NSFAS Grants Approval to Over 53,000 Student Appeals for 2023 Academic Year. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has successfully approved a total of 53,206 student appeals for the academic year 2023. These approvals are contingent upon registration at a public university or a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college. Check Your Application Status now.
Appeal Rejections and Pending Cases
Ernest Khosa, the Chairperson of the NSFAS Board, provided a comprehensive update on the current status of the 2023 academic year. He highlighted that 6,107 appeals had been rejected due to reasons related to either financial or academic ineligibility.
Unfortunately, students whose appeals have been rejected cannot proceed with further appeal submissions. Additionally, around 27,791 appeals are still pending due to awaiting supporting documents. NSFAS has sent messages to applicants and institutions to provide the necessary documentation. It’s worth noting that other appeals are still in progress, and all final decisions are subject to budget availability.
NSFAS Appeals Mechanism
The NSFAS appeals mechanism is designed to assist individuals whose financial circumstances have changed between the initial application processing and the final funding decision. This can occur if a significant contributor to the applicant’s household income becomes incapacitated or passes away after the application submission.
Changes in financial standing can also arise from situations like the divorce of a student’s parents, where the court decrees that only one parent is responsible for the cost of education.
Independent Appeals Tribunal and Special Cases
In February 2023, NSFAS introduced an Independent Appeals Tribunal to handle special or complex appeal cases. This tribunal is focused on situations such as applicants who have exceeded the N+ rule but have only a few modules left to complete their degrees.
It also covers applicants from households with incomes exceeding R350,000 who have multiple students in higher education institutions. The N+ rule refers to funding eligibility based on the duration of study required for a qualification, with the current N+2 rule providing funding for the “N” years plus an additional two years.
Student Accommodation Assessment and Streamlining
Regarding student accommodation, Khosa revealed that NSFAS conducted visits to various institutions across the country to assess the state of student housing for NSFAS-funded students. Challenges identified during these visits included inadequate bed availability for students.
To address this issue, NSFAS introduced an online student accommodation portal where accommodation providers, including institutions, can register their properties. This streamlined approach includes property accreditation by appointed accreditors. Once approved, students can apply for accommodation closest to them. As of now, 41,245 beds have been registered, with 24,784 already accredited across the nation.
Review of R45,000 Accommodation Cap
Khosa mentioned that NSFAS has asked institutions affected by the newly implemented R45,000 accommodation cap to negotiate with private accommodation providers to adjust rental rates in accordance with the cap. He also revealed the existence of a task team, led by the Department of Higher Education and Training, tasked with reviewing the R45,000 cap.
