3. Accommodation
4. Meals
5. Transport
This means that the amount by which you exceeded the maximum NSFAS amount must be deducted from your allowances, starting with the transport and meal allowances. Therefore, you might not receive the full allowances.

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 need to upload your banking details once. If you experience any problems with uploading your banking details, please contact Fundi at 086 055 5544.

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.

How do I apply for NSFAS private accommodation?

Please visit the UFS website for a complete guide:
Students
Financial Aid

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.

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 changes.

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 of what is expected of you.

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

When is the closing date for NSFAS private accommodation applications?
The closing date for private accommodation applications is 11 September 2020. Please note that no extension will be granted.

News Archive

UFS extends footprint abroad

2015-12-14

In its constant pursuit of research excellence, the UFS has this year performed well in mainly two areas.

Apart from the research done by the UFS on national level, e.g. the involvement of its researchers with the SKA telescope, the pioneering work they do with the satellite tracking of giraffes, as well as research on trauma, forgiveness and reconciliation – to name but a few of the research areas, the university also has a research focus abroad.

Japan, Europe, America and Botswana. These are just some of the places where academics from the university are involved in research abroad.

Japan

Dr Dirk Opperman, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, and Carmien Tolmie, a PhD student in the same department, visited the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Onna, Japan, during November and December 2014. During the visit, experiments were performed in the Microbiology and Biochemistry of Secondary Metabolite Unit of Dr Holger Jenke-Kodama.

This formed part of a larger NRF-funded project on carcinogenic toxins produced in certain Aspergillus fungi. These fungi infect food and feedstuff and are a big concern in developing countries because it may lead to severe economic losses. The research ultimately aims to find inhibitors to block the production of these fungal toxins.

Europe and America

In 2012, an international network was established in the frame of the FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IRSES programme, called hERG-related risk assessment of botanicals (hERGscreen). The South African group included Dr Susan Bonnet and Dr Anke Wilhelm, both from the UFS Department of Chemistry.

Extracts from more than 450 South African plant species have been investigated systematically to assess the potential cardiotoxic risk of commonly consumed botanicals and supplements. The idea of the project, funded by the European Commission, is to identify safety liabilities of botanicals.

Other international partners included the University of Innsbruck, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, University of Basel, University of Vienna, University of Florida, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.

Botswana

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the UFS and Botho University in Botswana in September 2015, which will be valid for three years.

The agreement, includes student and staff exchange programmes, collaborative research, teaching and learning and community engagement activities, sharing of results, and PhD/ MPhil guidance.

Young researchers

Another research focus of the UFS is the development of its young researchers. In 2015, the UFS has delivered 13 Y-rated researchers. Ten of the researchers are from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and three from the Faculty of the Humanities. Three of them received an Y1 rating from the NRF.

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