The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a funding scheme that aims to provide funding for poor students who wish to study at a tertiary institution.
NSFAS not only covers your tuition but they also offer students a number of allowances to assist with their living costs.
NSFAS makes a strong effort to prioritize students with disabilities and ensure that they have a comfortable academic experience. They offer slightly different allowances to students with disabilities.
Allowances offered by NSFAS:
- Books and learning material allowance - R6 000 per year
- Meal Allowance - R20 000 per year
- Transport allowance - Depending on distance from the institution
- Accommodation - Depending on residence fees
- N+3 (up to N+4 under exceptional circumstances)
They also offer assistive device/human support allowances to students in need.
This consists of:
- Assistive devices - R50 000 once-off (includes devices like laptops)
- Human/Other support - R50 000 per year
- Medical assistance - R2 000 once-off (includes guide dog)
To qualify for the disability aid, you be need to follow the following criteria:
- Must be disabled - must be a long term impairment (12+ months)
- Must be a South African citizen
- Must have a household income of under R600 000 per year
- Studying/Intending to study at a public University or TVET college
To claim for assistive devices or human/other support, applicants must:
- Include the assistive devices or human/other support in the registration template
- Disability Annexure - signed by a doctor/disability unit
- Have a human support claim form (accompanied by a certified copy of the service provides ID)
- All claims must be accompanied by corresponding quotations
Once loaded the registration template, all documents mentioned above must be sent to DisabilitySupport@nsfas.org.za on a Disability claim sheet for approval.
NSFAS aims to support as many students as possible to ensure a successful academic future for all.
For more information visit the NSFAS website here .
