Wits Financial Aid

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

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 the Discretionary Funding terms and conditions

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.

National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)

What does the bursary cover? 

All students and learners who need financial assistance should apply to NSFAS through the NSFAS Online Application system.

  • Accommodation
  • Transport
  • Living allowance
  • Book allowances
  • Incidental/personal care allowance

NB: We encourage applicants to print a copy of their NSFAS online application and keep a record of all supporting documents in case they are required later. Also, check your email account regularly for correspondence from NSFAS. Please make sure that you receive a reference number after submitting your application form online. If you did not receive a reference number it means your application may have not been submitted successfully.

How to apply for Accommodation and Allowances

  1. Log in to the students self-service portal 
  2. Click on ‘STUDENTS”
  3. Click on “STUDENT SELF-SERVICE”
  4. Enter your person number(student number) and password
  5. Click on “FINANCIAL AID”
  6. Click on “ALLOWANCES AND ACCOMMODATION” then complete the form
Please note that students who qualify for allowances need to update their Banking details online by following the steps below:
  1. Login to the student’s self-service portal 
  2. Click on the “My Bank Account” tile
  3. Click on the “Add / Update Account” tab
  4. Follow the instructions

What happens to the credit balances in my account?

  • All credits at the end of the academic year must be returned to NSFAS.
  • The financial aid and scholarships office will process these as a charge to the fee statement to clear the credit in the fee account.
  • If these are not processed at the end of the academic, it will still be processed in the following year.
  • The university must return these funds to NSFAS.
  1. Log in to the student’s self-service portal 
  2. Click on ‘STUDENTS”
  3. Click on “STUDENT SELF-SERVICE”
  4. Enter your person number(student number) and password
  5. Click on “FINANCIAL AID”
  6. Click on “ALLOWANCES AND ACCOMMODATION” then complete the form
Please note that students who qualify for allowances need to update their Banking details online by following the steps below:
  1. Login to the student’s self-service portal 
  2. Click on the “My Bank Account” tile
  3. Click on the “Add / Update Account” tab
  4. Follow the instructions

What happens to the credit balances in my account?

  • All credits at the end of the academic year must be returned to NSFAS.
  • The financial aid and scholarships office will process these as a charge to the fee statement to clear the credit in the fee account.
  • If these are not processed at the end of the academic, it will still be processed in the following year.
  • The university must return these funds to NSFAS.

Contact Details

Financial Aid & Scholarships Office
Solomon Mahlangu House, Ground Floor
Braamfontein Campus East 
University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg
2001

Postal address:

Financial Aid & Scholarships Office
Private Bag X3
Wits
2050