Wits University To Help Struggling Students With Registration Fee

The University of the Witwatersrand has vowed or rather planned to financially help struggling students with registration fees. This was after the university met with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and other stakeholders said the institution spokesperson Shirona Patel.

“The DHET will cover the 2017 fee increase of 8% for South African’s top students whose combined annual family income was below was below R600 000. This also included students on the National Students’ Financial Aid (Nsfas) and allegedly “missing middle” students. The DHET will pay for students who qualified for support from Nsfas, including those who still owe them

Students on Nsfas may also register without making the first fee payment in January 2017 and those who are still awaiting the outcome of their application from Nsfas can also register and delay the first fee payment to the end of March 2017. “All students who owed R10 000 or less, would have their dept automatically rolled into their 2017 fees and would be allowed to register” said Shirona Patel

Student who owe over R10 000 will be requested to pay at least of the outstanding amount balance and enter into a payment plan for the remaining of the funds before they can be allowed to register. Shirona further added that this is the extent which the university can assist students without compromising its financial sustainability. Students who wish to apply for funding can apply via The Donation Discretionary Fund on the University’s Student-Self-service-portal