SASSA Affect NSFAS Applicants
SASSA can affect NSFAS even though SASSA and NSFAS are separate institutions. Both of them are government entities, and SASSA has declared that no applicant can receive two grants or other government benefits in addition to SASSA benefits. If your ID is found to be in the Means test, your grant will be rejected, and it will be considered fraud.
If you are approved by NSFAS as a student, it will impact your SASSA grant but not NSFAS evaluation. NSFAS CEO Mr Andile Nongogo, explains that if you are a SRD R350 applicant, it will affect your eligibility at NSFAS institute.
SASSA Affect NSFAS
If you are already receiving the SASSA grant and then apply for NSFAS, there’s a possibility that SASSA might deem you ineligible for the grant once your NSFAS application gets approved. SASSA conducts regular eligibility checks for beneficiaries. In such a situation, if your NSFAS application gets rejected, you will need to provide a Non SASSA Declaration Form to become an NSFAS applicant and get your educational funds.
Clarification by CEO Mr Andile Nongogo on SASSA NSFAS
The CEO of The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has provided clarification regarding a misconception on the X platform, also known as Twitter where a post stating NSFAS students who receive Sassa benefits, especially the SRD R350 grant.
The NSFAS acknowledges the Twitter post suggesting that students receiving the R350 SASSA grant relief are ineligible for NSFAS funding. However, NSFAS seeks to rectify this misunderstanding.
The NSFAS funding criteria specify that applicants with a combined household income exceeding R350,000 are ineligible for funding.
It’s important to note that the COVID-19 grant is presently not considered within the eligibility criteria for student funding. As a result, the R350 SASSA grant relief is not a factor in NSFAS’s evaluation.
NSFAS expresses regret for any inconvenience arising from the erroneous statement made by an NSFAS employee.
Issued by Andile Nongogo: Chief Executive Officer, Dated SATURDAY, MARCH 06, 2021
Source: Twitter Shared Media Forum of Official Document
Distinguishing SASSA and NSFAS
It’s important to understand the distinction between SASSA and NSFAS, where SASSA grants are means-tested and funded through national taxes and offer financial assistance to low-income citizens who lack alternative income sources or UIF allowances, on the opposite side, NSFAS provides financial aid to disadvantaged undergraduate students for tertiary education expenses.
InCompatibility of SASSA Grant and NSFAS
According to information provided by the SASSA national agency, individuals cannot simultaneously receive the SASSA relief grant, including R350 payments, and be an NSFAS beneficiary.
If you’re already benefiting from NSFAS, you won’t be eligible for the R350 grant. Therefore, if you’re an NSFAS beneficiary and apply for the SASSA grant, your application is unlikely to be approved.
It is clear now: The R350 SASSA grant recipients can indeed still qualify for NSFAS funding, but other social grant beneficiaries can not.
The R350 amount isn’t taken into account when determining NSFAS eligibility. NSFAS focuses on household income to determine eligibility. The SRD R350 grant does not influence NSFAS funding criteria.
