Latest News Archive

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

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

Want to make a difference in the world? Here is how.

2016-05-13

Video
Student Bursary Fund Campaign booklet (pdf)
Donate
Student Bursary Fund Campaign launched: #FundAFuture and make a difference
Motho ke motho ka batho. A person is a person through others

We live in a world filled with want. Often, we ache to make a difference, but become overwhelmed and despondent when we look into this chasm of need. However, the University of the Free State (UFS) has created a way for each of us to change lives, in much the same way that the life of Nozi Bonje has been changed.

“Through the opportunities given to me, I realised that you don’t have to be defined by the school you went to. You can do so much more – and you can dream big dreams and realise them.”

Then
The early chapters of Nozi’s life story reveal a shy girl, hiding between the pages of her books on the playground of a township school. With barely a whisper, Nozi was slipping into a desolate future where dreams existed only in sleep.

Now
Today, that timid young girl has grown into a woman who throws her head back in effortless laughter, confidence sparking off her in bright arcs. What changed the trajectory of her future? Financial support for a tertiary education altered Nozi’s life permanently.

“If I didn’t go to university, I would have been this sad little person,” she remarks. “Studying is not just about learning from a textbook, though. It also challenges you to think critically. You start seeing things in a different perspective, and respond differently.”

Description: Nozi_FundAFuture Tags: Nozi_FundAFuture

Nozi Bonje
Photo: Sonia Small

Giving back
Funding enabled Nozi to obtain a BSc degree in Human Molecular Biology at the UFS in 2015. She was one of the top students in her class. Inspired and driven, she is currently pursuing an honours degree in Molecular Genetics, also at the UFS.

“My main dream is to make a difference in people’s lives. For me, it’s all about giving back, because so many people helped me throughout my journey.”

Student Bursary Fund Campaign
In order to help increase the number of lives transformed through higher education – such as Nozi’s – the UFS has established the Student Bursary Fund Campaign. This campaign aims to raise money to fund talented, deserving students who lack the financial means of obtaining a university degree. We cannot do this alone, though.

Your support is crucial.

Each contribution will bring us closer to our goal while changing the future of our youth. Visit our Giving page for ways to donate.

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