Don’t have your Nedbank ID yet?
Nedbank ID single sign-on gives you full digital access to Nedbank’s banking and lifestyle products and services on the Money app or Online Banking.
Log in
Log in to Online Banking or another one of our secured services.
Get in touch
Find us
- Login & Register
- Online Banking
- Online Share Trading
- NetBank Business
- NedFleet
- Nedbank Greenbacks
- Nedgroup Investments
- Nedbank ID
- Bank
- Accounts
- Credit cards
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Rewards
- Explore Bank
- Accounts
- Everyday banking
- Youth banking
- Accounts
- Digital wallet
- Private Wealth
- Goal saving
- See all accounts
- Get help choosing
- Family Banking
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- FAQ
- How-to guides
- Everyday banking
- MiGoals Premium
- MiGoals Plus
- MiGoals
- Discontinued accounts
- Youth banking
- Nedbank4Me
- Digital wallet
- MobiMoney
- Private Wealth
- Private Wealth Bundle
- Goal saving
- MyPocket
- American Express
- Amex Gold
- Amex Platinum
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Send and receive
- Rewards
- Save & Invest
- Accounts
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Explore Save & Invest
- On demand
- Club
- Money Market
- Stokvel
- In 24 hours
- JustInvest
- PlatinumInvest
- Tax-free Savings
- MoneyTrader
- EasyAccess Fixed Deposit
- PrimeSelect
- In 32 days
- Electronic 32Day Notice
- 32Day Notice
- End of term
- Tax-free Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Optimum Plus
- Platinum Fixed Deposit
- Fixed Deposit
- OptimumPlus
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Borrow
- Personal loans
- Home loans
- Student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Explore Borrow
- Personal loans
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Explore loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Home loans
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Explore home loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Track application
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Student loans
- Explore student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Insure
- Life cover
- Funeral cover
- Short term insurance
- Credit Life
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Explore Insure
- Life cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover life
- Funeral cover
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Credit Life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Get a call back
- Explore credit life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Plan
- Financial planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Explore Plan
- Financial planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Learn
- Blog
- Explore Learn
- Blog
- Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
- Explore Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
Can you get a student loan for online study?
Financing your future in the world of repeated lockdowns.
Not too long ago, the idea of taking an online course to obtain a tertiary qualification would have raised eyebrows. Why lock yourself up away from your classmates when you can attend classes and enjoy your student social life? A conversation like this is very different today. More than a year into the disruption of Covid-19, working remotely and studying online have become safe and popular options.
Studying online isn’t for everyone – it not only requires the right equipment and a stable internet connection to attend classes, but also commitment and discipline to get through the course work. You would think that the big difference between online and physical classes is the tuition costs. But the biggest savings seem to lie more in student accommodation and travel costs, rather than course fees.
Can you get a student loan if you study online?
The short answer is ‘Yes, you can’. However, the longer answer is ‘Yes, as long as the course and the institution offering the course are accredited with the South African Qualifications Authority’. Fortunately, most large and reputable universities and colleges meet these requirements.
You still have options to finance your education, whether you’re in class or not
The only other requirement when applying for a student loan is that the qualification must be at least an NQF level 5, which is a higher certificate. If your online course meets these requirements, you can go ahead and apply for a student loan.
What if it’s an international school?
Due to the weak rand, studying abroad is more costly for South Africans – not only the tuition fees, but also higher living expenses abroad. Online courses are an obvious way to get around higher living costs, because your main expense now is tuition fees, which would be paid in a foreign currency. To qualify for a student loan to study abroad, you must be taking a course that is at least the equivalent of our NQF level 5 qualification. Before you jump in with your application, first contact the Nedbank Student Loans team to see if your chosen course qualifies for a student loan.
What if your course doesn’t qualify?
What if you have found the perfect course that will give you the skills you need, but the course does not qualify for a student loan? The easiest option would be to apply for a personal loan. You won’t be getting the lower interest rate applied to student loans, but you can still pursue your dreams. You can even ask that your loan be designed around your needs and means. For instance, you could ask that you repay the loan over 5 years instead of 3. If your cashflow is under pressure, stretching out the repayment period like this means you could pay around R600 less a month for a loan of R50,000.
The other benefit of a personal loan over a student loan is that there are no restrictions on how you use the money. You could apply for a personal loan that covers your tuition fees plus materials and any other equipment, like a computer that you would need to study online. Universities and colleges are sure to return to regular physical classes at some point. But when that will be and how many will return to class remains to be seen. The good news, though, is that you still have options to finance your education, whether you are attending classes physically or virtually.
