Minister Announces When NSFAS Applications For 2025 Will Open

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During the presentation of the 2024/25 Higher Education Budget Vote, the Minister revealed when 2025 NSFAS applications will open. NSFAS provides bursaries and loans to students to access tertiary education.


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The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) offers bursaries and loans to cover tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and even learning materials – all for eligible students from low-income backgrounds. This NSFAS funding is geared towards South African students pursuing higher education at public universities and TVET Colleges.

Every year, thousands of students anticipate the opening of NSFAS applications. Just last year, NSFAS received approximately 2 million applications.

During the 2024/25 Higher Education Budget Vote, Higher Education Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, announced when NSFAS applications will be opening for the following academic year.

NSFAS applications for 2025 are expected to commence in September with Nkabane saying:

We are working overtime to ensure that NSFAS systems are ready for the commencement of the 2025 application season, which is scheduled to start in September this year.

The Minister continued to say, "This is critically important because in this financial year, NSFAS received approximately 2 million applications for a bursary. Out of this volume, 419 447 were returning students while 297 809 were first time entering students”.

Since it's inception, NSFAS has grown from a budget of R21.4 million to almost R54 billion, now supporting over 800 000 students in South Africa each year.

NSFAS Challenges

Providing NSFAS funding to millions of students every year is no small task with NSFAS having been at the center of many controversies and issues within the higher education sector. Just recently, NSFAS was appointed an Administrator after having the NSFAS board dissolved due to maladministration.

Nkabane spoke on the challenges and inefficiencies experienced at the financial aid scheme saying:

We have listened attentively to the voices adjudicating for transformation. We are indeed committed to transformation.

From NSFAS allowance delays leading to eviction of students due to landlords not receiving payments to executive members of the NSFAS board coming under fire for alleged corruption, students and parents have had their survival threatened.

Nkabane, who was only recently sworn in as Minister, said, "we have also listened to the silent prayers of our parents for the Department of Higher Education and Training to resolve current student funding and payment challenges. We have also listened to the voices of landlords providing accommodation to students and to those providing transportation to students".

We are inspired by these voices to acknowledge the common ground that we have regarding the hopes and aspirations of our students and learners. We are taking steps to alleviate these problems we are facing with NSFAS.

One intervention is the provision of funds to ensure that ICT systems at NSFAS are improved and better equipped to "root out corruption and maladministration in the NSFAS grant payment system".

The Minister has also made it clear that the Administrator has been tasked with resolving the misalignment of data between NSFAS and institutions which has resulted in unreliable data provided to finalise funding decisions. 

This would be the second time in five years NSFAS has been appointed an Administrator with the current administration period expected to end in March 2025. 

Suggested Article:

NSFAS paying allowances

For many students, NSFAS allowances are crucial for affording living expenses during their studies. The funding scheme recently clarified who will handle allowance payments for the remainder of 2024. 

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