By Levy Masiteng
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has approved funding for 660,039 first-time entering students (FTEN) for the 2026 academic year, acting Chief Executive Officer Waseem Carrim said on Thursday.
Carrim said the figure was up from 632,333 approvals recorded the previous week.
ALSO READ: Gwarube launches read-aloud day with sign language version of children’s book
“This upward trend reflects NSFAS’s unwavering commitment to expanding access to post-school education and training,” Carrim said. “We are determined to ensure that financial constraints do not stand in the way of deserving students.”
NSFAS said 85,662 applications were being processed pending verification of outstanding documents, while 21,483 applications remained on hold due to missing supporting information.
It said 116,266 applications did not qualify for bursary funding, although 13,052 of those applicants were offered NSFAS loans.
For returning university students, Carrim said 436,924 had met the academic progression criteria and remained eligible for funding, while 109,761 students were found ineligible.
“At TVET colleges, 127,503 continuing students qualified for ongoing support, with 79,461 failing to meet progression requirements,” he said.
Carrim said NSFAS had received 91,937 appeals for the 2026 cycle, of which 10,445 had been approved.
“We remain committed to handling appeals fairly and transparently, and we urge students to submit outstanding documents promptly,” he said.
ALSO READ: Viola urges learners at first North West rural career expo to pursue STEAM
On student accommodation, NSFAS said it had received 194,069 accommodation applications across universities and TVET colleges.
It said 55,653 accommodation applications had been approved so far, with thousands more pending institutional and landlord review.
“NSFAS remains committed to processing all appeals fairly, transparently, and efficiently,” Carrim said.
NSFAS said it was upgrading its accommodation portal to provide students with a single platform to apply, track application status, and log maintenance issues.
INSIDE EDUCATION
