When Do NSFAS Applications Open This Year?
Eagerly waiting for that NSFAS announcement saying you can now go ahead and apply? Well, you won’t have to wait much longer. Keep reading to find out when NSFAS applications for 2024 will open.
The bursary administered by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a very sought-after bursary with almost over 800 000 applications received in 2024.
If you’re studying or planning to study further, you might then want to apply to NSFAS. If you’re seeking funding, you definitely should be considering NSFAS. So when do applications open for 2024 funding?
Well, usually applications open in September or August. They will then close in November or December with possibilities of an extension along the way.
NSFAS applications can be done in the following ways:
- Online through the NSFAS website
- At a National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) office
- At the NSFAS walk-in centre
- At a District Teachers’ Centre
- At TVET Colleges (for TVET College students)
Applicants are encouraged to apply for NSFAS and admission at universities or TVET colleges at the same time for 2024. Your NSFAS application will only be properly reviewed, and hopefully approved, if you’re applying to a University/TVET College or already registered at one.
Be sure to have the following documents ready for your application:
- Applicants ID document/card or birth certificate
- ID of parents/ guardian/ spouse (or death certificate where applicable)
- Applicants proof of income (if applicable and should not be older than 3 months)
- Parents/ guardian/ spouse pay advice/ letter of employment/ pension advice stating income (if applicable and should not be older than 3 months.
- Vulnerable children must provide a completed and signed Vulnerable Child Declaration Form.
- Applicants with a disability must provide a Disability Annexure A Form
- Applicants must sign and submit a Consent form
- SASSA slips are not required and SASSA should not be included as a household income
The NSFAS bursary does not need to be paid back to the financial aid scheme once you finish your studies and you will be given an extra year of funding in addition to the minimum prescribed course period, according to the N+ rule.
The main requirement to qualify for funding through NSFAS is that your household income must be between R0 and R350 000 per year. Applicants who are SASSA beneficiaries immediately qualify.
If you want to know more about the NSFAS bursary, click here to visit the NSFAS website.
