If you want to study further after school there might be a lot of questions whirling around in your head. What do I want to study? Where do I want to study? How will I pay? Do I qualify? Will I be accepted?

We’ve put together some information that might help you answer some of these questions. Remember though, whatever you want to do after school, your school leaving results are your ticket to success. Doing well at school gives you more chance of being accepted into university, college, or technikon and you also have more chance of getting financial support for your studies if you do well. So work hard now and pave the way for your future.

Loan, bursary or scholarship?

A LOAN is money that a student borrows to complete his/her studies. This money must be paid back once the student is working. Loans can be obtained from banks or other financial and educational institutions.
Loan repayments
Loan repayments are usually structured based on an individual’s earnings once they complete their studies. Although you only have to start paying back your loan when you have finished studying, if you do not pay the interest while you study and let it compound, you will have to pay a lot more money back in the end. Also, the longer you take to pay your loan, the more interest you have to pay, so if you pay over a longer time, you’ll end up paying more in total.

A BURSARY is an award that can be given to students who need financial support and are performing well academically. A bursary does not have to be paid back.
At some institutions, a percentage of your loan can be converted to a bursary if you pass all your modules in a given year. The bursary amount can also be reduced if you do not pass all your modules and if you don’t pass any of your modules. This means that the full amount then needs to be paid back as a loan.

SCHOLARSHIPS can be awarded by educational institutions, organisations, corporations or trusts and can generally be
classified as:

• Merit-based: Based on a student’s sporting, academic, artistic or other abilities. Extracurricular activities are often also taken into consideration.
  Need-based: Based on the student and family’s financial status and usually require applicants to provide proof of income.
  
• Student-specific: Applicants must qualify according to specific factors such as race, gender, religion, family or medical history. Minority scholarships are the most common awards in this category and not all are based in the student’s country.
  
• Career-specific: Awarded for a specific field of study. Often the most generous awards are given to students studying towards careers in high-need areas such as education or nursing.

Bursaries and some scholarships often have a clause where the recipient has to work for the sponsoring company or institution for a certain number of years after graduating. The amount received usually has to be paid back with interest if this clause is broken.

 

Applying for Financial Support

The first place to find out about financial support for your studies is the financial aid office of the institution where you want to study. Contact them and ask them to provide you with all the information about possible bursaries, loans and scholarships. If possible, make an appointment and go and visit the office to make sure you get all the information and advice you can. Act early as many applications have to be in as early as the June before the year you start studying!!

South Africa
NSFAS: National Students Financial Aid Scheme
NSFAS does not deal with students directly. You will need to apply through your Educational Institution. If you are accepted to study, then you can apply for financial aid. You will need to approach the Financial Aid Office or the Student Support Centre at your institution to apply for financial assistance. The staff will explain whether funds are available and how the application process works. You will be required to do ‘Means Test’, which will assess your family’s financial situation to see if you qualify for support and calculate the amount, if any that your family will be expected to pay for your studies. The rest of the funds will be provided through a loan from NSAFS, or you may qualify for a NSAFS bursary.

What information will I need to apply for a loan or bursary?

You need to take along the following documents:

• A certified copy of your bar coded ID
  
• Details relating to the household income of your family, such as your parents’ or legal guardian’s salary slips. If your parents are unemployed, provide an affidavit signed before a Commissioner of Oaths in which this is confirmed.
  
• The ID books or birth certificates of other people, such as brothers and sisters, whom you regard as members of your family and who are also supported by means of the household income.

You will be advised by the Financial Aid Office or Student Support Centre as to whether you have been awarded a NSFAS bursary or loan.

For more on NSFAS visit:
www.nsfas.org.za/web/view/students/student_home/studenthome

Many other organisations and institutions provide bursaries and scholarships in South Africa. For a full list of bursaries available to South Africa students visit:
www.gostudy.mobi/Bursaries/All/Default.aspx

Zambia
Sponsorship for tertiary study in Zambia is through the Ministry of Education, not the educational institutions.

Ministry of Education’s Bursaries Committee
Applicants for Government of the Republic of Zambia Bursary awards should be:

• Zambian citizens in possession of a Green National Registration Card (and whose parents both hold Green National Registration Cards)
  
• School leavers admitted to the University who completed secondary education in the previous year prior to the start of the academic year
  
• Non-School leavers admitted in the University who completed secondary or pre-university education more than one academic year prior to the start of the academic year in which that year group was eligible to be admitted to the University (and not yet employed)
  
• Venerable students who are unable to fulfil the cost sharing policy but meet the University entry requirements

For more information on Zambian tertiary financial aid, visit:
www.moe.gov.zm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=144

You can also apply for scholarships from other organisations, such as financial institutions, the mines and a few government departments such as the Ministry of Health. You will need to check whether there is anything available as these scholarships are normally not advertised and there is a lot of competition. Give it your best shot and explore all these options.

Botswana
The Botswana government sponsors tertiary education and students can access this sponsorship through applying to the Ministry of Education and Skills Development. Students need to apply to an institution of higher learning and on their acceptance, apply to the ministry for sponsorship. The ministry uses certain criteria to evaluate applications for sponsorship, for example, students need to receive at least 36 BGCSE points.

Go to www.moe.gov.bw/fileadmin/templates/docs/DSPW1_Edu_Plac2008.pdf to find the Department of Student Placement & Welfare, Ministry of Education Loan application form.
You can also contact the MOESD on:
TEL: (+267) 3655900 FAX: (+267) 3912891
E-MAIL: dspw.registry@gov.bw WEBSITE: www.moe.gov/dspw