NSFAS — Complete Student Funding Guide for South Africa

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The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a South African government entity under the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) that funds eligible students at public universities and TVET colleges. Established by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act (Act 56 of 1999), NSFAS provides bursaries and loans to students from financially disadvantaged households so they can access post-school education.

NSFAS replaced the former Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa (TEFSA). Its mandate includes determining eligibility criteria for financial aid, disbursing funds to institutions and students, and recovering student loans where applicable.

For the 2026 academic year, NSFAS processed 893,847 applications and approved 660,039 students for funding.

Who Qualifies for NSFAS?

To qualify for NSFAS funding, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• South African citizen or permanent resident
• Combined gross household income not exceeding R350,000 per year — this applies to the total income of the applicant’s household, including parents, guardians, or spouse
• Students with disabilities: the income threshold increases to R600,000 per year
• SASSA grant recipients qualify automatically — for the 2026 intake, 520,545 of the 893,847 applications came from SASSA beneficiaries
• Must be registered at (or applying to) a public university or one of South Africa’s 50 public TVET colleges
• Must have a valid email address and cellphone number for communication

Who does not qualify:

• Students who have already completed a qualification funded by the state
• Students with household income above the applicable threshold
• Students already receiving NSFAS funding for a current qualification
• Students enrolled at private institutions

The NSFAS Loan Scheme (R350,001–R600,000 income bracket)

Students from households earning between R350,001 and R600,000 per year do not qualify for the full NSFAS bursary but may apply for a NSFAS loan. Key conditions:

• A 60% pass rate is required for continued funding each year
• Students who achieve grades exceeding 70% qualify for a 50% bursary conversion — meaning half the loan amount is converted to a bursary (does not need to be repaid)
• For the 2026 intake, NSFAS received 26,538 loan applications, with 1,561 approved and 4,609 converted to bursaries

Pre-2018 Students

Students who began studying before 2018 fall under a different income threshold: household income must not exceed R122,000 per year. From 2018 onward, the government introduced fully subsidised free higher education for qualifying students, which raised the threshold to R350,000.

How long does NSFAS fund you? (The N+ Rule)

NSFAS does not fund students indefinitely. The duration of your funding is governed by the N+ rule, which is based on the minimum time required to complete your qualification (called “N” or “regulation time”):

• Students who first registered from 2018 onward: Funded for N+1 years — the minimum programme duration plus one additional year
• Students who first registered before 2018: Funded for N+2 years — the minimum programme duration plus two additional years
• Students with disabilities: Receive an additional year beyond the standard N+ allowance (e.g. N+2 instead of N+1 for post-2018 students)

Once you exceed the N+ limit, NSFAS funding is terminated. The university N+ rule is based on the total number of years a student has been registered in the higher education sector, while the TVET N+ rule is based on the number of NSFAS-funded academic terms at TVET colleges.

Academic progression requirements

To keep your NSFAS funding as a continuing student, you must meet the academic progression criteria set by your institution and NSFAS:

• University students (bursary): Must achieve a course credit pass rate as determined by the institution’s academic progression policy. For the 2026 funding year, continuing students needed to meet criteria based on their end-of-year academic results
• University students (loan scheme): Must achieve a 60% pass rate for continued funding
• TVET students: Must demonstrate proven and accepted academic performance per their college’s progression policies

Students who do not meet academic progression criteria lose their NSFAS funding for the following year. For the 2026 academic year, 109,761 university students and 79,461 TVET students did not meet the criteria.

Postgraduate and loan funding

NSFAS funding is available for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes under the loan scheme. The bursary (full grant for households under R350,000) applies primarily to undergraduate qualifications. Postgraduate students from households in the R350,001–R600,000 bracket may apply for the loan scheme, subject to the 60% pass rate and bursary conversion conditions described above.

The 2018 Free Education Policy

In December 2017, then-President Jacob Zuma announced free higher education for students from households earning up to R350,000 per year. This policy took effect from the 2018 academic year, fundamentally changing how NSFAS operates:

• The income threshold for full bursaries increased from R122,000 to R350,000 per year
• Existing NSFAS student loan packages were converted from loans to 100% grants — students who previously had loans no longer needed to repay them
• The subsidised cost of study includes tuition fees, prescribed study material, meals, accommodation, and transport
• First-time entering students from 2018 onward who qualify receive a full bursary, not a loan

This means that if you are a South African student from a household earning under R350,000 per year and you first enrolled at a public university or TVET college from 2018 onward, your NSFAS funding is a bursary — you do not need to pay it back.

