Start main page content

National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)

All students and learners who need financial assistance should apply to NSFAS through the NSFAS Online Application system.

NSFAS is a public entity under the Department of Higher Education and Training. NSFAS provides financial help through study bursaries to deserving students at public TVET colleges and universities.

The funding covers:

  • the cost of registration and tuition,
  • as well as allowances for living (meals), learning materials, personal care, and either accommodation or transport, depending on your institution and how you study.
Who Qualifies for Funding
  • South African citizens or permanent residents with a valid SA ID number, regardless of age
  • Studying, or planning to study, a first NSFAS-funded certificate or undergraduate qualification at a public university or TVET college
  • SASSA recipients of the Child Support, Foster Care or Care Dependency grant (the SRD grant does not count)
  • Applicants whose combined gross household income is R350 000 or less per year
  • Applicants with disabilities whose combined gross household income is R600 000 or less per year
  • Granting of loans to eligible students studying at public institutions in South Africa, for approved courses, whose combined annual household income is between R350 0001 and R600 000.
What You Will Need

Missing documents are the number one reason applications fail.

Work through this list before you open the application.

Everyone must provide:

  • Your signed consent form - every applicant

If it applies to you:

  • Vulnerable Child Form - if you are under 18
  • 2027 Declaration Form - may be required if you are under 35 and the people you declared do not match DHA records, especially legal guardians
  • ID copies of your parent(s) - may be required if their details differ from those at DHA
  • Disability Annexure A Form, completed and signed by a medical practitioner
  • Retrenchment letter · death certificate · divorce decree · proof of legal guardianship · marriage certificate
How to Apply

It is free, and it is online.

Gather your documents first and most applicants finish in one sitting.

  1. Create your myNSFAS account Go to www.nsfas.org.za and sign up with your ID number, an email and a cell number you check.
  2. Complete your profile Your personal details, everyone who lives at home and earns, and your institution and course choices.
  3. Upload your documents Photograph them flat, in daylight, all four corners in frame. Sign and upload the consent form.
  4. Review and submit Check every field shows an uploaded document, then submit.
  5. Track your application Log back in and open Track Funding Progress.

Share