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21 April 2021 | Story Financial Aid

Dear Student

Please take note that the NSFAS appeals process is now open.

FIRST TIME AND NEW APPLICANTS

First time1 and new applicants2 for NSFAS funding for 2021 whose applications were rejected by NSFAS must submit their appeal electronically on the MyNSFAS portal. Financial Aid offices may not accept manual forms for this group of students and may not submit manual appeals for this group to NSFAS. You will be able to track your status on the MyNSFAS portal.

SENIOR RETURNING/CONTINUING STUDENTS

Please see appeal form attached.

The following process is ONLY applicable to NSFAS returning/continuing students and exclude first time
and new applicants for NSFAS funding in 2021.

The following documents must be submitted from your “ufs4life” email address for your appeal to be
considered:
  • 1. Completed and signed appeal form attached herewith.
  • 2. Ensure that the relevant box indicating the reason for your appeal is checked.
  • 3. Signed motivation
  • 4. Supporting documents (e.g. Medical certificates, death certificate etc.) Your appeal can
  • unfortunately not be considered in the absence of documentation in support of your reason and
  • motivation for the appeal.
Please note that NSFAS confirmed that you cannot appeal if you exceeded the N+ period. You can only
submit an appeal for one of the reasons provided on the appeal form.

Please submit the abovementioned required documents as one single combined attachment in legible 
PDF format to your campus specific e-mail address below:
Bloemfontein Campus – NSFASAppealsBfn@ufs.ac.za
Qwaqwa Campus – NSFASAppealsQQ@ufs.ac.za
The closing date for submission of appeals is 30 April 2021 at 16:00 and no appeals will be accepted after
this date.

Issued by

Financial Aid

 

News Archive

UFS keeps the power on
2015-06-24

 

At a recent Emergency Power Indaba held on the Bloemfontein Campus, support structures at the university met to discuss the Business Continuity Intervention Plan to manage load shedding on the three campuses of the UFS.

Currently, 35 generators serving 55 of the buildings have already been installed as a back-up power supply on the three campuses of the university. According to Anton Calitz, Electrical Engineer at the UFS, the running cost to produce a kWh of electricity with a diesel generator amounts to approximately three times the cost at which the UFS buys electricity from Centlec.

Planned additional generators will attract in excess of R4 million in operating costs per year. For 2015, the UFS senior leadership approved R11 million, spread over the three campuses. Remaining requirements will be spread out over the next three years. University Estates is also looking at renewable energy sources.

On the Bloemfontein Campus, 26 generators serving forty-one buildings are in operation. On South Campus, two generators were installed at the new Education Building and at the ICT Server Room. Lecture halls, the Arena, the Administration Building, and the library will be added later in 2015. Eight generators serving 12 buildings are in operation on the Qwaqwa Campus. In 2015, the Humanities Building, Lecture Halls and the heat pump room will also be equipped with generators.

Most buildings will be supplied only with partial emergency power. In rare cases, entire buildings will be supplied because the cost of connecting is lower than re-wiring for partial demand. According to Nico Janse van Rensburg, Senior Director at University Estates, emergency power will be limited to lighting and power points only. No allowances will be made for air-conditioning.

“Most area lighting will also be connected to emergency power,” he said.

Where spare capacity is available on existing emergency power generators, requests received for additional connections will be added, where possible, within the guidelines. The following spaces will receive preference:
- Lecture halls with the lights, data projectors, and computers running
- Laboratories for practical academic work and sensitive research projects
- Academic research equipment that is sensitive to interruptions
- Buildings hosting regular events

According to Janse van Rensburg, all further needs will be investigated. Staff can forward all emergency power supply needs to Anton Calitz at calitzja@ufs.ac.za

Staff and students can also manage load shedding in the following ways:

1. Carry a small torch with you at all times, in case you are on a stairwell or other dark area when the lights go out. You can also use the flashlight app on your phone. Download it before any load shedding occurs. This can come in handy if the lights go out suddenly, and you cannot find a flashlight. Load-shedding after dark imposes even more pressure on our Campus Security staff. We can assist them with our vigilance and preparedness by carrying portable lights with us at all times and by assisting colleagues.
2. Candles pose a serious safety risk. Rather use battery- or solar-powered lights during load shedding.
3. Ensure that your vehicle always has fuel in the tank, because petrol stations cannot pump fuel during power outages.
4. Ensure that you have enough cash, because ATMs cannot operate without electricity.
5. The UFS Sasol Library has study venues available which students can use during load shedding.
6. When arranging events which are highly dependent on power supply, especially at night, organisers should consult the load-shedding schedule before determining dates and preferably also make back-up arrangements. If generators are a necessity, the financial impact should be taken into consideration.

The senior leadership also approved a list of buildings to be equipped with emergency power supplies.

More about load shedding at the UFS:
Getting out of the dark
More information, guidelines and contact information

 

 

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