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By Anita Dangazele
- NSFAS applications for 2027 funding are open, with a deadline of 31 October 2026.
- NSFAS warns students must remember to actually click “submit” after uploading documents, or the application won’t count.
Applications for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding for 2027 are officially open, and students have until 31 October 2026 to apply.
NSFAS spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi, speaking to CapeTalk/702’s Africa Melane, said the process is simple and shouldn’t take long.
“There’s an application process that will not take them more than five minutes if they have the necessary documentation,” he said.
Here’s the mistake worth avoiding: uploading your documents isn’t the same as submitting your application.
“They must make sure that they send the application. Don’t upload and then not send it, because it would not have been received by NSFAS,” Mnisi warned.
Applications are assessed on both academic and financial eligibility. If you’re not a SASSA beneficiary, you may need to submit additional supporting documents to prove your financial need.
You can apply through the NSFAS website, and NSFAS is urging everyone to apply early and make sure all required documents are included from the start.
Mnisi was also honest about the pressure NSFAS itself is under.
“At some point, we do run short of money. We do have some deficits that we need to deal with,” he said.
National Treasury has previously flagged a funding shortfall of around R15 billion, which could grow to R33 billion by 2029 if nothing changes.
NSFAS says it has raised these concerns with the Department of Higher Education and Training, but that changing the underlying funding policy is the department’s responsibility, not NSFAS’s own.
“We have alerted them to say the logical thing to do is to manage it by the support that we’ll be providing to students, and there are proposals that we’ve made,” Mnisi said.
Pictured above: Applications for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding for 2027 are officially open.
Image source: File