How to Apply for NSFAS

All NSFAS applications are submitted online through the myNSFAS portal. For a detailed walkthrough of the current cycle, see our NSFAS Application 2026 guide.

Step-by-step application process

1. Create a myNSFAS account at my.nsfas.org.za — your South African ID number serves as your username
2. Complete the online application form — you must select up to 3 institutions and 3 fields of study to allow NSFAS to process your funding across potential placements
3. Upload supporting documents — the portal generates a document checklist based on your application type
4. Submit before the deadline — for the 2026 academic year, the closing date was 15 November 2025
5. Track your application through the myNSFAS portal — results are communicated via the portal

Required documents

The following documents are listed on the NSFAS application page and can be downloaded from the myNSFAS portal:

• South African ID copy or birth certificate
• Parent/guardian/spouse ID copies
• Smart card (both sides)
• Proof of income (where applicable)
• Consent Form — NSFAS reserves the right to validate all information provided
• Declaration Form (applicants 34 years or younger)
• Disability Annexure (students with disabilities — merged with medical report)
• Orphan/Vulnerable Child Declaration Form (applicants under 18 meeting specified criteria, completed by a social worker)

NSFAS has removed the requirement for documents to be certified.

Continuing students

Returning NSFAS-funded students do not need to reapply each year. NSFAS automatically assesses continuing students based on their academic progression. For the 2026 academic year:

Per the February 2026 parliamentary briefing:

• University continuing students: 436,924 met academic progression criteria; 109,761 did not
• TVET continuing students: 127,503 met criteria; 79,461 did not

What Happens After NSFAS Approves Your Application?

Once your NSFAS application is approved, you need to complete registration at your institution before allowances are released:

Per the NSFAS January 2026 media briefing:

1. Register at your institution — use the NSFAS registration portal, which opened on 5 January 2026 for the 2026 academic year and closes on 31 March 2026. NSFAS pays your registration and tuition fees directly to the institution once you are confirmed as a registered student.
2. Confirm your accommodation — if you need NSFAS-funded accommodation, apply through your institution’s accommodation office. NSFAS processes accommodation applications separately. For 2026, 194,071 accommodation applications were submitted.
3. Access your allowances — once registration is confirmed, NSFAS releases your allowances. The first payment for the 2026 year was made on 1 February 2026.
4. Get help on campus — NSFAS deploys Servicing Administrators to all 26 universities and 50 TVET colleges from January through March each year to assist students with registration, documentation, and allowance queries in person.

What Does NSFAS Cover?

NSFAS funding covers tuition and registration fees paid directly to the institution, plus allowances for living costs paid to students. The allowance structure differs between university and TVET students.

University student allowances

Per the NSFAS bursary scheme guidelines:

TVET student allowances

Per the same NSFAS bursary scheme guidelines:

Important: The allowance amounts shown above are from the latest published NSFAS bursary scheme guidelines. The 2026 allowance rates are under review, with final rates dependent on the National Budget and factors including consumer price inflation, student enrolment figures, and budget allocations. NSFAS will publish confirmed 2026 rates once finalised.

How allowances are paid

NSFAS pays tuition and registration fees directly to the institution. Student allowances (meals, transport, books, personal care) are disbursed through the NSFAS wallet system, which students access to receive and withdraw their funds.

For the 2026 academic year, NSFAS disbursed R3.6 billion to universities for student allowances and R679 million to TVET colleges for tuition by February 2026. The first upfront payment on 1 February 2026 covered each funded student’s full book allowance plus one month of meals, accommodation, personal care, and travel allowances. Subsequent monthly disbursements follow throughout the academic year.

TVET college programmes covered

NSFAS funds students enrolled in eligible programmes at any of South Africa’s 50 public TVET colleges. Covered qualifications include:

• Pre-Learning Programmes (PLP)
• National Certificate Vocational (NC(V)) — NQF levels 2–4
• Report 191 (N1–N6 programmes)
• Engineering, business, and utility studies

NSFAS supports approximately 300 courses across the TVET sector.

