NSFAS: Closure of the 2019 Application Window, and preparations for 2019 student registration

29 October 2018

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is advising learners and students who have not yet applied for financial aid for 2019 that applications close on 2 December 2019 (apply here). The online system will automatically close at midnight, and no application will be accepted thereafter.

First-Time Entering Students (FTEN) do not need to have acceptance for a place at university before they can apply for funding; they can apply using their preferred choice of course, choice of institution, and update it later if it changes. However, funding will only be given to a registered student for the 2019 academic year who applied before the closing date and successfully met the eligibility criteria.

It is important to reiterate the message that students do not need to pay a registration/upfront fee when they come to register in January 2019. The costs for registration/upfront payment will be covered by the NSFAS package for those that meet the qualifying criteria.

Feedback after the march on the Potchefstroom Campus today

7 September 2018

Today, Friday 7 September, the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command and SASCo handed over a memorandum to the director of student life, Prof Lumkile Lalendle. View a video message from prof Fika J van Rensburg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC): Potchefstroom Campus.

Fake news distributed

6 September 2018

"False information is being spread about the planned march tomorrow, Friday 7 September. Please view my message," prof Fika J van Rensburg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC): Potchefstroom Campus.

Approved march on the Potchefstroom Campus tomorrow, 7 September

6 September 2018

Tomorrow, Friday 7 September, at approximately 14:30, a memorandum will be handed over by the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command to the vice-chancellor (or his delegate) at the cashiers' entrance of Building F1 on the Potchefstroom Campus. Permission for a march starting at 13:00 from the Main Building (Faculty of Law) down Wasgoedpennetjie Lane, through the Student Centre and down in Lover's Lane to Building F1, has been granted by the registrar. The march will be monitored by our Protection Services.

All possible precautionary measures are in place. View a video message from prof Fika J van Rensburg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC): Potchefstroom Campus.

NSFAS applications for 2019 to open on Monday, 3 September 2018

30 August 2018

The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Naledi Pandor, is pleased to announce that the 2019 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) applications for new applicants will be opened on Monday, 3 September 2018.

The announcement follows a meeting the Minister had with the (NSFAS) administrator, Dr Randall Carolissen, in Cape Town, yesterday (29 August 2018).

The decision to open the applications was taken after a process of testing the 2019 applications with a focus group of high school learners yielded positive results in terms of accessibility and user-friendliness.

NSFAS has put in place a comprehensive communications plan, which involves partnering with institutions of higher learning and training, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), community structures and organisations to ensure that all eligible students are reached.

Once a student has applied to NSFAS, a maximum waiting period before getting a notice of acknowledgement is a week. Should a student not receive the acknowledgement, they are requested to call NSFAS’s TOLL-FREE call centre, which is 08000 NSFAS (67327).

Regarding the progress made in resolving the NSFAS issues, the following steps have been taken:

· NSFAS has deployed staff to all institutions to facilitate the process of addressing the bottlenecks that have resulted from a range of factors.
· The necessary funds are available and steady progress is being made in getting the student support to the qualifying students.
· NSFAS has welcomed the enormous support from institutions and student representative councils at universities and TVET colleges in clearing bottlenecks to the disbursement of funds.

The support of the institutions and SRCs have been to assist NSFAS to ensure that:

· Students have completed and signed the necessary agreements.
· These agreements and the students’ course codes have been captured by the institutions and submitted to NSFAS.
· Book allowances, s-Bux, and prefunded student details are correctly captured and matched with NSFAS records.

In this regard, of the 273 000 first-time entering students at TVET colleges and universities, a total of 211 000 have received the relevant funds, while close to 239 000 of the 241 000 returning students have been successfully linked to the system.

Students are urged to sign outstanding NSFAS Bursary Agreements to ensure that decisions for continuation of funding for the 2019 academic year (if they meet the academic requirements) proceed smoothly.

The Minister is confident that the remaining and outstanding payments are being made as rapidly as details are being captured and verified.

Minister Pandor calls on all students to make sure they inform NSFAS of their change of contact details, particularly cell phone numbers, as this is the primary communication tool to inform students of the disbursement of funds.

