Updated 2026-11-15
NSFAS funding can include more than tuition. It may include accommodation, transport, living costs, learning materials and personal care, depending on where and how you study. An allowance is not automatically a single cash amount for every funded student.
Never pay anyone to apply for an NSFAS bursary or to secure funding or an allowance.
This guide is for the 2026 academic year. The official 2026 policy is the right document to use for the current rules, but the rand amount you receive must be confirmed in your NSFAS funding decision and through your institution. Do not use rates displayed on older NSFAS web pages as a 2026 payment promise.
For eligible university students, NSFAS says funding covers registration and tuition fees and can include accommodation or transport, learning materials and a personal-care allowance. The NSFAS bursary page also identifies accommodation, transport, living, books and personal care as funding categories.
For eligible TVET college students, NSFAS lists registration and tuition fees, personal care, transport and accommodation allowances. Its TVET page also says a successful application can cover accommodation, living, learning-material and personal-care allowances.
| Support item | What it is for | Who should check it |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition and registration | Your approved study fees | All funded students |
| Accommodation | Approved residence or other eligible accommodation | Students who need accommodation |
| Transport | Travel to the institution | Students who qualify under the applicable distance and travel rules |
| Living allowance | Day-to-day living and food support where applicable | Students whose accommodation arrangement qualifies |
| Learning materials | Books, study materials and, where the rules allow, a learning device | Students on an eligible programme |
| Personal care | Personal incidental costs where applicable | Students who meet the relevant accommodation or study-mode rules |
These are separate categories. For example, you should not assume that a student in residence will receive transport as well, or that a distance student receives every campus-based allowance. Your study mode, institution, accommodation and approved funding record matter.
There is no safe single figure to quote for every NSFAS-funded student. The amount can differ by allowance type, institution, accommodation arrangement and study mode. NSFAS's public bursary page itself says that accommodation, living, transport and learning-material amounts must be aligned to the latest approved DHET guidelines.
Check your 2026 NSFAS funding decision and your university or TVET college Financial Aid Office for the amount and payment arrangement that applies to you.
Be careful with figures found in search results, social media or older NSFAS pages. The public TVET page contains application information headed 2024, and the digital-learning-device page refers to students registered in 2020 and 2021. Those pages are useful for explaining categories and processes, but they are not proof of a 2026 allowance amount.
Accommodation is particularly variable. NSFAS's bursary page says university accommodation is based on actual costs charged by the university, with private accommodation not exceeding the cost of university residence. Your approved accommodation and institution therefore affect what is paid and who receives it.
If you are considering a learning device, do not treat it as extra cash. NSFAS says that a university student who orders a laptop pays for it from the learning-material allowance. The device page also says students must provide identification and proof of registration or a student card on delivery.
For TVET funding, NSFAS says applications can be made through a college bursary office, online or through the myNSFAS portal. Use official NSFAS and college channels only.
NSFAS says its bursary is for South African citizens studying, or intending to study, at a public university or TVET college, subject to its eligibility rules. The bursary page states a combined household-income threshold of R350,000 per year for most applicants and R600,000 for a person with a disability. It also says SASSA grant recipients qualify for funding under the financial test.
Funding approval is not the same as a guarantee that every allowance category applies to you. Check the current 2026 policy, your award and your institution's instructions before making a housing or travel commitment.
Yes. NSFAS says the bursary covers registration and tuition fees and may also cover approved allowance categories such as accommodation or transport, learning materials and personal care.
No. The applicable amount depends on the allowance category and circumstances such as institution, study mode and accommodation arrangement. Confirm your 2026 amount in your funding decision and with your Financial Aid Office.
NSFAS says a university student who orders a laptop pays for it from the learning-material allowance. Ask your Financial Aid Office about the current process and conditions before ordering.
Eligible TVET students can receive NSFAS support. NSFAS lists registration and tuition, accommodation, transport and personal-care support, and also describes living and learning-material support on its TVET funding page. The categories that apply must be confirmed for your funding record.
No. Do not pay anyone to apply for NSFAS or to secure a bursary or allowance. Use NSFAS, myNSFAS and your institution's Financial Aid Office.