Goldfields TVET College Bursary

CRITERIA OR AWARDING OF BURSARIES TO STUDENTS

1.4 Colleges are required to use the criteria below when awarding bursaries to students:

1.4.1 In making a determination on the bursary applications, the Financial Aid Committee must consider the bursary application (together with the supporting documents) and the results of the Means Test;

14.2 The financial need of the student must be assessed using the NSFAS Means Test tool of each academic year when awarding bursaries to students. Students MUST provide details on the employment status of both of their parents or guardian as these impact on the eligibility for bursaries. In this regard, students must submit a death certificate if one/both parent(s) is/are deceased or an affidavit if they do not know their whereabouts. The submission of the particulars of both parents is compulsory as it has a bearing on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) rating, i.e. the financial need rating. An application that does not have particulars of both parents is incomplete and therefore it must NOT be accepted. The administration of the Means Test is compulsory and evidence of such administration must be retained at the college for audit purposes (a copy of the Means Test results must be attached to each bursary application);

14.3 The academic merit of the student must be assessed using an academic record or statement of results when awarding bursaries to students. To this end, students must be given priority in terms of their academic ratings;

14.4 Both the criteria for financial need and the academic merit must be applied. Students should be categorised and prioritised in terms of their eligibility weightings. Students who have the greatest financial need (EFC rating A) and the highest academic rating (academic rating 1) must be in the top category and they must be given first priority accordingly;

14.5 Bursaries are awarded to the most deserving students on the basis of their highest degree of financial need and best academic performance, and as such, student possession of an entry requirement into an NC(V) or Report 191 programme is not sufficient for a student to qualify

for a bursary award. All NC(V) and Report 191 bursary recipients who FAIL to progress to the next level of their studies should NOT be awarded a bursary to repeat a level that they failed;

14.6 The bursaries should be awarded against an approved and signed agreement between NSFAS and the student – this agreement is referred to as the Schedule of Particulars (SoP). It is important to note that only the students who have been awarded bursaries are required to sign the SOP;

14.7 For new NC(V) Level 2 and Report 191 (N1 and N4) students, academic criteria must be applied using the school report, National Senior Certificate, N3 statement of results and the selection and placement tool results. The college Financial Aid Committee must review documented evidence of satisfactory academic performance in awarding bursaries to students enrolling in Level 2 and N1 and N4 programmes. Colleges must verify the authenticity of schools and/or school reports that appear suspicious (i.e. without a school logo, address, Headmaster signature, etc.). To this end, colleges must contact the Provincial Education Department where the public or independent school is located. In respect of independent (private) schools, their operation is regulated in terms of the South African Schools Act, 1996. In terms of this Act an independent school must be registered with the Provincial Education Department where the school is located;

14.8 Applicants who were awarded bursaries for NC(V) Levels 2 and 3 in the previous year, and who have performed well academically in the previous academic year, and are therefore progressing to the next Level, should be prioritised for bursaries for NC(V) Level 3 and Level 4 in the current year taking into account the college policy on student progression and the availability of funds;

14.9 On application, Report 191 programme students apply for all semester or trimester courses in the calendar year of study. Applicants who were awarded bursaries for Report 191 N1 to N5 in the previous semester/trimester, and who have performed well academically in the previous semester/trimester, and are therefore progressing to the next N level, should be prioritized for bursaries for Report 191 N2 to N6 in the current semester/trimester taking into account the availability of funds;

14.10 The granting of a bursary in the current academic year (for students who were granted bursaries in the previous academic year) is subject to the student’s financial situation not having improved. The student will have to provide evidence thereof (all income-related supporting documents) and complete all required forms;

14.11 Students may be awarded bursaries up to a maximum of four years for the NC(V) programme. The fourth year bursary should be awarded only in the fourth year of study (after Level 4) to allow students to complete any outstanding subjects. This provision is only applicable to continuous study. No bursaries should be awarded in the fifth year of study;

14.12 Report 191 students may also be awarded bursaries if they have successfully completed N3 and N6 and have outstanding subjects for full certification. This provision is made for a period of six months and it is applicable to continuous study which will be paid at pro-rata, i.e. proportional to 6 months;

14.13 Where bursaries are awarded for outstanding subjects only, the costs per subject should be calculated as follows:

 NC(V) cost per subject: Programme cost (20% which is the student college fee) is divided by 7. Refer to paragraph 15 below and the programme costs of the current academic year; and

 Report 191 cost per subject: Programme cost (20% which is the student college fee) is divided by 8 for semester programmes and it is divided by 12 for trimester programmes. Refer to paragraph 15 below and the programme costs of the current academic year;

14.14 With effect from 2013 bursary recipients who switch from one programme to another (i.e. from NC(V) to Report 191 programme N1 – N3 or vice-versa) or change programmes within an NC(V) or Report 191 programme during the course of their studies are not eligible for financial assistance. Furthermore, bursary recipients who complete NC(V) Level 4 are not eligible for financial assistance should they want to enrol for another NC(V) programme or Report 191 programme N1 – N3; similarly bursary recipients who complete Report 191 N4 – N6 are not eligible for financial assistance should they want to enrol for another Report 191 programme

N4 – N6 or an NC(V) programme. However, bursary recipients who complete NC(V) Level 4 are eligible for financial assistance should they want to enrol for Report 191 N4 – N6;

14.15 Umalusi recognizes credit transfer between the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and the NC(V) in the following subjects:

 English Home Language or First Additional Language (passed at 40% and above)

Mathematics (passed at 30% and above)
Mathematical Literacy (passed at 30% and above)
Physical Science (passed at 50% and above)

The formula in (14.13) above should also be used to determine the bursary award for NC(V) students with credit transfer from one or more NSC subjects; and

14.16 NSFAS regulations state that no refunds will be made if there is a balance in the student’s account after his/her account has been settled. No student will receive cash payment or refund from NSFAS/the college at the end of the year in respect of a bursary award granted to the student for the payment of fees or other expenses. Re-allocation of unutilised bursary funds of students who drop out from the college during the course of their studies has audit implications, and as such, the college must not consider that course of action. Colleges must return unutilised funds to NSFAS for redistribution.

The Table below indicates items that may be claimed from the bursary. All costs listed in the Table below are MAXIMUM amounts that may be awarded to students. The awarding of the items will be based on the recommended award amount as per the NSFAS Means Test (unless otherwise recommended by the Financial Aid Committee and approved by the college principal) and subject to the availability of funds. All costs are per annum.

Item	Cost	Comment
College fees:NC(V) and Report 191 programmes	Full cost of college fees as indicated in the programme costs of the current academic year	Limited to one NC(V) or Report 191 programme per student per annum.
Travel	R7 032	Accommodation and travel allowance must be awarded in an accountable manner. Where funds are paid to students a meticulous system of records of payments made must be kept.
Accommodation	R18 752