MyNSFAS Online portal is available for students to update their details immediately. All institutions of higher education and training will be capacitated to assist with NSFAS applications.

The Minister also asked the students who are receiving their backdated funds to use them wisely to settle outstanding arrears and focus on their studies.

Issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Training

Enquiries

Lunga Ngqengelele
Media Liaison Officer
Ministry of Higher Education and Training

Cell: +2782 566 0446
Tel: +2712 312 5850
E-mail: lunga.n@dhet.gov.za

Website: www.dhet.gov.za
Toll free 0800 872222
E-mail: Callcentre@dhet.gov.za
Twitter: @HigherEduGovZA
Facebook: DHETinSA

Vacancy: Deputy Vice-Chancellor Assigned Functions and Campus Operations Potchefstroom

24 August 2018

Purpose of the position:

To provide strategic leadership and direct – from an institutional perspective – the executive function for success model delivery, and to give effect to the North-West University strategy with respect to assigned functions, taking into account the university’s multi-campus nature and national imperatives. To oversee and advise on the day-to-day operational effectiveness in respect of all support functions on a campus in a joint accountability relationship with the University Management Committee (UMC) who have strategic and functional development accountability for these support functions across all campuses. To represent the Vice-Chancellor and UMC as institutional leader on campus and perform ceremonial functions. See the advertisement

Vacancy: Executive Director: People and Culture

24 August 2018

Purpose of the position:

The Executive Director: People and Culture (ED: PC) is a member of the North-West University Management Committee (UMC), and as such co-responsible for the development and the overall implementation of strategy of the university. The ED: PC brings an in-depth knowledge of human resource management to the UMC. As the most senior human resource leader in the organisation, the incumbent is responsible for and accountable to lead in the execution of all activities in the divisions created for this purpose. See the advertisement

Notice to all contact students of the North-West University (NWU): Nomination of students to serve on the respective student campus councils (SCCs)

12 July 2018

Please take note that the process for the nomination and election of 2018/2019 SCCs on all three campuses of the NWU will commence on Monday, 16 July 2018 and close on 25 July 2018 at 16:00. Only enrolled full-time contact students of the NWU may nominate suitably qualified students to serve on the respective Student Campus Councils (SCCs).

Please take note of the following conditions as stipulated in the NWU Statute as well as the SRC Constitution, regarding the eligibility of candidates for nomination:

A person may be nominated and elected to an SCC if the candidate:

qualifies to vote in the election;
is a registered student of the NWU enrolled for a programme leading to a qualification;
has passed 70% of the modules prescribed for the curriculum of the qualification for which the candidate was enrolled in the semester preceding the election;
is registered for 60% of the modules prescribed for the curriculum of the qualification for which the candidate is enrolled in the current academic year;
has not been registered, or will not seek to be registered for a period beyond the maximum duration of the study concerned;
has served for a full term, or is serving in the current term, in a leadership position within the organised student community of the university, and
To qualify for nomination and election to the position of chairperson of an SCC, the candidate must have served for a full term as a member of the SCC concerned.
To qualify for nomination and election to the position of Distance Students Officer, the candidate must be available to participate in all the meetings and activities of the SRC.

A person is disqualified from nomination as a candidate for election to an SCC if:

such person is enrolled in the first year of an undergraduate programme;
such person has already served more than two full terms in an SCC;
a conflict of interest may arise if elected;
such person has been found guilty in terms of the student disciplinary rules of the university and given a sentence without the option of a fine, or
such person has a criminal record.

Written nominations on the nomination form are herewith requested to be completed in the prescribed format and to be submitted by latest 16:00 on 25 July 2018 to the office of the respective Campus Director Student Life.

Download the nomination and election process on all three campuses

Allowances for NSFAS students in 2018

24 May 2018

Dear student

There still seems to be some confusion among students with regard to the determination of student allowances for the 2018 academic year. The purpose of this communication is to provide clarity and correct any misunderstandings that have arisen from the new arrangements announced as a result of the changes to the NSFAS Bursary Scheme within the university sector.

