The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has begun announcing funding outcomes for students who applied for 2026 bursaries.
In a statement released just before Christmas, NSFAS confirmed that it started releasing funding eligibility decisions from 15 December, following the close of the 2026 NSFAS application cycle.
NSFAS announced that they received a total of 893,849 applications from first-time entering students. Continuing students were not required to submit new applications.
NSFAS said it has made “significant progress” in assessing applications submitted for the 2026 academic year. To date:
- 481,128 applications from Sassa beneficiaries have been assessed and issued with funding decisions.
An additional 49,132 applications from non-Sassa applicants have also been assessed.
The remaining applications are still in the process of being evaluated.
“All applicants are encouraged to log into their myNSFAS portal to view their current application status and any updates related to their submissions,” NSFAS said.
Submit Supporting Documents
Students who receive SMS or email notifications about missing or incorrect supporting documents are reminded that they have 30 days from the date of notification to submit the outstanding information. “Applications that remain incomplete after this period will not be processed and will remain unsuccessful,” NSFAS said.
Applicants for funding should hear back from the funding organisation before the end of the month. In their statement NSFAS confirmed that they aim to finalise all funding eligibility decisions for both first-time applicants and continuing students by the end of December. The scheme also confirmed that its contact centre will remain operational throughout the festive season to assist students with enquiries related to NSFAS applications and funding outcomes.
More NSFAS Articles
- NSFAS Announces Who Will Be Funded
- How To Submit a NSFAS Appeal
- I Can't Access The NSFAS Appeal Functionality What Should I Do?
- What Documents Do You Need For A NSFAS Appeal?
- What A Finalized NSFAS Appeal Status Means
- How To Do A NSFAS Appeal Status Check
- What An Approved NSFAS Appeal Status Means
- Here Are The Appeal Reasons For NSFAS
- What An Approved NSFAS Appeal Status Means
- Who Can Appeal Their NSFAS Applciation?
