Initially, NSFAS financial support was a loan, and the beneficiary needed to pay it back once they secured a job or after completing their studies. In 2017, former president Jacob Zuma announced the fully subsidized free higher education and training for poor South African students. However, in 2021, NSFAS announced that its funding was insufficient. As a result, most applicants did not benefit from the fund after tendering their applications, hence the need to know more about the NSFAS appeal letter.

In the past year, NSFAS approved more than 300,000 applications for funding. However, up to 65,000 applications were rejected. The rejection does not mean you do not qualify for funding since the scheme provides a chance for an applicant to appeal.

The appeal process involves downloading and filling in the NSFAS appeal letter pdf form. The form is available on the NSFAS website. You should be careful to fill in accurate details in capital letters. You should also draft a handwritten appeal letter for NSFAS.

How do I write an NSFAS appeal letter?

The handwritten letter should provide convincing details requesting the board reconsider its decision not to offer you the financial aid.

So, your NSFAS appeal letter 2022 will be considered if you meet these requirements and provide the following documents: Proof of income to ascertain that you need the financial assistance. A documented proof of loss of a bursary or sponsor in the current academic cycle Support documents to prove a satisfactory prior academic performance. If your current performance is not up to expectation, you should provide supporting documentation explaining what affected your performance.

Financial constraints could be one of the reasons. Proof that you are applying for an approved post-graduate qualification.

NSFAS encourages students applying for post-graduate qualifications to apply for funding.

Proof that more than one student from your household enrolled at a TVET college or university since this can pose financial strain to the family. Proof that you had a gap year in your NSFAS application or failed to register previously.

Proof that you failed to meet academic criteria due to medical or financial reasons or the death of an immediate family member.

The scheme is specific about supporting students who are serious about their education but are in danger of not completing their studies due to financial constraints. Therefore, appeals are disregarded if the applicant’s academic performance is not satisfying enough. These are the other conditions that will render an appeal unsuccessful: If the applicant’s family’s household income exceeds the threshold If the applicant is not of South African nationality. If the applicant provides incorrect information or the support documents have been tampered with If the student’s performance is below average. This could be because the student cannot cope with the mental demands of higher education or are not serious with their academics.

Ensure you have all the required documents when you appeal. They may include, but are not limited to: Academic transcripts Payslips Medical records Death certificates Proof of loss of income Email the appeal letter and supporting documents to [email protected].

Before handing in your appeal letter, you should ensure that it does not have any typographical errors since this might lead to your application being turned down. You should also be careful to attach the correct support documents. You should also carefully go through the details you provided on your NFAS account, which is accessible after logging in with your username and password. Remember not to leave any blank spaces while providing the information on the account and upload clear documents. After making the changes, remember to click on the save option

Students who have tendered their 2022 NSFAS appeal form and updated the details on their portal should use the self-service portal to keep up with the status of the appeal. The portal will display “Approved for funding subject to registration,” if the appeal was successful. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the status checker will show, ” Application unsuccessful.”

The appeal takes at most 30 days. At times, it might take a shorter time. Nonetheless, NSFAS should not take more than one month to respond to your application.

The appeal process is currently open. However, it closes on 3rd March 2023. Therefore, ensure to tender your application on time. Writing an NSFAS appeal letter does not guarantee that your application will be successful. However, doing so correctly by following the steps mentioned above increases the chances of your application being successful.