How to Check Your NSFAS Application Status

All application tracking happens through the myNSFAS portal at my.nsfas.org.za:

1. Log in to your myNSFAS account at my.nsfas.org.za using your ID number
2. Check your application status — the portal shows one of three stages:
   • Application Submitted — your application has been received and documents are being verified
   • Under Review — NSFAS is evaluating your eligibility
   • Application Outcome — your application has been approved or rejected
3. Respond to any requests — if NSFAS requires additional documents, the portal will display this. You have 30 days from the date of notification to submit required information

If you have forgotten your login credentials, visit my.nsfas.org.za, select “myNSFAS,” then “forgot password” to reset via SMS and email.

2026 application results timeline

• December 2025: NSFAS processed all 893,847 applications by 31 December 2025
• From 15 December 2025: Results communicated via the myNSFAS portal
• By February 2026: 660,039 students approved; 116,266 rejected; 85,662 still in verification

NSFAS Key Dates and Deadlines (2026 Academic Year)

Source: NSFAS media briefing on preparations for the 2026 academic year (Jan 2026) and the NSFAS application page.

How to Appeal an NSFAS Rejection

If your NSFAS application is rejected, you can appeal the decision:

1. Log in to the myNSFAS portal
2. Review the rejection reasons — the portal shows why your application was declined
3. Submit a formal appeal with supporting documentation addressing the rejection reason
4. Submit within the deadline — you must appeal within 30 days of receiving your rejection notification

For the 2026 academic year, the appeals deadline was 14 January 2026, with outcomes communicated by 16 February 2026.

Important: Incomplete appeal submissions cannot be processed. If you do not provide all required documentation, you forfeit your appeal rights.

NSFAS Accommodation

NSFAS funds student accommodation through several channels depending on your institution:

• University-managed residences: NSFAS pays the actual residence cost directly to the university
• Accredited private accommodation: NSFAS pays approved private accommodation providers
• TVET accommodation: Fixed amounts based on campus location — R24,000 (urban), R18,900 (peri-urban), or R15,750 (rural) per year

For the 2026 academic year, NSFAS received 194,071 accommodation applications: 55,653 were approved, 90,794 were pending institutional review, and 53,864 were awaiting landlord approval.

Students who do not receive accommodation funding and commute to campus may qualify for the transport allowance (up to R7,500 per year for university students or R7,350 for TVET students) instead. The transport allowance applies to students commuting up to 40 km to their campus.

NSFAS does not fund accommodation at private institutions or for students who have not been approved for accommodation through their institution’s process. If you are applying for private accommodation, ensure the provider is accredited and approved by NSFAS through your institution.

NSFAS Contact Details

All contact details below are from the NSFAS contact page.

NSFAS also maintains social media accounts on Facebook (National Student Financial Aid Scheme), X/Twitter (@myNSFAS), and Instagram (@myNSFAS).

What If You Don’t Qualify for NSFAS?

If your household income exceeds R350,000 (or R600,000 for the loan scheme), or if you are enrolled at a private institution, NSFAS will not fund your studies. Alternative funding options include:

• The Funza Lushaka Bursary — a DHET bursary programme for students who want to become teachers. It is separate from NSFAS and has its own application process and eligibility criteria.
• Government department bursaries — various national and provincial government departments offer bursaries for specific fields of study (e.g. health, engineering, agriculture). These are typically advertised annually.
• Corporate and private bursaries — companies like Sasol, Eskom, AngloAmerican, and others offer bursaries for students in fields relevant to their industries.
• University merit bursaries — many universities offer their own bursaries based on academic performance, which can be used alongside or instead of NSFAS.

See our Bursaries for 2026 page for a full list of available bursaries.

Report NSFAS Fraud

If you suspect fraud related to NSFAS funding — such as someone using your identity to apply, an accommodation provider overcharging, or an institution misusing NSFAS funds — report it to NSFAS:

• Email: speakup@nsfas.org.za
• Toll-free: 08000 67327

NSFAS reserves the right to validate all information and details provided by applicants and institutions. Providing false information on your application may result in funding being revoked and potential legal consequences.