The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has confirmed that more than one million students will get money for school in 2026. This announcement will help students from low-income families pay for their education at public universities and TVET colleges in South Africa.
A lot of new and returning students like it.
NSFAS said that a large part of the approved funding went to first-time applicants. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of continuing students met the academic progression requirements to keep their funding. The NSFA approved these applications after a very competitive process that got a lot of applications for the 2026 intake.
What NSFAS Money Can Be Used For
The students who are approved will get full financial support, which includes tuition, housing, learning materials, meals, and transportation allowances that are based on their individual needs and the needs of their school. The money allows eligible students to sign up for classes and go to them without having to pay in advance. To keep their funding going each year, continuing students must keep up good grades.
Why it’s important to keep your personal information up to date
NSFAS has told students who get money from them to make sure that their personal information, contact information, and banking information are all correct and up to date on the myNSFAS system. Because of wrong or out-of-date information, the registration and orientation period for the school year will delay allowance payments.
How to Find Out the Status of Your NSFAS Application
When applicants log in to the myNSFAS online portal with their South African ID number and password, they can see how much money they have. When students log in, they can see the status of their application, which will say one of these things: approved, provisionally funded, rejected, or incomplete. The application process is still not finished because the applicant needs to send in more papers.
If Your Funding Wasn’t Approved, What to Do
Students whose applications were turned down can still appeal within the official NSFAS appeal window. You need valid paperwork for the appeals process, which must explain why you were turned down by showing proof of changes in your household income or sending in missing information. It is important to finish the appeal on time because any appeal sent after this deadline will not be looked at.
