An investigation into the administration of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme for undergraduate students and its impact on the students' academic progress at a historically Black university

Abstract

This study investigated the administration of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for undergraduate students and its impact on the students' academic progress at a Historically Black University (HBU) in the Western Cape Province. It therefore dealt with the students' inability to fund their university education and the challenges they experienced because of the way in which NSFAS was administered at the university. The aim of the study was to investigate how the financial assistance received from NSFAS, or a lack thereof, impacted on the students' academic progress, and ultimately, their retention and success. The objective was to arrive at recommendations that could improve the process and enable the students to concentrate on their academic studies without financial stress and agony.