Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has reiterated that  beneficiaries of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will not be affected when they change courses nor their institution of learning.

In a statement on Wednesday, Nzimande said in terms of the criteria, continued funding for NSFAS beneficiaries is based on academic eligibility testing which includes the N+ rule.

N is the minimum qualification completion time, also known as regulation time, specified by the institution for a programme of study funded by NSFAS.

N+1 applies to first-time entering students first registered after December 2017, whilst N+2 applies to students who first registered before January 2018.

“If a student is transferred from any other public university, regardless of whether they were funded at that university, the number of years already registered for the qualification will be counted as part of the minimum qualification completion time,” Nzimande said.

He emphasised that NSFAS does not stop funding because students change institutions.

“Students contravene the rules when they no longer meet academic eligibility requirements, exceed their N+ time, and move between institutions without declaring their movement,” Nzimande said. 

Source: South African Government News Agency