• New amendments coming to NSFAS will see the criteria requirement pass rate lowered to 50 percent, but only for university students.
• Additionally, living allowances for students have been increased by around R750.
• Nearly 1 million applicants did not receive funding from NSFAS for the 2023 academic year. These students are urged to launch appeals.

The 2023 academic year will see the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) support over 600 000 students with funding, the most the scheme has ever funded. This support includes tuition fees, student accommodation and even a monthly stipend.

Today NSFAS made two new amendments to its scheme that it hopes will ensure that more students have sufficient funds for academic purposes. The announcement came via the official NSFAS Twitter account, stating that the amendments were formalised by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande.

The first amendment will see the academic criteria requirement pass rate lowered from 55 percent to just 50 percent. This will mean that students will retain their funding if they only manage a 50 percent and above pass. However, this only applies to university students receiving NSFAS support.

Additionally, living allowances will be increased from R15 750 (inclusive of personal care – R3 045) to R16 500 (inclusive of personal care R3 045). This is a R750 increase.

At the beginning of the 2023 academic year, NSFAS made an upfront payment of R6.2 billion to public universities and TVET colleges across the country, and it seems bent on pushing for more funding and support for students.

Unfortunately, nearly 1 million applicants did not meet the criteria to receive funding at the beginning of the year, and many are now embroiled in the lengthy appeals process to have their applications approved. Many applicants are upset with the scheme’s appeals process, as evidenced by the comments on the Twitter post about the amendments.

If you are one of the many students who have not been approved by NSFAS and want to begin the appeals process, you can check out this handy guide to follow up on your applications and begin processing appeals.