NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving students enrolled in approved courses at universities and TVET colleges. NSFAS funding covers tuition and registration fees, as well as several allowances for food, accommodation, and learning materials.
The government bursary scheme aims to make higher education more accessible for students with disabilities, including providing additional funding for assistive devices.
NSFAS Assistive Devices for 2024
Students with disabilities qualify for the living allowance (including meals), learning materials, assistive devices, repairs and maintenance of assistive devices, human support, and assessment costs.
NSFAS funding for assistive devices and human support for students with disabilities is not automatic. Students must apply and meet specific criteria outlined in the policy, and funding depends on approval.
An annual spending limit applies to assistive devices, even if a student changes institutions. NSFAS does not fund duplicate devices.
All the above allowances will be paid by NSFAS provided they are not funded by another provider.
NSFAS reminded students that payments are conditional and require relevance to the disability. Suppliers of assistive devices must be accredited, and students must provide proper documentation.
Students with disabilities do not automatically qualify for the allowance for assistive devices, or their repairs and maintenance. The allowances are only granted if the student application for these allowances is approved, and all conditions and criteria are met as set out in this policy standard.
Assistive Devices Covered by NSFAS
Examples of assistive devices include those used for physical disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, and learning disabilities.
NSFAS also provides funding for human support. However, this funding also requires application and approval. A healthcare professional must recommend the support, and the institution must confirm the need. Students are responsible for appointing their carers.
Examples of human support include guide dogs, scribes, and sign language interpreters. Carers can be chosen by the student or provided by the institution under specific conditions, including opt-in agreements and cost-sharing arrangements.
In the event that the human support is in the form of a carer, the carer may be anyone selected by the student living with the disability and approved by the institution, provided that all supporting documents are ratified by NSFAS prior to funding being approved.
Institutions can provide carers to multiple students. However, students must opt in to the shared arrangement for a full academic year and understand that their institution will retain the full human support allowance allocated by NSFAS.
The students must have opted into the arrangement for a minimum of one academic year and understand that the institution may retain the full human support allowance.
The cost of the shared carer is covered by NSFAS, up to the individual student allowance cap. Any expenses exceeding this cap must be absorbed by the institution. If the actual cost of the carer is less than the combined allowance of the participating students, the resulting savings are distributed equally among those NSFAS-funded students.
"Students who are currently funded by NSFAS will be eligible for Disability bursary funding if, during their studies, they become permanently disabled," said NSFAS.
