NSFAS Implements Changes To Application Process for 2023, Nsfas has officially begun accepting applications for student funding for the forthcoming academic year. However, there are a few changes that applicants should be aware of before submitting their applications.
The Nsfas application system has now seen enhancements to make it similar to other application systems prospective students are using.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, has announced several improvements meant to simplify the application procedure for applicants.
One of them, according to a recent social media post, is that when submitting an online application, Nsfas will request your parent’s or legal guardian’s ID copy, rather than your own.
On prior application windows when students applied for funding during the previous academic year, student leaders complained about several difficulties. According to reports, the system would occasionally shut down because it was unable to handle the volume of traffic.
SEE ALSO –NSFAS Application Process 2023 | How to Apply to NSFAS Application Form
Other notable changes include:
- Your email address is no longer used as username; instead, your ID number will be used.
- Real time responses
- You will be asked to choose 3 security questions out of a range of other questions Nsfas will give when setting your password. This change was made due to applicants forgetting their passwords and having to reset it, which required human intervention. This new method will help to avoid a backlog.
- The application process can now be paused and continued at a later stage, without having to start from scratch.
- Nsfas has developed additional channels of application, through a mobile app, USSD and WhatsApp.
Applications can also be submitted online by using myNsfas and tracked or canceled on the abovementioned platforms.
Furthermore, to ensure that applicants without access to technology can still apply, an outreach campaign has also been launched.
NSFAS has also recently announced the changes to student payments, by introducing a Nsfas Mastercard.
The financial aid provider has been striving to develop a separate and secure a payment system that will enable students to receive their monthly allowances via a bank card (known as the the NSFAS Mastercard) to address payment delays as well as other allowance disbursement-related problems.
The payment of allowances will proceed more smoothly with the introduction of the card.
NSFAS applications will close on 3 January 2023.
SEE ALSO – Here’s A Minor Change To The NSFAS Application Process
SEE ALSO – What’s Needed To Apply For Nsfas 2023 Application
