Guidelinesfor the provision of bursaries to students from disadvantaged backgroundsNovember 2011

CHECCape Higher Education ConsortiumPO Box 19084Wynberg 7824

Tel: +27 21 763 7100 Fax: +27 21 763 7117

www.chec.ac.za

Cape Higher Education Consortium

CHECCape Higher Education Consortium

CHEC

The Western Cape is home to four internationally acclaimed universities:• Cape Peninsula University of Technology• Stellenbosch University• University of Cape Town• University of the Western Cape

Cape Town STellenboSChCpUT UCT

UwCSU

Important first considerationsBursary providers should bear in mind that:

• Students should study courses they have an aptitude for and interest in – i.e. not simply because there is a bursary available to cover their costs for a particular course. Assistance in course selection can be provided by universities in the form of assessment and aptitude tests. PACE (an independent organisation) provides well developed resources for career guidance. They work with the Department of Basic Education to provide resources to schools and training to educators.

• They can support students at a range of Higher Education institutions (HEIs). Some students are more suited to particular environments and most will perform better in an environment where they are comfortable. Bursaries can also be provided for National Diploma studies at universities of technology where students may have a better chance of success. Students may move on to post graduate traditional university studies having completed an undergraduate qualification at a university of technology and can acquire much needed skills.

Ascertaining study costs Study costs should include provision for:

• Application fees

• Registration fees

• Tuition fees (tuition accounts may include photocopying, internet usage etc)

• Residence or accommodation costs

• Meal costs

• Books and equipment (uniforms are required for some courses e.g. nursing and hospitality)

• Easy access to a computer is becoming essential. All institutions provide computer labs for students but at some, access is less easy and convenient than others. The bursary provider needs to consider how this need might be met

• Transport

• Travel home (during vacations for out-of-town students)

• Sundries (such as detergent and hygiene products)

• Extras such as excursions associated with particular courses; membership of student organisations; supplementary exams

All these costs have to be met in order for a student to focus on their studies. It may not be necessary for the bursary to cover all these costs but an assessment, budget and plan for covering the costs should be made for each year of study.

Further principles underlying bursary provisionStudent accountability

Students receiving bursaries need to be accountable to their bursary providers and be assisted in monitoring their own academic progress. They should provide the bursary provider with test and examination results. They should keep the bursary provider informed of any changes in their circumstances, difficulties they may be experiencing or milestone achievements. A structured engagement programme or contact schedule is suggested to ensure this monitoring and accountability. At the start of the academic year (February), end of the first mid-term break (March/April) and the start of the second semester (July/August) are good moments in time for engagement.

Referrals to existing institutional support services

Adaptation to university life is a well known challenge for school leavers. Universities provide many support services to assist students. Students should be encouraged to find out about available services and make use of these services. It is suggested that students be required to attend one or two core student development workshops each semester provided by the student support services at the university (unless they are particular vocational students with very tight schedules as such those doing MB ChB & B Cur). Time management, study skills and examination preparation are recommended for first year students. Senior students should be required to attend CV writing and career preparation workshops. Students can also be required to identify their own particular needs and attend appropriate workshops. Basic report back on these sessions from students to bursary providers will develop the accountability needed in the workplace.

Social engagement

Students should be encouraged to participate in the social life of the university through active membership of a club of their interest. Networking is a vital skill for future employment and success.

Performance monitoring

Performance monitoring enables challenges to be identified early and addressed. Students need to identify their problems as early as possible and seek help. Bursary providers might wish to put a person in place to maintain contact with their bursars or they may wish to negotiate with the university or another service provider to provide this service. Engagement, monitoring and support are proven ways to improve undergraduate academic success for disadvantaged students.

Dealing with failures

It is likely, given the statistics available, that many students will fail a course or more during their studies. This does not mean they will not succeed in obtaining their qualification but many students may need an extra year over and above the minimum course duration. The bursary provider needs to have a contextual response to this situation which encourages hard work and academic success but does not exclude students who fail the odd course. A transparent policy on payment for repeat courses is helpful. If the bursary provider will not pay for repeat courses they need to engage with the student about how these fees will be paid prior to the situation arising. It is recommended that this is an upfront discussion between bursary provider and bursar and the bursar is assisted in planning for such a situation – e.g. saving a small percentage of their stipend. In some instances students have to spend a semester or even a year taking a small number of courses when repeating subjects which are precursors to the next level of study. Tuition fees drop in these circumstances but accommodation and allowance costs remain the same. Failures and repetition of courses are costly but necessary when supporting disadvantaged students to ensure completion and prevent drop out. NSFAS loans may be a way of students bearing some of the costs of repetition.

Conditions and expectations

If the bursary is linked to employment and has strings attached such as payback in the case of failure or employment commitments, the bursary agreement needs to be carefully worked through with the student right at the start of their studies. The student should be fully informed of the bursary conditions.

“Pay back” options

The bursary provider may wish the student to “pay back” in some way through some voluntary service during their studies. This expectation should be articulated up front and an agreement made with the bursar as to what is required and how it will be delivered. Many universities have volunteer social outreach programmes students can participate in. Students themselves are likely to know of projects in their communities where they can assist during vacation time. Life skills are developed in these activities and students benefit from them.

Reflection

An annual reflective feedback report (approximately two pages) on experiences and lessons learnt should be required by the bursary provider. This too enhances the holistic development of the student through reflection on performance, wellbeing and cause and effect.

This document provides a set of guidelines for the provision of bursaries to students, particularly those from poor economic and educational backgrounds. The guidelines aim to enhance the chances of success of these students while also developing responsibility, accountability and community conscious graduates.

The information was developed by key stakeholders including staff members from the four universities’ Financial Aid Offices, representatives from NSFAS, the Western Cape SETA cluster, the NBI, NGO”s and Provincial Government

Key questions to guide this process are:

• What can the family contribute?

• Can a NSFAS loan complement the bursary to ensure all costs are covered? If so, this can be arranged for economically disadvantaged students through their university.

• Can a senior student do some part time work to cover some costs?

• Can books be obtained second hand? etc

• What should a modest stipend cover? i.e. some pocket money each month for things like deodorant and cell phone time.

Costs will vary from student to student. Those living in town might need transport money but not accommodation or meals. Those living out of town will need residence or private accommodation costs (residence spaces are in short supply in many universities) and travel money to allow them to go home during vacations – an important factor for settling in.

Study costs (especially tuition fees and residence costs) will differ from university to university. An analysis of REAP1 students’ costs in 2010 provides data2 in the table below.

These figures do not include money (e.g. pocket money) family members might have provided directly to students.

Students need to be aware of the cost of their studies and in touch with their fee accounts to develop responsibility.

1 Rural Education Access Programme

2 An analysis of REAP students cost in 2010 is provided at the end of this document. REAP supported 68 students at the four Western Cape HEIs in 2010: 22 at UWC, 21 at CPUT, 18 at UCT and seven at SU.

Annual cost per student UCT US CPUT UWC

Average total expenditureA 73 003B 60 990 21 879 30 806

Highest total expenditure 95 230C 66 792 32 955 41 730

Lowest total expenditure 53 562 52 764 15 023 20 370

A Total cost consists of: tuition, residence/accommodation, subsistence allowance, books, travel home, local transport, equipment, very occasional medical expenses, registration & supplementary exams

B ZARC The highest cost was for a final year medical student.