NSFAS allowance issue

[infrared]

Good day,

So the situation is that I applied for NSFAS funding in 2021 academic year and was approved for funding but NSFAS only approved my application in January 2022. And subsequently my tuition fees for 2021 academic year were only paid in March 2022. The issue is I didn't get any allowances for 2021 as yet from NSFAS. Fast-forward to this month after countless emails and messages with the university and NSFAS I'm still battling to get allowances for 2021 academic year. The university says that NSFAS ruling states that NSFAS doesn't do back-pay and I can't claim my 2021 allowances in 2022 while NSFAS states that it's up to the university whether they will release my allowances. Now I'm not sure what I can do. I tried contacting the DHET but they just referred me back to NSFAS.

Is there anyone that knows if such a rule does exist or who can I contact that can assist me with this. Because I searched almost every NSFAS and Wits university rulebook on NSFAS funding but nowhere does it state that previous year allowances cannot be claimed in another year. And NSFAS also didn't state I will not receive my 2021 allowances when I contacted them. I'm lost at this point.

Thank you.

 

[grok]

If you get da millions you're obliged to share with me, majority thinks its fair to steal taxpayer money anyway..

 

[Agent67]

Good day,

So the situation is that I applied for NSFAS funding in 2021 academic year and was approved for funding but NSFAS only approved my application in January 2022. And subsequently my tuition fees for 2021 academic year were only paid in March 2022. The issue is I didn't get any allowances for 2021 as yet from NSFAS. Fast-forward to this month after countless emails and messages with the university and NSFAS I'm still battling to get allowances for 2021 academic year. The university says that NSFAS ruling states that NSFAS doesn't do back-pay and I can't claim my 2021 allowances in 2022 while NSFAS states that it's up to the university whether they will release my allowances. Now I'm not sure what I can do. I tried contacting the DHET but they just referred me back to NSFAS.

Is there anyone that knows if such a rule does exist or who can I contact that can assist me with this. Because I searched almost every NSFAS and Wits university rulebook on NSFAS funding but nowhere does it state that previous year allowances cannot be claimed in another year. And NSFAS also didn't state I will not receive my 2021 allowances when I contacted them. I'm lost at this point.

Thank you.

Try NSFAS again and contact your university. Usually, the uni acts as the middleman between you and NSFAS in practice. So take it up with your uni first.

 

[slimeball]

Yip, from my understanding NSFAS doesn't keep a 'backlog' of allowance payments. That is if you don't receive an allowance in one year for whatever reason you can't claim it the subsequent year (everything is reset). The only exception to this rule is tuition fees which are paid for previous years if you were awarded those funds at the time. Also depends on the university. I know UCT has their own system for allowances which is separate to NSFAS.

 

[infrared]

Yip, from my understanding NSFAS doesn't keep a 'backlog' of allowance payments. That is if you don't receive an allowance in one year for whatever reason you can't claim it the subsequent year (everything is reset). The only exception to this rule is tuition fees which are paid for previous years if you were awarded those funds at the time. Also depends on the university. I know UCT has their own system for allowances which is separate to NSFAS.

ya the universities pay allowances differently to colleges. NSFAS pays directly to wallets if you are in a college while universities disburse allowances as per their rules. Because I know of students who are in colleges and are getting their 2021 allowances this year. So I guess I just have to swallow the pill and carry-on. They should make this sort of rule more transparent because I have dozens of NSFAS rule PDFs and couldn't find anything about this. My only issue is that despite speaking to NSFAS so many times not once did they mention that anything about this rule, they just kept on telling me that I will receive my payments for 2021. Thanks for your response

 

[infrared]

Try NSFAS again and contact your university. Usually, the uni acts as the middleman between you and NSFAS in practice. So take it up with your uni first.

i have emailed my uni multiple times but they just keep telling me that NSFAS doesn't allow this sort of thing and when I contact NSFAS they tell me I must talk with my uni. I even sent my university the screenshots of my chat with NSFAS but they are adamant about not helping me. So I guess that's that

 

[infrared]

If you get da millions you're obliged to share with me, majority thinks its fair to steal taxpayer money anyway..

Oh I definitely will. At least I won't be spending it on weaves, booze and groceries and instead sharing it with you. Just send me your acc. number.

