Thousands of students have applied for funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for 2025. The government bursary scheme has explained the reason behind delays in application decisions for many applicants.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to eligible students enrolled in approved courses at universities and TVET colleges. The funding covers tuition and registration fees, as well as allowances for food, accommodation, and learning materials.
While NSFAS has already approved funding for approximately 600,000 students for 2025, 120,000 applicants are still awaiting decisions due to missing required documents.
Why Your NSFAS 2025 Application Is Delayed
NSFAS stated that students must submit specific information and documents to verify their eligibility. Institutions are also required to provide student registration data for funding to be finalised.
The scheme warned that inaccurate or late submissions could result in funding being withdrawn.
NSFAS is highly dependent on the submission of accurate data from institutions in a timely manner, as well as accurate and complete information from students. Should these not be received, or not received on time, NSFAS processes will be delayed and may result in applications being rejected or continued funding being withdrawn or paused.
NSFAS also stressed that students are responsible for providing complete and accurate information, as this affects their financial aid eligibility.
It is a duty of all persons applying, and/or receiving funding to disclose accurate and complete information to institutions and NSFAS, in relation to their NSFAS funding and which may have an impact on their eligibility assessment.
Limited Time to Submit NSFAS Documents
Students have 30 days to upload the requested documents, starting from the date of the request.
NSFAS cautioned that failure to submit the necessary documents within this period will render 2025 applications invalid.
Your application would be regarded invalid should the thirty days to upload supporting documents lapse. We urge all applicants who have not yet submitted their outstanding documents to do so urgently.
