The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) urged students to apply for funding before the 2025 NSFAS application deadline.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving learners enrolled in approved courses at universities and TVET colleges. NSFAS bursaries cover tuition and registration fees, as well as several allowances for food, accommodation, and learning materials.
The 2025 NSFAS application period will close on Sunday, 15 November 2024. This deadline applies to all university and TVET college students who plan to begin their studies at the start of Semester 1 or Trimester 1.
NSFAS warned that the 2025 NSFAS application period will not be extended.
NSFAS would like to remind all prospective applicants that the 2025 NSFAS bursary and loan applications cycle will close on 15 December 2025 at 24h00 midnight.
NSFAS 2025 applications opened on 20 September 2024 with more than 700,000 students applying for bursaries. Nearly 50,000 students applied for NSFAS loans.
Since the opening of the NSFAS 2025 funding application on 20 September 2025, the scheme has received a total of 738 117 bursaries and 48 097 loan applications from prospective recipients in need of financial aid. Almost 543 357 bursary and 12 210 loan applicants are provisionally approved for funding.
The bursary scheme emphasised the importance of submitting applications on time, reminding prospective beneficiaries to complete all required steps before the deadline to secure their funding.
Applicants should remember that timely submission is key to securing financial assistance from NSFAS. Applicants are therefore urged to mark their calendars and ensure that they complete all required steps before the closing date.
