As with each new year, The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has received a handful of applications from students looking for academic funding.
Nsfas has kick-started 2023 with almost 500 000 applications submitted from all of South Africa's nine provinces.
Of those 500 000 applications, Nsfas has revealed that around 130 000 have been approved and instantly funded for the upcoming tertiary education academic year, which generally begins in February.
“To date, the scheme has received over 1 million applications and only 130 000 of these are Sassa beneficiaries and have been instantly funded, said the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Buti Manamela.
Many of the 2022 matric learners are wondering about their Nsfas application status. Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande, has clarified some worries prospective students may have.
"The Minister wished to also remind students that application results will be communicated to all applicants once Nsfas has received confirmation from the institution that an academic offer has been made. This will be communicated to all students via SMS, email and through students’ myNsfas accounts,' reads a statement released by the Ministry of Higher Education, Innovation and Technology.
Nsfas is actually planning for a hassle-free and delay-free 2023 academic year. The scheme predicts that they will see a 7% increase in the number of students funded, compared to last year.
According to Nsfas, students will be paid their allowances during the first months of the new year. The scheme made provision to the tune of R3.5 billion for the payment of student allowances between February and April 2023.
Prospective students are advised to continue to liaise with the universities of their choices through the relevant communication channels. Registration for universities for the 2023 academic year commenced from the 16th of January, and is anticipated to close on 20 February, 2023.
