The National Student Financial Aid Scheme remains one of the most significant sources of financial support to students from the low-income households in South Africa. This year, NFSAS has been working towards supporting eligible students who aim to get advice and support throughout the public universities and TVET colleges.
Unprecedented applications and approvals.
For the academic year in 2026, NSFAS received nearly 900 000 applications from students asking for financial assistance. Under these categories were applicants who were entering university or TVET colleges for the first time after finishing matric and individuals who continue occasionally applied for funding, being automatically considered for funding each year should they have met the various academic progression criteria.
An accelerated pipeline was in place, as NSFAS had finalized all funding decisions well before the academic year kicked off. As part of the same mandate, they were able to work all the assessment of applications by the end of December 2026 in advance, and based on this objective, they have outdone their own schedules.
Regarding the total figure, more than six hundred thousand new students have been funded in 2026 as of the beginning of the process of confirming the funding. Quite a few students who were already at higher education levels also qualified for support as long as they met the qualification for academic progress.
Despite this big achievement, only a fraction forwarded incomplete claims or were disqualified on the basis of academic standing. Some were still waiting for verification or were expected to supply additional documents which had taken already been requested.
Till 2026 NSFAS is Majorly Issuing the Following:
Just enough to allow students to participate fully in higher education, NSFAS expenditure supports different areas:
NSFAS pays tuition fees directly to participating universities and TVET colleges. This payment arrangement facilitates student registration without any upfront fees.
NSFAS gives that monthly allowance for the current costs of living, things like food, transport, books, personal care, and accommodation, and in early 2024 they gave an upfront payment for one month to factor in any other urgent needs for the students, making sure they could settle their accounts carefully and without any wait at the opening of the academic year.
Accommodation Support
Accommodation allowances remain crucial in support. In the year 2026, a more centralised accommodation system has been put in place by NSFAS to improve its visibility and efficiency. Under this system, allowances for students in private facilities are paid directly to those accommodation providers who are accredited, with students now also able to lodge their applications and checks and follow the accommodation status through a much-enhanced portal.
Appeals and Deadlines
An appeal is here given to those students who possibly faced initial rejection, or did not fill in their application correctly. Once a response is given to them, students usually have a fixed length of time (e.g. 30 days) to provide any further supporting documents deemed necessary.