NSFAS approves additional 50 000 students for 2026 academic year

NSFAS officials assisting students

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says 180 000 documents were submitted, leading to 50 000 additional approvals for the 2026 academic year.

Currently 660 000 students have been approved for funding with 13 000 applications rejected.

NSFAS CEO Waseem Carrim addressed the media at the GCIS building in Pretoria earlier Thursday.

“More than 180 000 outstanding documents have been submitted. Our teams have worked around the clock to address these outstanding documents which has resulted in an additional 50 000 approvals prior to the closing of the registration cycle. Regrettably students do continue to still upload incorrect or unclear documents which creates a feedback loop between outstanding documents and NSFAS ability to consider these applications. NSFAS encourages students to send clear, correct copies of documents requested.”

🎓 NSFAS 2026 update is out!
If you applied for NSFAS funding for the 2026 academic year, now’s the time to check your application status.

Log in, see where your application stands, and make sure you upload any outstanding documents. Don’t wait, sorting it out early means less… pic.twitter.com/wPnme0H7Xr

— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) February 5, 2026