No, students may NOT apply to USAf for bursaries.  USAf does raise funds with private sector and other organisations with the aim is to assist needy and academically deserving students who do not qualify for the bursaries offered by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), but whose households can hardly afford university tuition fees for various reasons.  USAf also fundraises to contain student debt from spiraling out of control for the long-term sustainability of our member institutions.

However, when we have secured funding, we inform our member institutions about it and leave it to them to use their preferred means to identify the students eligible for assistance. Once the institutions have identified the qualifying students, USAf works with them through all the necessary administrative processes which include signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the concerned donors.  Once the MoUs are in place, the universities inform the identified students of the impending funding. 

Because most donor organisations pay out the grants to USAf, USAf then disburses these funds to the various institutions in accordance with the number of students identified and agreed upon. The universities then allocate the funds to the students’ accounts, accordingly.  

We have offered the explanation above to demonstrate why students may not apply to USAf for funding, and why USAf does not entertain correspondence with individual students on bursaries.