Questions regarding NSFAS 2026 status have been asked on many South African educational community forums, Reddit, Quora, etc. I have been going through the questions asked by students for clarification and to ensure their NSFAS status. A few students are unaware of the meaning of NSFAS; I will give you a glimpse of the same. Wherever possible, I will embed the links to the official sites for students to go through. Is it mandatory to know about NSFAS and how to check your NSFAS status
Also Read: NSFAS Allowance Payment Dates 2025
Students looking forward to NSFAS funding requirements can go through this detailed guide.
How To Check Your NSFAS Status 2026?
NSFAS, or National Student Financial Aid Scheme bursary, is prevalent in South Africa. It is used by students who belong to economically weak section and wants to pursue tertiary studies. NSFAS frees the students from any type of financial burden. Students can visit the official website of the NSFAS and fill in the application form for the same. The form for the year 2026 has already been submitted until July 2026.
Now, the students looking forward to answers to the question related to their NSFAS status and its approval can follow the steps below. I recommend students follow the guidelines provided on the official website.
Steps:
- Go to NSFAS’s official website
- Now, click on the MyNSFAS section
- To access this section, you must enter the account login information using your username and password.
- Click on the section Track Funding. It will show whether or not the funds have been received under the scheme.
- The status will appear on the dashboard.
The track funding tab will contain nine additional options while students track their NSFAS funding status.
- Application submitted
- Filtering
- Validation
- Evaluation
- Funding eligibility
- Awaiting result
- Awaiting registration
- Signing of agreement
- Payment
Also Read: Steps to Follow When Applying For NSFAS
Why Is My NSFAS Status Not Showing?
Students who have applied for NSFAS may visit the website to check their status. Sometimes the status for NSFAS may not show up, which makes the students quite anxious.
The reason you cannot see your NSFAS status is that there is not enough information provided by you to process. It is necessary to render full information to get your NSFAS processed. The tiniest of information is important to bring you the NSFAS funding. It will help make your application successful. Most times, the NSFAS cannot see the required fields being checked, marked, or filled, making it difficult to process whether you are eligible for funding.
There is also a pre-requisite for the students who qualify for NSFAS. It includes:
- Must be a South African citizen
- Registering first time as the undergraduate applicant
- You are admitted to study at TVET College
- Combined household income does not exceed R350,000 per annum
- Applicants receiving SASSA Grants also qualify for NSFAS funding.
Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide On How To Apply For NSFAS
How To Check NSFAS Appeal Status?
It takes 30 days for NSFAS to respond to the appeals. The time for submitting the appeal documents is 14 days, after which the portals close if the required documents are not provided. Here’s how to check your NSFAS appeal
- Click on https://www.nsfas.org.za/content/, and go to the MyNSFAS section
- Now, click on the ‘track funding’ progress option
- Check out the application progress tab
- Students can check the progress of their appeal by logging in to the MyNSFAS account.
Until you have submitted the NSFAS appeal, it will show the status as Active Appeal. It means that your funding is pending final approval. The status of the students who have received their funding will show as Approved. Those who cannot reflect the application as Unsuccessful.
Also Read: NSFAS Application And Closing Dates
How To Know If NSFAS Has Been Approved?
I went through social media community forums when I came through this question. Many people have provided one-liners on it or just a few steps. The answer is not provided to the students fully, which can give them a clear understanding of the NSFAS approval.
Here’s how you know if your NSFAS has been approved or not. The application result will be communicated to students through the appeal status, which you can check through the MyNSFAS account. NSFAS provides the intimation through text or email about the approval of their funds before starting the academic year. The funding covers your whole degree, and students must pass the required modules continuously to get their funding.
The NSFAS funding process takes around four to six weeks to receive the response in the status section. If the background check is not done correctly, it can take longer. Only after verification, the student becomes eligible for funding.
Also Read: When to Reapply for NSFAS if Rejected
How To Check NSFAS Status For Returning Students
Returning students are students whose applications are successfully accepted and who have a year to register for South Africa’s TVET Colleges.
The returning students must return and register for the 2026 academic session after NSFAS approves their funds. Visit the NSFAS FAQ section to remove any confusion. If the students fail to register after acceptance of their funds, they have to re-apply again for the NSFAS scheme.
A few students may receive the status as eligible for funding, but confirmation awaits the academic session. Here, the student needs to contact the institution’s Financial Aid Office and keep up with the follow-up. The status may also appear if your household income verification is still under process and Credit bureaus need to hire. So, the student gets eligible for admission after their verification.
