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Answer the questions to check if you are eligible for NSFAS funding.
No. Applications for the 2026 academic year officially closed on November 15, 2025. If you missed that date, you must wait for the 2027 cycle to open in late 2026.
There is a common myth about this number. R5,200 is actually the standard annual Learning Materials (Book) Allowance for university students, not a monthly payment. Your total monthly allowance for food and living is separate.
If you are a First-Time Entering Student (FTEN) at a university, you must pass at least 50% of your total credits to stay funded. However, if you are on the Missing Middle Loan, you must maintain a higher 60% academic average.
The most common rejections are for having a household income over the R350k/R600k limits, already holding a degree, or failing to submit the mandatory Consent Form. If you’ve been rejected, check our Appeals Guide to see if you can fix it.
They follow the N+1 Rule. This means if your degree takes 3 years (N), you get one extra year (+1) to finish it. To see how this affects you if you change degrees, read our N+1 Rule Breakdown.
While thousands of students were removed from credit bureaus recently, NSFAS is a registered credit provider. If you have a Student Loan and do not start repayments once you are employed, you can be handed over to debt collectors.
NSFAS does not fund students at private colleges (like Rosebank or Eduvos), most postgraduate degrees (like Honours or Masters), or short courses. They only fund full qualifications at public Universities and TVET Colleges.
Generally, as long as you pass more than half of your modules (the 50% rule), you will stay funded for the next year. However, failing modules can eat into your N+1 time limit, so be careful. Use our Eligibility Tool to check your current standing.