Good MorningI've found that I cannot reg...

Asked by Neo Madihlaba on 02-08-2024 10:20:42
Question posted in the General Law category relating to Eastern Cape

Good MorningI've found that I cannot register because my initial fee has not been waived as is the case as usual for NSFAS beneficiaries at this time. When I log into mynsfas it says my funding for the year has been Rejected because 'Academic Ineligibility as a result of N+ Rule Exceeded'. This is not what I had expected because this is not what the document 'NSFAS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND CONDITIONS FOR FINANCIAL AID Policy Standard 2023 Academic Year' says should be the case.

I would be able to complete my degree this year because I will be taking two third year subjects as my majors in English and Philosophy, and an ancillary year course in Linguistics 2 and Anthropology 101. This combination of subject will provide the credits necessary to obtain the degree within the specified time which is the end of this academic year.

According to the rules stipulated in the aforementioned document, I should be eligible for NSFAS funding this year because of the following factors for which I have listed the corresponding clauses in the NSFAS document:

1. (4.5.4.4)I  completed one year of a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics degree (out of a minimum of 3) at a distance university (UNISA) in 2020. Since it's a non-contact university, the N for the original degree would be doubled: 1 year x 2 (for distance learning) = 2 years.

2. ( 4.5.4.8)I transferred to a full-time university (Rhodes University) for a new Bachelor of Arts degree in 2021.The new N for the full-time degree is the minimum duration: 3 years.

3. ( 4.5.4.3)N+1 calculation:For the new degree (my current general Bachelor of Arts), the maximum funding duration would be 3 years(N) + 1 year (additional) = 4 years.-The Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at UNISA is different from the general Bachelor of Arts at Rhodes University because it only allows choosing courses from those those three subjects unlike the general one which has a wider range of courses offered at Rhodes.

By the rules stipulated in the document from NSFAS I should not have had my funding rejected but I have been and see no option to appeal this and now cannot register for what should be my final year.I have attached my transcripts as proof my academic transfers, and eligiblity, as well as the relevant NSFAS documents and recent correspondence with the university’s ombudsperson that I keep referring to.Please help. I have contacted all the relevant authorities to no avail, all I want to complete my degree this year.

Regards

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