Students who want funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for 2027 have until Saturday, 31 October, to apply. NSFAS says there will be no extensions.
NSFAS counted 868,626 applications on its dashboard on 19 October, according to SAnews, the government’s news agency. Of those, 800,382 came from prospective university students and 68,244 from applicants to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Applications opened on 18 September 2026.
Women made up 616,558 of the applications (70.98%) and men 252,068 (29.02%). A total of 653,778 applicants are beneficiaries of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), against 214,848 who are not.
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela urged prospective students, especially those in Grade 12, to apply now rather than wait for the last day. “Don’t pay anyone to apply for NSFAS,” he said.
How this cycle compares with last year
NSFAS said on 6 January 2026 that it had processed 893,847 applications for the 2026 academic year. That is 25,221 more than the 868,626 counted for 2027 by 19 October, with 12 days of the window left at that point. In the first four days of the 2027 window, from 18 September, the scheme received 51,474 applications.
Source: NSFAS dashboard figures reported by SAnews; 2026 cycle total from NSFAS statement of 2 January 2026. Chart: Rand Desk
What happened to last year’s applications
The university results covered continuing students too: NSFAS assessed 545,952 of them, and 416,688 met the progression criteria. TVET results were due on 13 January 2026. NSFAS said all 2026 funding decisions were completed by 31 December 2025. Of the 893,847 applications, 609,403 qualified for financial aid, 49,538 were rejected, 218,043 were incomplete and 16,863 were withdrawn or cancelled.
The 218,043 incomplete applications had documents outstanding, mainly the parental consent form that lets NSFAS verify household income. Applicants had 30 days from their notification to submit them, and applications still incomplete after that were deemed unsuccessful. Those files were about 24% of the total, so submitting an application did not by itself secure a funding decision.
Where to apply and what to avoid
Applicants apply on nsfas.org.za or in the NSFAS mobile app. The scheme wants every detail correct and every required document handed in with the application, because the 2026 figures above show what happens to files that arrive incomplete.
NSFAS also warned about fraudulent social media accounts and unauthorised individuals who demand payment for help with applications or promise guaranteed funding. It said that no one can guarantee a funding outcome, and takes anonymous reports of suspected fraud at speakup@nsfas.org.za. How the grants behind most of these applications are paid is covered in how SASSA grants are paid and when.
