The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is initiating a 75% pass mark for one to continue getting funded by the Scheme, they have proposed to increase the pass rate from their long standing 50% mark.

News have broken out that the government study funding is proposing to increase the pass mark from 50% to a 75% pass mark if one wants to continue benefitting from the funding. It has from years since the beginning of this, been an obligation for students to maintain and average mark for NSFAS to see them as fit to qualifying in funding.

All that may come to change as this 75% may propose difficulty to obtain. Failing a module does not look as good to the financial aid. The new possible increasing of the pass rate will require beneficiaries to pass at least three out of four of the registered modules, which will possess difficulties to those who settle for getting average pass mark.

At first it was with the R350 Social Relief Distress grant issue, with the government advising NSFAS beneficiaries who received approvals for the SRD grant, to cancel them as it may affect their chances of benefitting from NSFAS when reapplying. Also, potential 2022 tertiary applicants are urged to cancel their SRD immediately when approved for NSFAS but the study funding has reassured that it highly lightly to affect new NSFAS applicants.

The tertiary SRC Presidents and Secretaries are rejecting this increase in percentage requirement. Therefore, the possibility of having to obtain 75% pass mark from having to fight for a 50% is yet to be confirmed to the public by the government funding scheme.

In the meantime applications for 2022 student intake is still open, students who meet the requirements to apply are urged to take this opportunity  to have access to free education provided by the South African Government through NSFAS.