On Tuesday the 27th of September, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, held a briefing on the opening of the 2023 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) application process.
The student financial aid provider opened its application window for next year on the 28th of September.
The Minister has said that NSFAS is getting started earlier this year with applications to offer applicants enough time to submit, along with their supporting documentation.
One of NSFAS' most notable changes arrived in 2018, when NSFAS began providing fully subsidized funding; previously, it was simply a student loan scheme.
Of these upcoming changes, includes the fact that universities and TVET colleges usually open in late January/early February, but the financial year only begins in April.
Treasury then allocates NSFAS money which must be used for January and February at a later stage, once the financial year kicks off, meaning that when institutions open, they don't have the money to distribute to qualifying students.
To amend this, work is being done with the National Treasury to align the Post School Education and Training (PSET) calendar with the government funding calendar, to make sure NSFAS has reserved funds ahead of when institutions reopen.
NSFAS will then be able to have money ready before the academic year begins, in order to fund NSFAS qualifying students if these changes are implemented.
Changes have also been made to the applications system, to make it simpler and user-friendly for current and future students applying, through a number of enhancements.
The questions asked during the application process are now simpler and easier to understand, and the application process can now be paused and continued at a later stage, without having to start from scratch.
NSFAS has also developed additional channels of application, through a mobile app, USSD and WhatsApp.
Through these channels, applicants can also track and cancel their applications.
