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2 months ago
23
NSFAS acting CEO Waseem Carrim
- The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has confirmed funding for more than one million students in 2026, including more than 600 000 first-time entrants.
- An additional 218 043 new students have been asked to submit missing documentation or risk losing their funding eligibility.
- Students can appeal decisions through a streamlined process, but must provide complete documentation within 30 days of notification.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has confirmed funding for more than one million students for the 2026 academic year, and more than 600 000 of them are first-time entrants.
Breaking down the figures, the scheme said it had received 893 847 applications from new entrants, and that 609 403 of them qualified for financial aid.
A total of 49 538 of the new-entrants batch of applications were rejected for failing to meet the funding criteria, 16 863 applicants withdrew or cancelled their applications, and 218 043 had missing documentation. Those who had missing documentation were told to submit it within 30 days of the date of receipt of their notices.
“First-time entering students who meet the financial eligibility criteria may still require confirmation of a valid acceptance from an institution of higher learning. In most cases, this confirmation will only be available once matric results are released,” NSFAS said in a statement.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is expected to announce the matric results on 12 January.
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NSFAS said a total of 416 688 continuing students met the academic progression criteria for funding this year, and that funding for 129 264 students was discontinued because they failed to meet the criteria. The number does not include students from TVET colleges, as their results will be released on 13 January.
NSFAS can discontinue funding for a range of reasons, including the submission of false information or exceeding the maximum duration of funding.
Rejected students, whether first-time entrants or continuing students, have the right to appeal.
“For the 2026 academic year, NSFAS has further streamlined its appeals process to ensure that every student is afforded a fair and equitable opportunity to have their application reconsidered.
“Upon receiving the outcome of their NSFAS application, students who wish to appeal are required to initiate the process promptly. The appeals window is open, and NSFAS will notify students of the outcome of their appeals on an ongoing basis.
NSFAS said:
It is imperative that students submit all required supporting documentation as part of their appeal, as incomplete submissions cannot be processed.
Applicants are granted a strict 30-day window from the date of their outcome notification to provide the necessary documents and complete their appeals. Failure to submit the requisite documentation within the period will result in forfeiture of the appeal opportunity.
“Students are therefore strongly encouraged to prepare all relevant documents in advance and to adhere strictly to the prescribed deadlines to ensure their appeals are considered in a timely manner and without unnecessary delay,” the entity said.
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It added that it had cleared many outstanding higher education institution claims and accommodation provider invoices.
“Where short payments remain, NSFAS is committed to working with accommodation providers in resolving these claims timeously and requests accommodation providers to lodge claims through the relevant NSFAS channels.”
