Namibia Students' Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) FAQs

Namibia Students’ Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Critical information that prospective applicants need to know before the distribution of this Academic Year application forms starts.Application forms are due to be distributed countrywide as from 15 September until 15 December . Prospective students are required to ensure that they have the needed documents certified to successfully complete NSFAF applications.

The required documents are :

  1. Full birth certificate
  2. Namibian Identity Card (ID)
  3. ID of parents/guardians
  4. Proof of parental income (In the absence of proof of income or if unemployed, a sworn declaration must be made before a Commissioner of Oaths by parent(s) or guardian(s) themselves. This requirement is only for financial assistance purposes and has nothing to do with matter of maintenance)
  5. Proof of income should also be submitted by employed applicants who are studying undergraduate studies. If parental income is above N$750 000, NSFAF will only pay tuition fees, unless there is a proof of support for other siblings and/or legally adopted children at Institutions of Higher Learning. If parental income is less than N$750 000, NSFAF will pay the full predetermined rate.
  6. Mid-year examination or final examination results
  7. 1x passport photo
  8. Proof of admission from Institutions of Higher Learning/ VTCs.
  9. Offer letters or notice of provisional admission should be submitted by students who intend to pursue their studies at foreign or SADC institutions.
  10. For mature age entry—such letter of admission must be submitted. This is only applicable to students at local Institutions of Higher Learning.

N.B. — Proof of registration (in the case of local students) should be submitted when the student has registered, not during the application process. The Fund only accepts offer/admission letters issued by the governments or institutions of higher learning in which the students intend to study. Third party offers or admission letters are not accepted.

Likewise, a certified copy of Grade 12 results (certificate) should be submitted when received, not during the application process.

Funding requirements for Undergraduate studies are determined as per Local, SADC/International requirements :

Local Funding Requirements

An applicant should be a Namibian citizen; The applicant should apply to study full/part-time or distance at accredited and recognized Institutions of Higher Learning

Applicants should have obtained 25 points (in grade 12) in five subjects with an F in English to qualify for funding at local Institutions of Higher Learning, however applicants intending to study Education and Law should obtain 25 points (in grade 12) in five subjects with a minimum of E in English;

Applicants who have improved their English through English Programmes offered by institutions of higher learning will also be considered provided that such a programme is not less than three (3) months and they have obtained a pass;

Applicants who obtained post-grade 12 qualifications (minimum NQF Level 5) but have less than 25 points in grade 12/school leaving certificate may be considered for local Institutions if they have obtained a minimum of 20 points and an F in English in grade 12 or equivalent school leaving certificate. However, applicants who intend to study Education and Law should obtain an E in English in grade 12.

Pre or bridging programmes will only be considered if the programme is a pre-requisite of the formal programmes. In the event, where the pre-programme is only implemented for the students who did not meet the requirements of the actual programme, then application for those students will not be considered.

Applicants should provide proof of parental income; if unemployed a declaration under oath should be made by parents/guardians themselves and submitted to NSFAF.

Applicant admitted on Mature Age Entry should be considered for funding provided that a proof of Mature Age Entry from the Institution is provided to NSFAF. Applicants should at least be 23 years old. Mature Age Entry is restricted to local Institutions only.

Loans and grants should be provided as from NQF Level 5.

Local students must have been registered at an Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) to qualify for funding.

No application form will be accepted or considered with pending documents neither will it be forwarded to the Selection Committee. No applicant should be considered for NSFAF funding if he or she has already benefited from the programme at the same level. If such a case were to be identified, the award would be forfeited.

Under no circumstances shall a student be considered for funding after failing a previous academic year, and then deciding to apply for another programme. If such case were to be identified, the award would be nullified.

Foreign qualifications (including grade 12 certificates) should be submitted with an evaluation from the Namibia Qualification Authority (NQA) attached to the application forms, and must be translated into the English Language.

Additional Funding Requirements (Part-time or distance employed applicants)

Applicants (students) that are employed and studying part-time or through distance learning may be funded depending on the field of study. This funding is limited to high and medium priority fields of study as determined annually by NSFAF, provided that their income does not exceed N$300,000 per annum. Financial assistance will be in the form of tuition fees only.

No. The cost of all failed modules falls on the student. NSFAF highly advises students to register only for the modules they have failed so that their bill can be affordable for that year.This ensures if these subjects are subsequently passed by the student, then he/she will have a clean academic record for the following year, allowing for continued sponsorship.

NSFAF has an obligation to cover your progressive year costs, but only after you have passed and moved to the next level. For example, if you are in 3rd year but have 2nd year modules still to complete, NSFAF only covers your 3rd year modules and so on.

NSFAF urges students to disclose all other funding information before they sign an agreement with the Fund.The student must terminate their agreement with the other sponsor before signing a NSFAF sponsorship contract.

This cancelation must be indicated in an offcial letter, and submitted to NSFAF for record keeping and reference.

NSFAF awards students funding with regard to a specific program. e.g a3-year Diploma in Business Administration or 4-year Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management.Students are not allowed to register for a new academic programme after graduating in the funded programme. A fresh application is required at the beginning of each new programme where funding is required. This application will then be dealt with in accordance and along the requirments of the NSFAF Awards Policy.

Students will be forced to cover costs as NSFAF’s obligation ends on the day of graduation of the awarded course.

NSFAF reserves the right to rectify any errors/mistakes on award letters as and when they are detected.

NSFAF pays directly to institutions, based on ivoices provided.If part of funding has already been paid for by another sponsor, and NSFAF sponsors more than the required tuition amount, the student may not approach NSFAF to authorise him/her to access excess funds in student account as a financial refund.

Students are encouraged not to take advantage of such situations, and should not claim for said funds.

The funds should be returned to NSFAF for recirculation and awarding elsewhere, without awarding the whole amount to the student.

Students are advised to keep all their NSFAF original documents (award letter, contract and any official approval letter and correspondence) for future reference.Students should report directly to NAMIC offices if they encounter challenges with NAMIC cards, and not the Fund.

The Student Care Center only deals with continuing students. Newly awarded students should correspond with the Awards department to avoid necessary delays.

It is the student’s obligation to notify the Fund of any deviation from studies, deferment of studies and/or the cancellation thereof, including any other decision that might affect the Fund financially with regard to the student.

Students repeating previous academic year(s) at their own cost must submit their re-activation requests before the 31st of January every year to avoid registration delays.

Students with outstanding bills are required to settle them before they are approved for re-activation to be allowed to register.

The NSFAF reactivation letter does not clear a student’s debt with an institution, but rather serves to notify that the student has satisfied the requirements needed to re-activate a loan that had been put on hold for a specific reason.