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    NSFAS funding

    The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds students at public universities and TVET colleges. You apply once a year on myNSFAS or the NSFAS app, and applying is free. We are an independent guide, not NSFAS.

    A University of Cape Town building at night, with a mountain behind it

    Start here

    1. Apply when applications open, on myNSFAS or in the NSFAS app.
    2. After you apply, check your NSFAS status and upload any missing documents.
    3. If NSFAS turns you down, appeal the decision within 30 days of your result.

    When NSFAS takes applications

    NSFAS runs one application cycle for each academic year, on myNSFAS and in the NSFAS app. It publishes the opening and closing dates on its website, www.nsfas.org.za. The Minister of Higher Education has urged applicants not to wait for the closing date: apply as early as you can, so there is time to sort out a problem with your application.

    Who can apply

    NSFAS says South African citizens and permanent residents who plan to study, or already study, at a public university or TVET college can apply. The funding is for approved undergraduate qualifications, and the university or college decides whether to admit you: see the pass type and APS your matric marks give with our APS calculator. NSFAS checks your household income with third-party sources such as SARS and Home Affairs.

    You are Bursary if your gross household income is Loan
    A verified SASSA grant recipient You meet the financial requirement automatically Postgraduate: up to R600 000 a year
    Not a SASSA recipient R350 000 or less a year Undergraduate: between R350 000 and R600 000; postgraduate: up to R600 000
    A person with a disability R600 000 or less a year Postgraduate: up to R600 000

    Gross income means income before tax and other deductions. Meeting the income limit is not a guarantee of funding: you also need to meet NSFAS’s other requirements and complete the application.

    What NSFAS pays for

    • A bursary generally doesn’t have to be paid back if you meet its conditions. It can cover registration and tuition, a learning materials allowance, a living allowance (personal care and transport) and accommodation where it applies.
    • A loan must be paid back. It can cover registration and tuition, learning materials and accommodation where it applies, but not a living allowance.

    Students with disabilities can apply for extra support, such as assistive devices. NSFAS assesses it first, so it isn’t automatic.

    Thinking about a TVET college?

    NSFAS funds students at public TVET colleges too. See how to apply to a TVET college. If you need better matric results first, see how to rewrite matric.

    Contact NSFAS

    Official channels only. We don't run any of them.

    Stay safe

    NSFAS says its staff will never charge you to apply or to follow up on your result. Never share your myNSFAS password or a one-time PIN, and apply only on myNSFAS or the official NSFAS app. Report fraud to NSFAS at speakup@nsfas.org.za.

    After you apply

    • How to appeal an NSFAS decision

      How to appeal an NSFAS rejection or withdrawn funding on myNSFAS: who can appeal, the deadline, the documents for each reason and what happens next.

    • How to check your NSFAS status

      Check your NSFAS application status on myNSFAS, understand what each status means, and upload missing documents in time so your application is assessed.