Please read this circular received from NSFAS outlining the allowances for NSFAS students in 2018.

For ease of reference and based on the inquiries received at the different bursary offices on the NWU campuses, the contents of the circular have been summarised.

Please note that in terms of NSFAS stipulations, there is a clear differentiation between FTEN (first years), new senior students receiving NSFAS for the first time and senior continuing students.

An FTEN is a First-Time Entry New student, in other words a student that for the first time enrolled at an institution of higher education in 2018. The income gap for this category of students is R350 000. For senior continuing students and senior students receiving NSFAS for the first time, the income gap remains on R122 000. For senior NSFAS students from families with household incomes below R122 000 per year, bursaries will be capped according to the allowances with a maximum bursary of R83 000.

For FTEN students, the new 2018 allowances will be applicable. For senior and continuing students, the 2017 allowances + 5% increase will be applicable. Upon confirmation of the final bursary amount for 2018 for each student from NSFAS, the increase in allowances will be implemented according to NSFAS stipulations. The university should at all times adhere to the instructions and rules received from NSFAS. Students who use university accommodation or private accommodation do not qualify for a transport allowance.

The allowances will only be adjusted upon the signing of the NSFAS agreement.

Summary of NSFAS allowances for 2018:

NSFAS Categories 2018	FTENS (first-time entrants)	Senior Students ( continuing)
Tuition and residence fees	Actual cost	Actual cost
Books	R5 000 per year	R5 000 per year (Might differentiate between courses and number of modules enrolled for)
Meals	R13 500 per year (R1 350 per month)	R8 000 per year + 5% = R8 400 (R840 per month)
Private accommodation	According to student housing policy NWU: Accredited housing = R25 000 Unaccredited housing PC = R18 500, MC & VTC = R16 000 per year	According to student housing policy NWU: Accredited housing = R25 000 Unaccredited housing PC = R18 500, MC & VTC = R16 000 per year
Travel allowances	R9 300 per year as per institution travel policy. Only applicable to students not using a university residence or private accommodation.	R0 (not paid in the past)
CAPPED AMOUNT	Only capped per allowance given	R83 600 – ALLOWANCES ONLY ALLOWED TO INCREASE WITH 5%

If you need any assistance in this regard, please contact your Bursary Office on Campus

New dates: Mahikeng Campus graduation ceremonies

23 April 2018

Dear graduate

Following our communication regarding the rescheduling of graduation ceremonies for the Mahikeng Campus that would have taken place this week, kindly click here to see the new dates and times.

NWU Mahikeng Campus graduation ceremonies postponed

21 April 2018

Dear graduate

As a result of the ongoing unrest in the greater Mahikeng, management of the North-West University has taken a decision to postpone the graduation ceremonies scheduled for next week Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, to 2, 3 and 4 May. This decision was taken after consultation with the South African Police Service, and in the best interest of our graduates and their families. We want to ensure that this momentous occasion can be celebrated properly, thus the decision.

Further communication in this regard will follow. Please also check the notices on the NWU's website for further updates.

Regards
The NWU management

No risk: Cases of German measles (rubella) on the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus

16 March 2018

About ten laboratory-confirmed cases of German measles occurred on our campus in the past week.

Our Health Services contacted Prof Lucille Blumberg of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and consensus was reached that this outbreak of German measles does not pose a substantial hazard that requires the closure of the campus.

German measles usually starts like a cold (and is already contagious at that stage), and after five days a skin rash appears – typically starting on the head, and then spreading to the trunk and the limbs. Students who are positively diagnosed with the disease with the aid of blood tests must be isolated for approximately 7 to 10 days, and should preferably go home, if this is possible.

Students and staff are encouraged once again to have themselves vaccinated against German measles (MMR vaccine), a vaccination that should be repeated at least every ten years in adults.

Be assured that we will communicate any development in this regard immediately.

Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg

Progress and planning process with the revision of the language policy and plan

16 March 2018

We refer you to our memo in this regard sent out on 19 October last year.

