Students receiving funding from government will still need to pay thousands of rands in registration fees that they may not be able to afford.
Wits students who have pending status on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary are being asked to pay an upfront Wits registration fee to be registered as a student.
The Wits registration fee is R9 340. Some students on NSFAS have been asked to pay R4 670 to be cleared for registration.
The Wits fees office manager, Daya Veerasamy, said those unable to pay the fee would not be able to register and also face exclusion for the 2015 academic year.
“The money which was allocated to the university is not enough to cover all the applicants,” Veerasamy said.
Wits released a statement on Twitter saying that despite wanting to “see students succeed”, there is “limited funding within which to operate”.
The university added: “Students [on NSFAS] were sent communication last year already that they should prepare to pay the upfront fee.”
One prospective Witsie was told that registering students are expected to raise the registration funds “to show their commitment” to their studies.
The NSFAS Wits office could not be reached for comment.
Wits Students who have not received the outcomes on their NSFAS/bursary applications are advised to contact the Fees Office on Tel: 011 717 1546/1537.