 

[Foxhound5366]

You know a nsfas allowance still needs to be paid back right? There's no free money there. So unless you really want a loan from yourself that you'll be paying off for the next twenty years anyway, why bother? I'd just be lucky you got through the year and you're now being funded. No need to fight the system.

 

[infrared]

You know a nsfas allowance still needs to be paid back right? There's no free money there. So unless you really want a loan from yourself that you'll be paying off for the next twenty years anyway, why bother? I'd just be lucky you got through the year and you're now being funded. No need to fight the system.

i know it needs to be repaid. My financial situation is such that I sort of need the money right now more than ever. So far I have never applied for NSFAS funding except for last year because evey other year I normally get a bursary from an institution. But because I failed one module in my final year in 2020 and had to repeat it in 2021 I didn't get that bursary. And the tuition fees that NSFAS paid for 2021 was about R25K and say if I do get the allowances which is about R15K, R40K is not that huge of an amount in the overall picture. So I'm not sure why would I need to pay such an amount off over 20 years. AFAIK certain portion of the total amount is converted to a bursary if certain requirements are met, so it's not so bad.

 

[Agent67]

You know a nsfas allowance still needs to be paid back right?

No, not anymore I think. When I applied last year, I looked up everything about NSFAS and I read a doc about them somewhere that only if you emigrate directly after your studies, you have to pay it back, otherwise no.

 

[Foxhound5366]

No, not anymore I think. When I applied last year, I looked up everything about NSFAS and I read a doc about them somewhere that unless you emigrate directly after your studies, you have to pay it back, otherwise no.

That's cool. Maybe it was even like that in my day, I dunno. Nsfas was just a magical beast for me, back when I got it in 2004-2007. I'd get letters from my university talking about how I'd gotten special allowances and bursaries and things ... and then at the end of it, I got a statement with a repayment that was next to nothing (but compared to my starter salary of next to nothing it was significant). Finally paid it off after like 12 years lol. Should have done it faster but #life, you know.

 

[Agent67]

That's cool. Maybe it was even like that in my day, I dunno. Nsfas was just a magical beast for me, back when I got it in 2004-2007. I'd get letters from my university talking about how I'd gotten special allowances and bursaries and things ... and then at the end of it, I got a statement with a repayment that was next to nothing (but compared to my starter salary of next to nothing it was significant). Finally paid it off after like 12 years lol. Should have done it faster but #life, you know.

Yeah, it switched to a bursary scheme instead of student loans quite recently (somewhere around 2017 - 2019). I narrowly missed qualifying...

 

[EastAfricaGuy]

Students in South African universities seems to be economically well-off.

I usually find them buying luxury items at supermarkets, KFC, Nandos and the like.

I usually spend max. R60 at KFC, to realize a UCT student near my desk has spent R120 for her/his order.

It seems the South African board (NSFAS) provides them with enough funds!

Waooh. That's good.

 

[SiloSami]

Good day,

So the situation is that I applied for NSFAS funding in 2021 academic year and was approved for funding but NSFAS only approved my application in January 2022. And subsequently my tuition fees for 2021 academic year were only paid in March 2022. The issue is I didn't get any allowances for 2021 as yet from NSFAS. Fast-forward to this month after countless emails and messages with the university and NSFAS I'm still battling to get allowances for 2021 academic year. The university says that NSFAS ruling states that NSFAS doesn't do back-pay and I can't claim my 2021 allowances in 2022 while NSFAS states that it's up to the university whether they will release my allowances. Now I'm not sure what I can do. I tried contacting the DHET but they just referred me back to NSFAS.

Is there anyone that knows if such a rule does exist or who can I contact that can assist me with this. Because I searched almost every NSFAS and Wits university rulebook on NSFAS funding but nowhere does it state that previous year allowances cannot be claimed in another year. And NSFAS also didn't state I will not receive my 2021 allowances when I contacted them. I'm lost at this point.

Thank you.

Hi infrared,

I have a similar situation, NSFAS cut me off mid-year last year due invalid reasons from their end, and they later realised their mistake and fixed it this year after appealing against their discontinuation of funding. So my query is did you receive the funds or you just let go of the matter?