The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) provides the NSFAS bursary and NSFAS loan which offers to cover all a student needs. This funding includes money for tuition and registration fees as well as several allowances for food, accommodation and learning materials.
NSFAS applications for the 2025 academic year opened on 20 September.
NSFAS Closing Date For 2025
NSFAS applications are set to close on 15 December 2024. This means that students and prospective students had three months to apply.
For your NSFAS application, you will need your own cell phone number and email address and a copy of your ID or birth certificate. There are other documents as well but this depends on your circumstances.
If you choose to apply online, you will have to use the nsfas student portal called myNSFAS.
How To Apply For NSFAS
The first step is to go to the NSFAS website and click on the 'myNSFAS' tab then create a myNSFAS account. It's important to remember that creating a myNSFAS account doesn't mean that you've applied.
To start your NSFAS online application, click on the 'APPLY' tab and complete the sections on the screen. After you’ve finished this, you must upload any required supporting documents, if NSFAS requests it, and then click on 'Submit' when you’re done.
Once you apply, you should regularly check your NSFAS status. To do this, go to myNSFAS and log in.
Once you are logged in, click on the "track funding progress" option. Your NSFAS application status will be displayed on the screen.
Following the submission of the NSFAS application, NSFAS will begin its eligibility checks to confirm that the applicant does indeed qualify for funding. Students who fail the NSFAS bursary household income check will automatically be assessed for an NSFAS student loan.
Immediate funding decisions will be made for applicants who are beneficiaries of South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants.
Once the funding decision has been made, you will either be approved for funding, be required to upload supporting documents or be declined.
Students who are rejected from NSFAS funding can submit an NSFAS appeal.
