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Financial Aid and Scholarships Administration

The Financial Aid & Scholarships Office (FASO) administers funds on behalf of the University, donors and sponsors. The office also provides information and advice on student funding.

Students, please note:

FASO and the Fees Office use a query logging system called ISM. This is to improve turnaround times and to track queries efficiently. Log your queries on ISM using the following link: https://witshelp-ism.saasiteu.com. This document will take you through the steps to log your ticket.

The FEES and FASO offices will no longer respond to student queries via email.

Scholarships and Bursaries
External Sponsors

We administer funds on behalf of external sponsors by providing the following services:

  • Allocate funds to the student fee account.
  • Process allowances permitted by the sponsors. 
  • Provide results and fee statements to the sponsors on behalf of the students in line with the POPI Act.

Points to remember

  • Make enquiries early in the year for possible sponsors.
  • Apply to as many sponsors as possible.
  • Check closing dates - many sponsors will not accept late applications.
  • If you are unable to obtain financial aid, you are advised to postpone plans to attend university until you have sufficient funds.
  • You must apply directly to outside organisations for full particulars and application forms for bursaries, scholarships and loans offered by outside organizations, which have no contract commitments. 
  • You can google possible sponsors, request advice from our Student Liaison officers or visit our website to see if any bursary calls have been advertised on behalf of the sponsor.

Some of the External Sponsors administered by our office which students can contact are SASOL Bursaries, Eskom Bursary, Vodacom Bursary; governmental bursaries and scholarships both national and provincial.

  • N.B. Wits does not have the application forms for the awards listed in this section.

Submit your sponsorship letter to Wits

Did you know you can now submit your sponsorship letter online? Follow the steps outlined here.

Regular Consultation Hours

Monday to Friday: 8:30 - 16:00

For more information contact

Discretionary funding

Students needing financial assistance for Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies at Wits can apply for the Donation Discretionary Fund via student self-service. 

Applications for 2024 are still open and 2025 applications will open on Monday 3 February 2025.

Your application will be added to a database that will be used to find students that match donor criteria if, and when, we receive donor funding. This application does not guarantee you funding for the current academic year.

Please read and complete this document Discretionary Funding Ts & Cs and Consent

The application can be accessed on the student self-service portal. 

The Student Self-Service How to Guide will walk you through the steps of how to access self-service for Financial Assistance.

Hardship Funding

Wits University is cognisant of a number of students who may need assistance with registration and Accommodation as a result of their socio-economic circumstances.

The University will open applications for Hardship Funding on the 9th of December  2024 and close on the 24th of January 2025.

The hardship applications for special consideration will open on the 27th of  January 2025 and close on the 12th of February 2025. Only students with an average below 50% but not less than 48% will be able to apply.

Hardship applications for accommodation will be open from 9 December 2024 until the 21st  of February 2025.

Please note that resources are limited and therefore funding is not guaranteed. All students, therefore, are encouraged to continue to seek alternate funding as the criteria will be strictly applied.

  • NB. This is not a bursary, it is only to assist with registration
  • Students who apply must be eligible according to the criteria set below.

Fund Application Criteria

  • Students who have a gross household income less than R600 000 per annum.
  • Returning students who have obtained a minimum average prior-year mark of 50% and above.
  • Students who stay further than a 30km radius from the university will be considered.
  • Accommodation in a Wits accredited on- or off-campus residence facility only.

Exclusions

Hardship funding is NOT granted for:

  • Students who are eligible for the DHET Government Bursary (New NSFAS i.e. FTEN from 2018)
  • Students registered for Non-Degree courses eg. Diplomas and Certificates in the prior academic year. See full terms and conditions.
  • Students registered as part-time in the prior academic year.
  • Students who received hardship funding in the previous academic year.

How To Apply 

  1. Login to student self-service portal
  2. Click on the “Council Hardship Application” tile
  3. Select from the drop-down list “Begin New Application”
  4. Select from the drop-down list “Level of Study”
  5. Select from the drop-down list “Application type”
  6. At this stage, the hardship criteria rules will apply. If you are eligible the terms and conditions page will open.
  7. Ensure that you read and understand all the terms and conditions before proceeding with the application.

Documents Required

Please ensure that the following documents are ready as you will be required to upload them as part of the application process.

  • Proof of gross household income (combined income before deductions of income-earning members in a household must be up to R600k). It must be salary advice or any other proof of income, no affidavit will be accepted. Where necessary the University will verify income. A consent form will be required.
  • Copy of parents or guardian identity documents.
  • Consent form to verify household income.

Wits Accommodation Deposit/Full accommodation

  • Detailed affidavit (which includes details on student’s effort to secure funding and student circumstances)
  • Proof of gross household income (combined income before deductions of income-earning members in a household must be up to R600k). It must be salary advice; no affidavit will be accepted.

Students applying for emergency accommodation support must please note that an interview may be required to get a better sense of their circumstances. Should they be successful for emergency accommodation support, this will be in shared accommodation only and at a Wits accredited accommodation provider in line with the arrangements made from time to time. Accommodation arrangements are temporary and periodically reviewed.

Students who secure funding (that includes accommodation) will be required to vacate the emergency accommodation and make their own appropriate arrangements in line with their funding.

More Information

Tuition queries
HardshipTuition.FinAid@wits.ac.za 

Accommodation queries
HardshipAccomodation.FinAid@wits.ac.za

Forms

 

External Scholarship and Bursaries

External websites that list bursary opportunities:

Student Loans

Most major banking institutions offer student loans at attractive interest rates. Interest rates may decrease for consecutive years of study. Normally bank loans cover the duration of study and are repaid once you start working or once you have graduated.

Some banks offer a grace period to students who are completing internships, articles or community service. In most instances, you are required to repay the interest while still studying.

Sometimes surety/security is required, which means that a relative, friend or sponsor must guarantee to repay the loan if you fail to do so.

Loan Providers

Postgraduate Funding Portal

The University offers various scholarships, bursaries, and other funding opportunities for its postgraduate students from both internal and external sources. This is a live database of all these opportunities that is regularly updated.

Funding Portal

Cybercrime

  • Given the rise in cybercrime, and before making any payment to the University, verify that the account into which payment is to be made is a legitimate bank account of the University, as published in the Fee Booklet or on the Fee Statement. The University will not communicate any change in bank details to students by way of email, bank confirmation letters or other electronic communication. Please check that the University’s bank details are accurate before making payment. It is your duty as the Payee to check that the University’s bank details are accurate before making payment.

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