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    How to appeal an NSFAS decision

    By TMP Team · Updated

    Quick answer

    Appeal on myNSFAS within 30 days of receiving your result. Log in, give the reason you are appealing and upload the documents NSFAS asks for, such as a SARS ITA34 when you appeal on income. Appealing is free, and NSFAS decides appeals subject to its budget.

    A hand writing on a printed letter with a fountain pen

    Ways to do this

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

    An appeal asks NSFAS to reconsider its decision not to fund you. NSFAS says you have 30 days from receiving your result to appeal, and you do it on your myNSFAS profile. NSFAS decides appeals subject to the budget it has.

    First check your NSFAS status and read the reason NSFAS gave. Your appeal has to answer that reason.

    Who can appeal

    • An applicant whose application for funding was rejected.
    • A continuing student whose funding was withdrawn.

    You must have applied to NSFAS for funding. NSFAS’s appeals page says you can’t appeal if:

    • your qualification is not one NSFAS funds,
    • you have used up the years NSFAS allows for your qualification (N+2, or N+3 for students with disabilities), unless you are in your final year and your institution has completed a propensity letter for you,
    • you are a gap-year student whom NSFAS turned down before for not meeting the academic criteria, or
    • your institution hasn’t sent NSFAS your registration record, or sent a wrong one. Then take it up with your institution, not NSFAS.

    Appealing because of income

    If NSFAS turned you down because your household income was above the limit, it considers an appeal when one of these is true:

    Your situation What to upload
    Your household income has dropped since you applied The latest SARS ITA34 for your parents, guardian or spouse, with a retrenchment letter, a letter of termination, or a UIF document showing unemployment or incapacity
    The main earner in your household has died or can no longer work since you applied A death certificate, or a UIF document showing incapacity
    A court has declared you independent of your biological parents The court order
    You are from a child-headed household A report from a social worker registered with the Department of Social Development
    A divorce order makes only one parent responsible for the cost of your education The divorce decree, where that parent meets the income criteria
    You get a SASSA grant A SASSA letter

    NSFAS’s supporting documents checklist says that where proof of income is needed, such as at appeal, only a SARS ITA34 is accepted. NSFAS publishes a checklist for each application cycle on its website, www.nsfas.org.za, so check the one for your cycle. The ITA34 is the notice of assessment SARS issues after a tax return.

    Appealing because of the N+ rule

    If NSFAS stopped funding you because you have taken longer than the years it allows for your qualification (the N+ rule), every appeal needs a letter from your institution saying you are likely to finish your qualification within one more academic term (NSFAS calls it a propensity letter). Add the proof for your situation:

    • you were ill for two months or more: a medical report,
    • you gave birth during the academic term: a medical report,
    • your disability affected your studies: a medical report,
    • an immediate family member died during the academic year: the death certificate,
    • you were the victim of a violent crime: proof of it,
    • you need fewer than three subjects to finish a Report 191 qualification, or fewer than four for an NC(V) qualification: a letter from your TVET college.

    How to appeal

    1. Log in to myNSFAS or the NSFAS app.
    2. Find the appeal option for your application and follow the steps on screen.
    3. Choose the reason that matches your situation and give the information NSFAS asks for.
    4. Upload each supporting document as a clear, complete copy. Sign forms by hand in black ink.
    5. Submit the appeal before the 30 days run out, then follow it on your status page.

    After you appeal

    NSFAS shows the outcome on myNSFAS. It hasn’t published a fixed time for deciding appeals, so check your status regularly and answer any request quickly. If you can’t log in, contact NSFAS on 0800 067 327 or at info@nsfas.org.za.

    Stay safe

    Appealing is free. Don’t pay anyone who promises to win your appeal or to “fast-track” it, and never share your myNSFAS password or a one-time PIN. Report fraud to NSFAS at speakup@nsfas.org.za.

    Next step

    How to check your NSFAS status

    General information to help you prepare. Only the official agency can decide whether you qualify or get paid. Terms and disclaimer.