To show that there is transparency in the funding allocation process of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), the Minister has published the data relating to the number of NSFAS-funded young people, who have historically benefited from the Sassa Child Support and the Foster Care grant.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme is known to be a crucial financial resource in ensuring that those who are unable to afford tertiary education can access it.
Additionally, based on their living circumstances, it is often the case that NSFAS funded recipients were recipients of the Sassa Child Support grant as well as foster care grant throughout their upbringing until they reach the age of 18.
In light of this, the figures in the images below show the number of new NSFAS-funded applications where the applicant was a Sassa beneficiary between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2024, broken down by academic year and institution.
The Higher Education Minister, also stated that the data exchange process between NSFAS and universities for the 2024 funding cycle is still in progress and that the 2024 information will be updated once this process is completed. The data has been broken down per educational sector (University or TVET College).
