The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has provisionally approved funding for more than 600,000 students for the 2025 academic year. However, final confirmation is pending as additional verification processes are required.
This was disclosed during a recent National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Education, Sciences and Creative Industries Committee meeting.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving students enrolled in approved academic programmes. This funding covers tuition and registration fees with students also receiving several allowances for food, accommodation, and learning materials.
For 2025, NSFAS received 890,000 bursary applications and 17,369 loan applications. Of these, 607,564 applicants have been provisionally approved but will only receive funding once their registration data is submitted by their institutions. Currently, 243,690 applicants have been fully funded following verification.
Meanwhile, 97,375 applications were rejected due to ineligibility, while 75,294 unsuccessful applicants have lodged appeals.
NSFAS reported that 733,403 applicants were beneficiaries of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants, with 703,615 of them approved for funding. Sassa beneficiaries receive immediate funding decisions as they automatically meet the financial eligibility criteria. However, 14,291 applications were cancelled, and 12,746 were rejected due to academic ineligibility.
Applicants who are not Sassa beneficiaries undergo additional financial eligibility checks. To qualify for a bursary, their household income must not exceed R350,000 per year.
NSFAS confirmed that 146,961 non-Sassa students have been provisionally funded, while 287,977 applications are under verification. The verification process remains a challenge, as many applicants must submit additional documents. At least 28,345 non-Sassa applicants have been requested to provide further proof of eligibility.
