You must meet certain requirements in order to stay funded by NSFAS once your studies have been approved by NSFAS. Learn more by reading on.
What Are The Requirements To Stay Funded By NSFAS?
To remain funded by NSFAS until your qualification is complete, you have to follow a few steps.
The following steps must be taken after you have been approved by NSFAS:
- Maintain a high level of academic performance according to all institution requirements
- Participate in academic support programs, lectures and tutorials as required by the institution
- Meet all the due performance requirements of the institution by completing all set tasks and assignments
- As part of the institution’s due performance requirements, you must take all tests and examinations (written and oral)
- Students entering for the first time (FTEN) must pass their previous academic term with a pass rate of 50%.
- The previous academic term’s pass rate must be 55% for continuing university students.
- Continuing students who are defined as N+2 students under the Higher Education Institutions N+ rule must meet the 50% pass requirement in order to enroll at a university.
At the beginning of each academic year, NSFAS will confirm with institutions that students have met the requirements for progression according to standard institutional policy and approved rules applicable to the specific program they are studying.”
N+ Rule
Through NSFAS, you are allowed to receive funding for a certain number of years. If you need to repeat the course, NSFAS will fund you for an additional year if it is deemed necessary.
Until 2018, NSFAS was a loan scheme requiring students to repay the funds they received. Students who fall under this category are subject to the N+2 rule.
In other words, you will have five years to complete a three-year course while being funded by NSFAS. Your studies will be unaffordable if you go over the 5-year limit.
Bursaries follow the N+1 rule now that they’re bursaries. Thus, this would be similar to what was said above. In the case of a four-year qualification, you will be given five years to complete it. Any additional years will have to be funded independently.
During the course of your registration, the N stands for the number of years you’ve been enrolled. The year you take a gap year will not be counted.
Public universities and TVET colleges that are registered or plan to register students from poor and working class backgrounds by providing bursaries.