A category of students referred to as the missing middle, who previously could not qualify for financial aid provided by the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), can now apply for a student loan.
This follows an announcement that the Department of Higher Education made in January this year regarding measures to support students who were previously not supported by the NSFAS bursary and funding policy.
The department said government has set aside R3.8 billion to support ‘missing middle’ students through the NSFAS Loan Scheme.
This amount is allocated for Phase One of the loan scheme. The amount comprises R1.5 billion from the National Skills Fund (NSF) and R2.3 billion from Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
The department said it will implement Phase Two of the loan scheme from next year to 2034.
During the official opening of the NSFAS 2025 applications, the Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nobuhle Nkabane said government continues to find mechanisms to ensure that no one is excluded from post-school education and training opportunities due to lack of funding.
“We successfully did this through the implementation of the first phase of the Comprehensive Student Funding Model, which ensures that the missing middle students access financial support from government in the form of a loan to pursue their studies,” she explained.
The NSFAS said by the end of February 2024, it received more than 31 000 loan applications.
“As of 15 August 2024, all loan scheme applications were processed and only a total of 1 300 applicants had satisfied the NSFAS
Loan Scheme Academic and Financial Eligibility Criterion for funding,” NSFAS said in a statement.
These applications are in addition to about 2 million bursary applications received for the 2024 academic year.
NSFAS reiterated its commitment to improving its capacity to deal with such high volumes of applications in preparation for the 2025 academic year.
Who qualifies for the loan scheme?
The NSFAS Loan Scheme for the missing middle is open to all South African citizens and permanent residents from households with combined incomes of between R350 000 and R600 000 per annum.
For the list of qualifications covered in the NSFAS Loan Scheme for the missing middle, applicants should visit www.nsfas.org.za.
Applicants are reminded to provide the correct Identity Document (ID) numbers, name(s), and surname, as reflected in their South African ID.
NSFAS only funds individuals who are studying or intend to study at a public university or Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in South Africa.
Minister Nkabane urged all students who wish to study in any of the public universities and TVET colleges to apply timeously and not to wait until the last day.
“Learners do not have to wait for matric results to apply for NSFAS. Apply now and avoid delays in the processing of your application,” the Minister said.
She added that NSFAS will continue to have outreach programme in all provinces, targeting the rural and township communities.
For more information, visit: www.nsfas.org.za
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