The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has started announcing funding eligibility decisions for the 2026 academic year.
In a statement, NSFAS said it had begun releasing decisions from December 15, after the close of the 2026 funding application cycle.
The 2026 NSFAS application period ran from September 16 to November 15. During this time, NSFAS received 893,849 applications from first-time entering applicants. Continuing students were not required to reapply.
NSFAS said it had made “significant progress” in assessing applications. So far:
- 481,128 Sassa beneficiary applications have been assessed and issued with funding decisions;
- a further 49,132 non-Sassa applications have also been assessed; while
- the remaining applications are still being processed.
“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.
All applicants are encouraged to log into their myNSFAS portal to view their current application status and any updates related to their submissions
— NSFAS
Applicants who receive SMS or email notifications about missing or incorrect documents are reminded that they have 30 days from the date of notification to submit the required information. “Applications that remain incomplete after this period will not be processed and will remain unsuccessful,” NSFAS said.
The scheme said it aims to finalise funding eligibility decisions for first-time applicants and continuing students by the end of December. NSFAS also confirmed its contact centre will stay open during the festive season to assist with enquiries about applications and funding status.
Applicants with further questions are advised to contact NSFAS directly.
TimesLIVE
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