Orphans and Grade 12 pupils from poor families are being urged to apply for bursaries through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

NSFAS coordinator Dumisane Thwala said the bursaries would be offered to those who want to work for government after completing their university studies.

“These students will not be asked to pay back the fees as long as they serve a period of five years working for government. We have heard the plight from orphans and pupils from poor families nationally and their dreams can be a reality,” he added.

He said South African citizens studying for their first higher education qualification at a public university or Further Education and Training (FET) college were eligible for the bursaries.

Thwala said the NSFAS, as a government-funded loan and bursary scheme, provided access to loans at a low interest rate with reasonable repayment plans.

“Up to 40% of the loan may be converted to a bursary, depending on the student’s year end results. That amount does not need to be repaid,” he said.

Thwala said there was an all-expenses paid bursary available for those who want to study certain fields in teaching and social work. The bursaries cover everything, including accommodation.

“Only once a student completes their studies and begins earning a salary, will they be required to pay back the loan. We will also assist students in searching for jobs. We will look at their careers and will approach relevant companies to see if they can hire our members,” he said.

He said once the bursary recipients start working, the NSFAS would send them quarterly statements informing them of their payment terms.

“It will be their responsibility to keep in touch with NSFAS and start making payments for their loans once they start working,” Thwala said.

Closing dates for applications to study and for financial aid is at the end of August of the year before students begin studying.

Training officer at Mpumalanga’s Education Department, Dumisane Mandlazi, said the department had made bursaries available to prospective student teachers.

The bursaries are only available to students from Mpumalanga who are South African citizens and have passed Grade 12 and achieved marks of 60% or more for major subjects.

They may not have received any other bursary for costs covered by the department’s bursary scheme.
The deadline for applications is August 31.

Follow this page for guidelines.


 

9 Comments

  • Edith says:

    Am 22 who completed matric in2007 I don’t have money to future my stadiums am I aloud to apply for nfsas

    • Site Editor says:

      Hi,

      You can only apply for a loan if and only when you’re attached to a university.

      Ed.
      PS: Don’t you want to try other avenues? There are internships for people with grade 12 on the site. You may want to try your luck there and build your career by studying part-time.

  • emmah mosiane says:

    HS!
    I want to know the closing date of nsfas
    Thank you

  • Lungani says:

    My mom earns commision(the annual gross salary is not fixed) not a basic salary, is it possible for me to apply for the loan.

    • admin says:

      Sir,

      Remember you cannot make applications to puff and pass. We’re only listing the bursaries…

      Regarding you problem, why don’t you apply for a bursary first and then use the loan as a second option?

      Also, as far as I know applications for the NSFAS loan can only be done through your university… So, if you’re already a student somewhere I think you should visit your finance department and find out from them.

      All the best…

      P&P

  • sunday says:

    I have completed my matric in 2009 and I’ve achieve grate mark. My problem is that I don’t have money to further my studies. There is no one who is working at home, my mom is receiving a support grant from the government, she can’t even afford to pay a registration fee for me. Please help me, I want to study teaching, it’s just that I can’t afford

    • admin says:

      Sunday,

      Thanks for contacting us.

      We have done some calling around to our friends who are doing teaching and this is what they had to share:

      • 1. The government still supports (financially that is) people who want to do teaching. Also, we are expecting feedback from another friend of ours regarding programs similar to the one mentioned below. So, when he comes back to us, we’ll let you know.
      • 2. This website: http://www.funzalushaka.doe.gov.za/ is a first step towards this financial support.

      So your task is to follow the link above and see if you find something that meets your needs.
      In the meantime, try to get a school. The application fee is is not expensive, so you should be able to raise it if you try. And please whatever you do, don’t go and look for a school far away from your hometown unless there is not one around

      More than anything else, thanks for more for wanting to become a teacher.

      All the best,
      P&P

      PS: During your research if you find something interesting that you thing might benefit many more, please do share with us.

  • calvin mashinini says:

    I am a first year student at the University of Johannesburg, doing Public Management and Governance. I realy need financial assistance and I would like to get the loan from NSFAS in order to further my studies and work in any of the three levels of government.

    • admin says:

      Dear Calvin,

      From this page NSFAS Loans, I found the following: Note: Application for a study loan should be made at the institution where you would like to study, not at NSFAS.

      So, could you please contact the Finance Department at UJ and see if you cannot get a better direction?

      Wishing all the best in your endeavors to get financial assistance. More than anything else we wish you all the best in your studies.

      P&P Team.

      PS: We are only making this information available to the public and so we do not award bursaries or any type of financial assistance.