The scheduled consultation process for the revision of the NWU Language Policy and Plan (LPP) is continuing in 2018. We've had to adjust our timeline somewhat due to certain processes that took longer to accomplish. Here is a revised schedule for the consultation process.

Timeline for the 2017 and 2018 processes with regard to the LPP (deadlines in bold):

Update regarding processes and revised schedule for LPP processes

A number of unforeseen circumstances (among others the time it took to establish the faculty structures, the refinement of the survey instruments as well the associated approval to conduct this process) have affected the original scheduling, which is now somewhat behind the original time lines set.
Final ethics clearance has been granted, including approval of the language audit questionnaires.
Final drafts of audit questionnaires have also been translated into Setswana, Sesotho and Afrikaans and will be updated on the basis of input from the Ethics Committee and translation reviewers.
Once finalised the questionnaires will be formatted for placement in Survey Analytics on eFundi and the survey will be launched. The electronic survey will be sent out to undergraduate and postgraduate contact students as well as academic and support staff. Other stakeholders will be afforded the opportunity to participate in the LPP revision process by commenting on the draft LPP itself.
Despite being behind the original schedule, we will be catching up, as follows:
1. 1 LPP submitted to faculty boards/managements and student leadership during the second week of March for discussion and feedback at their next meetings – first faculty board/management and student leadership meetings, March 2018
2. 2. Deadline for feedback from faculty boards and other stakeholders to be received by the registrar – 31 March 2018
3. 3. Launching of language audit electronic survey – late March 2018, or as soon as possible thereafter, but no later than 5 April
4. 4. Closing date for language audit electronic survey – 20 April 2018
5. 5.Analysis of language-audit results and consultation with stakeholders who wish to interact with the LPP task team, scheduled for the period 21 April to 10 May 2018
6. 6. Completion of processing by the LPP task team of feedback from stakeholders and language audit as well as update of LPP to incorporate feedback from both stakeholders and audit – before closing date of agenda for Senate meeting on 16 May 2018
7. 7. Penultimate draft of LPP presented to Senate – 16 May 2018
8. 8. Incorporating Senate input in penultimate draft LPP to establish final draft to Council – before closing date for agenda of June 2018 Council meeting
9. 9. Submission of LPP to Council for approval – June 2018. The LPP task team (whose terms of reference were approved by the university management and the Senate in October 2016), will receive feedback as part of its drafting process and will report to Senate towards the middle of 2018 in anticipation of approval by Council at its June 2018 meeting.

Queries with regard to the process and the draft LPP can be directed to Johan Blaauw. The LPP task team, chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, will also keep you up to date as the processes unfold.

As before, we ask everybody to participate fully as the various opportunities arise to revise our Language Policy and Plan.

NWU NSFAS Registration 2018

20 January 2018

This communication should be read together with all other communication already published on the NWU’s website (see Important NSFAS information for 2018 and NSFAS funding: All you need to know). This serves as additional information.

In order to address various uncertainties regarding the registration of students who applied for NSFAS funding and after the announcement by the President, as well as to rectify incorrect messages regarding this issue, herewith a clear and detailed indication of how this process will be handled by the NWU during the registration process.

Please take note that only students who have applied, and have been admitted to the NWU, will be assisted.

FIRST-YEARS 2018

Students who have attended quintile 1-3 schools, or who are supported by SASSA or disability grants, will automatically qualify for funding, and only after completing the consent form with the necessary information, will be allowed to register without paying any fees.
Students who have applied to NSFAS within the given timeframe in 2017, and have been admitted to the NWU, will be allowed to register upon approval of NSFAS funding. These students will be assisted for registration pending the current status of their NSFAS application.
Students who have not applied for NSFAS and their combined household income does not exceed R350 000 per annum, need to complete and submit a consent form to authorise NSFAS to complete credit checks in order to verify household income. Incomplete consent forms will not be considered. The NWU will perform a pre-screening of the provided information before the student will be allowed to register. The student will be informed within 72 hours of the outcome of the pre-screening after the COMPLETE consent form was received. In the instance that a student has been pre-approved, such a student will be allowed to register without paying any fees upon registration. Important: Students must please submit their forms as soon as possible in order to be able to assist them within the given registration time frame - please allow for the 72 hours needed to do the pre-screening.
If the funding application is disapproved by NSFAS (even if it was pre-approved by NWU based on the pre-screening done), the student will need to pay the minimum payable amount within 5 working days after receiving the outcome from NSFAS, otherwise the student will be de-registered immediately.
If the mentioned students do not want to wait for the pre-screening approval, they should pay the minimum payable amount upon registration and will be refunded upon final NSFAS approval.

SENIOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Senior students will be allowed to register providing that they meet the minimum academic progression requirements
Students who want to register with outstanding debt will be assisted according to the following categories:
- 2017 Approved students who have signed their Loan Agreement Form (LAF)/Schedule of particulars (SOP), but the NWU has not yet received any funding from NSFAS will be allowed to register.
- 2017 Approved students who have not yet signed their LAF/SOP for some reason, need to sign their LAF/SOP urgently, but will be allowed to register (only after they have completed the documents)
- Students previously attending a quintile 1-3 school or SASSA grant holders with outstanding debt, need to be identified and confirmed upon registration in order to be allowed to register. (Please note that all institutions are still awaiting funding from the DHET in this regard.)
- Any other reasons of approved NSFAS students with outstanding debt, will be dealt with on a case-to-case basis in order to assist these students.

The NWU has no ceiling for outstanding debt for cash paying students and or other bursary holders, and will assist students during the registration per individual case on merit. Requests for special payment arrangements will be referred to the financial registration committees on each campus.

For any further inquiries, please visit your financial office on campus.

Application for the DHET 2018 fee adjustment grant

15 January 2018

Government will subsidise the fee adjustment capped at 8% for all qualifying registered students with gross family income up to R600 000 per annum in 2018. This is not a loan, but a grant. The grant will reflect as a credit on the student account once eligibility has been confirmed. NWU student account offices on each campus have already received the applicable information as well as the application form:

Applicants who applied for NSFAS funding are not required to submit this application; they will automatically be considered.
All students who attended Quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools in Grade 12 will automatically be considered upon verification of HEMIS data and will not be required to submit this application.
Continuing students who have applied and qualified for the DHET Fee Adjustment Grant in 2017 are not required to submit this application; they will automatically be considered as the University will have this information.

Download the application form

Closing date for applications: 28 February 2018

Please send the completed form and supporting documents to the following addresses:

Mahikeng Campus: mcmissingmiddle@nwu.ac.za or the Financial Aid Office on campus
Potchefstroom Campus: pcmissingmiddle@nwu.ac.za or the F1 Building, Ground floor, at the Bursary Enquiries Counter on campus
Vaal Campus: vcmissingmiddle@nwu.ac.za or Building 24, at the Bursary Enquiries Counter on campus

NWU: 2018 first-year student registration

04 January 2018

Following the announcement by the President on free education for certain categories of prospective students, as well as recent calls in the media for such students to show up at universities and demand to be registered, the North-West University’s (NWU) official stance remains that no walk-ins will be allowed for the 2018 registration.

The NWU has space for just more than 9 200 first year students, and applications for prospective students have already closed on 30 September 2017. More than 50 000 applications have been received, and students have provisionally been accepted pending their meeting the university’s admission requirements.

As with any other university, the number of new students’ intake is determined in accordance with the agreed enrolment plan with the Department of Higher Education and Training. Only prospective students who applied to the university, met the admission requirements and have been accepted, will be allowed to register in 2018.

In a statement by Universities South Africa, it is indicated that provision has been made for students who did not previously qualify for financial aid – and who therefore did not apply for university admission in 2018, and who now qualify for free education on the basis of the recent Presidential declaration of free education, to submit their details online to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET’s) Central Applications Clearing House (CACH).

The North-West University has put in place contingency plans to deal with various situations. Any situation which could arise from confusion in this regard will be monitored, and if needed, the necessary contingency plans will be activated to ensure the safety of our staff, students and property.

Announcements Archive 2018