NSFAS Online Application: How to Apply for NSFAS (2023)

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme is a brilliant programme by the South African government to ensure inclusion in the education system no matter a person’s economic background. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme or NSFAS is a government-linked organisation that provides funding for students wishing to better themselves by studying at public universities, Technical and Vocational Education, and training institutions across South Africa.

The NSFAS provides funding to the financial aid department of tertiary institutions across South Africa, for disbursement to students who need help to cover important aspects of their education such as Tuition Fees, Accommodation Fees, Purchasing of Books, and Food. 

Students who apply are scrutinized to ensure that they really need the assistance. Once accepted into the scheme, they will then receive funding from the NSFAS in order to go on with their studies.

How to Apply for NSFAS Online: A Step by Step Guide

Go to the NSFAS registration portal on their website: https://www.my.nsfas.org.za/mynsfas/selfservice.html

The registration process requires you to provide your personal information including your name, date of birth, and so on. You will also be required to provide a user name, password, ID number, email address, and cell phone number. Please note that the NSFAS will communicate with you on the registration, and the outcome of your registration through the contact information you provide.

After keying in all your required information please take a moment to go through them; it is important that there are no discrepancies in the data you have provided so as to improve your chances of acceptance.

Please do not leave any spaces blank. 

Upload the required documents. The required documents are listed below.

You can now log in with the username and password you have provided.

You must then click on apply for your NSFAS online application to be selected.

Documents Required

ID Document/ID card (you are required to provide both the certified copy and the electronic)

Unabridged Birth Certificate (this can be accepted in place of the ID card, you will need to provide both the certified copy and the electronic copy)

Parents’ or Guardians’ ID documents or ID cards. (You are required to provide both the certified copy and the electronic copy)

 Parents’ or Guardians’ Death Certificate if Applicable. You are required to provide a certified copy and an electronic copy.

Parents or Guardians Payslips, Employment Letters, or Pension Advice. (The Payslips or Pension Advice should not be older than 3 months. Please provide the certified copy and the electronic copy. Please do not submit SASSA slips as these are not considered part of household income.) 

NSFAS Consent Form duly filled and signed by your parents or guardians, showing that they are aware of your decision to file for financial aid.

If you have any disability please upload a filled and signed copy of the NSFAS Disability Annexure.

If orphaned then please upload a copy of the NFSAS Declaration Form which is to be signed by an Isibindi Child Youth Care Worker or a Social Worker from the Department of Social development and then submitted to an Isibindi Center, or NYDA office.

How Else Can You Register for NFSAF?

Register at the nearest NYDA Office by following the steps detailed below:

Visit the NYDA Office nearest to you.

Tell the attendant you wish to register for the NSFAS. They will explain the registration process, and provide you with an application form to complete.

Please fill the form in CAPITAL LETTERS, preferably with a black pen, and then affix your signature in the allocated places.

Provide printed copies of your supporting documentation. A comprehensive list of supporting documents is provided above. Please ensure that your supporting documents are certified in front of each document. Some of the documents (aside from Identity documents) must not be older than 3 months.    

Hand in your filled form, along with your supporting documents to the receiving official, and request a receipt card with a bar code attached to it.

Register at the Financial Aid Office in your 

As explained in the introduction of this post, the NFSAS works with the various institutions in the country so as to help students who need financial assistance in order to carry on their education. It is, therefore, no surprise that the Financial Aid Office is one of the most popular places where students go to seek help by registering for the NFSAS scheme. How do you register at the Financial Aid Office?

Go to the Financial Aid Office of your school.

Request for the NFSAS form. Of course, there are several financial aid programs in the various schools, and the officer is only doing his job by trying to tell you about all the donor organizations, and the bursaries available, but insists on getting the NFSAS form. Fill it in the same fashion explained above.

Related:

• How to Check UIF Claim Status Online
• List Of All Bursaries In South Africa
• All MTN Data Bundles South Africa
• How to Check Your NSFAS Application Status

Conclusion:

The NSFAS programme was instituted by former President Jacob Zuma with the aim of providing free education for students from poor and working-class families. The scheme still has some improvement to do in order to achieve that aim, but it has already become a lifeline for many poor students. For the purpose of clarity let us explain the issue of eligibility as it applies to the NFSAS programme.

The NFSAS programme is only open to students who are South African citizens. The NFSAS does not accept students who have already attained some form of tertiary education. Please be reminded that this program is exclusively for poor students who are in need of financial aid. Therefore this programme is not open to students whose household income exceeds R350,000 per year, as these are not considered poor. The programme strictly forbids students to register for this programme more than once. If a student is found to have registered for the NFSAS scheme more than once, he stands to incur severe penalties, including disqualification from the existing grants he was already receiving. 

You may contact the NSFAS directly by calling 0860067327, or by contacting them via email: info@nsfas.org.za