UKZN students to get funding
A total of R10-million will be made available by the university to fund postgraduate students who meet the NSFAS requirements and those who fall within the 'missing middle' category.
UNIVERSITY management met with student leadership to discuss matters pertaining to the 2016 student funding and student fees at UKZN.
Efforts have been made to look at all possible means in which the university can continue to support academically performing students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, while considering the resources made available by government alongside the university’s economic, funding realities and future stability. Some of the key agreements reached included the following:
All students who qualify for NSFAS funding for the 2016 academic year will be funded.
Students who qualified for NSFAS funding in 2013, 2014 and 2015 but could not be funded due to the unavailability of funds and have therefore accumulated debt, will be assisted in terms of the historic debt funding as announced by President Jacob Zuma.
The university has taken the decision that students who qualified for funding in 2011/2012 but could not be funded due to the unavailability of funds, and now wish to return, will be allowed to register, provided they meet NSFAS requirements as at 2016, to the extent that funding is available.
New entrants who are on the Foundation Programmes and who qualify for NSFAS funding would be included as part of new entrants who will be funded for the 2016 academic year.
The Registration Appeals Committee (RAC) process will be re-opened and the threshold will be revised from the current R200 000 to R300 000.
A total of R10-million will be made available by the university to fund postgraduate (mainly honours) students who meet the NSFAS requirements and those who fall within the ‘missing middle’ category.
Five hundred financial aid packages will be made available by the university in order to contribute towards funding the ‘missing middle’ students.
Students who completed their studies in 2013, 2014 and 2015 but could not receive their degree certificates due to outstanding debt will be allowed to receive their degree certificates.
Executive director of the corporate relations division at UKZN, Lesiba Seshoka, said, “University management remains committed to finding sustainable solutions, aimed at assisting qualifying students and ensuring that they are able to pursue their respective academic endeavours.”
