BURSARIES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
First-year students arrive at the Nelson Mandela University with stars in their eyes and a suitcase full of dreams; dreams of obtaining a qualification and improving the quality of their lives and that of their families.
However, the stars are often replaced by worry and anxiety, and dreams are dashed because they cannot afford registration fees or cannot graduate because of unpaid student debt.
Nelson Mandela University offers financial assistance to full-time students in the form of bursaries, merit awards, Vice-Chancellor's scholarships, and study loans. Assistance is based on financial need and/or academic excellence and sporting achievements.
However, the academically achieving students needing financial assistance are growing and with the country's economic challenges due to the pandemic, universities do not have the financial capacity and adequate resources to do much more to assist students or to provide free education
The protests at the beginning of each year at South African universities due to lack of funding for registration, tuition, accommodation, and food for these students, emphasises the need for assistance for undergraduate students and those who have completed their studies.
You can help by:
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Paying registration fees for students who have been accepted to study at the university, but who cannot afford the initial payment/registration fees.
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Providing emergency accommodation to students who arrive at the university hoping to have their application finalised. These students often land up sleeping in unsafe spaces.
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Creating food security for students who cannot be expected to study or write exams on empty stomachs. Many of these students wait for months on end for their NSFAS food allowances to be paid.
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Paying off debt for graduates who have completed their studies but cannot graduate due to outstanding fees. These students cannot find employment because they cannot produce their qualification certificates.
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