THE National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) centres will be open from Monday for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding applications for next year.

The NYDA centres, including one in Empangeni, will be fully operational and accessible from Monday to Friday during office hours.

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‘NSFAS continuously provides easy access to information by forging relationships with stakeholder partners. These partnerships provide customised links between an applicant and NSFAS during the application cycle and beyond.

‘NYDA continues to be instrumental in assisting applicants as application centres, free of charge,’ said NSFAS spokesperson, Phatisa Ntlonze.

Applications are open for Grade 9 to 12 learners and out of school youth who wish to further their studies at public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges or universities across the country.

More than 160 000 applications have already been received since the opening date on 3 August.

‘During the first month, on average, NSFAS has received more than 5 000 applications a day, with the number going as high as 6 000 during the last days of August. To date 188 733 applications have been submitted.

Students are encouraged to apply on time before the closing date on 3 November.

‘Applications are submitted online via myNSFAS portal. New applicants need a copy of their ID document or birth certificate to register and create a profile on the portal.

‘Applicants with existing accounts need to log into their accounts. Only one profile is allowed per student,’ Ntlonze said.

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