How Many Months Does NSFAS Give Allowance – How many months does NSFAS give allowance is a question that you will be asking if you are considering registering with the NSFAS. This will allow you to budget your expenses in a more sane and tactful way.  This article seeks to write about all the allowances that NSFAS gives out to its beneficiaries and the many times they come in the respective academic year. All you need to know is to continue reading to find out more.

How Many Months Does NSFAS Give Allowance?

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme is a government scheme that is meant to provide financial assistance to students and people who are looking to further their education, that is people who are ready to pursue higher education. Although the scheme sets out to provide financial assistance for people in South Africa, specifically students, there is a need to meet certain requirements before you get to enjoy the benefits that come with being signed on to the scheme. 

The first thing as an applicant is to make sure you are a South African as the scheme is reserved for South Africans. The applicant also needs to make sure that they have completed Grade 12 and are looking at enrolling in a public university or a TVET college as the scheme is only for those in these respective schools. The applicant also needs to provide proof of household income, proof of residence and proof of documents.

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The NSFAS has mandated itself to give beneficiaries allowances every month. These allowances are either sent to the bank accounts of students who are in the universities and those who are TVET students receive them in their NSFAS wallet. The allowances come 10 times in the school year. It typically starts from February to November. If for any reason a student does not receive their allowance, they can always report and have the issue rectified.

How Much Is NSFAS Allowance For 2025 Monthly?

In this 2025 academic year, the NSFAS beneficiaries will receive a monthly living allowance R1,650.  The allowance is basically meant to cover the basic and personal needs of the beneficiaries. These needs include food, transport and a few other things. The allowances students receive differ depending on the location of the students. Besides the basic allowance that is allocated, students are also given additional allowances that are used for books pegged at atR5,678 to R6,240. Students are also given transport allowances based on the location of the student.

  • Living Allowance     R700
  • Accommodation         Up to R2,500 (urban), R2,000 (peri-urban), R1,800 (rural)
  • Transport Allowance Up to R625 (within 40 km radius)
  • Personal Care Allowance        R304

Does NSFAS Pay Every Month?

How much NSFAS pays every month depends on a host of factors. Typically, the scheme has a specific sum of money that is allocated to students every month. This allowance is paid 10 times in a year that is throughout the academic year.   A breakdown of the allowance allocation is below.

  • Living Allowance     R700
  • Accommodation         Up to R2,500 (urban), R2,000 (peri-urban), R1,800 (rural)
  • Transport Allowance Up to R625 (within 40 km radius)
  • Personal Care Allowance        R304

Beneficiaries like applicants should always know that they will not receive any allowance in December and January. The allowances start from February and end in November.

When Can I Expect My NSFAS Money 2025

As mentioned earlier, the NSFAS aims to provide financial assistance for students who are engaged and looking forward to pursuing higher education. Students who are under this scheme get to have their education funded to some extent. Once the scheme accepts a student, he or she enjoys all the benefits that come with the scheme. The allowances are expected 10 times in a year that is in the academic year. It typically starts in the month of February and students enjoy this allowance through to November. The only time this money does not come is in December and January. So the question of when one can expect their NSFAS money is from February to December. If for some reasons a student does not receive their allowance, they can immediately contact the NSFAS office for the issue to be rectified.

NSFAS Allowance Payment Dates

The NSFAS allowance payment dates are basically the dates that students expect to receive their allowances. For students who are in the public universities, their allowances are paid into their respective bank accounts and for those who are in TVET colleges, their allowances are paid into their NSFAS wallet. They withdraw the money using a unique voucher code. 

Cycle 1: Thursday, 6 February 2025
Cycle 2: Monday, 3 March 2025

Cycle 3: Tuesday, 1 April 2025
Cycle 4: Monday, 5 May 2025

Cycle 5: Monday, 2 June 2025
Cycle 6: Monday, 7 July 2025

Cycle 7: Monday, 4 August 2025
Cycle 8: Monday, 1 September 2025
Cycle 9: Monday, 6 October 2025
Cycle 10: Monday, 3 November 2025 (Final payment for 2025)

You must note that these dates differ depending on the TVET college one attends or the public university. Student beneficiaries are always advised to ask their department to know when the allowances will be released.

How Do I Know When My NSFAS Will Get Paid?

There are so many ways to check if your NSFAS allowance will be paid or not. Before you get into the NSFAS scheme, you have to pass through the registration process and after you have been accepted, you are going to receive a designated amount of money every month.

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This money is allocated for personal care, feeding and other things. It is given 10 months in a year, from February to November. Beneficiaries have to note that allowances are not paid in the months of December and January. To know whether you will be receiving your NSFAS allowance, you can do the following;

  • Log into your NSFAS account to check if the allowances have been sent to the respective account.
  • You can also pay attention to your text messages as the allowance alerts are sometimes sent via old fashioned SMS.
  • You can also check with your school. It varies from school to school when it comes to payments. That is to say the dates for payment are payment for every school.
  • The next place you can check is your bank or NSFAS wallet as well as your NSFAS wallet if you are a public university student and TVET college student respectively.

Conclusion

The NSFAS stands for National Students Financial Aid Scheme. The scheme is a government body that is meant to provide financial assistance to students who are ready to pursue higher education. The scheme provides money and support for these students in every school year that is 10 times. These allowances start from February to November. The allowances are not paid in the months of December and January.  If you are considering signing onto the NSFAS, there is a need to go through the process and make sure you have met all the requirements. Once the scheme accepts your application, you will begin to enjoy the benefits that come with it.

FAQs

How Many Months Does NSFAS Pay Out?

The scheme provides money and support for these students in every school year that is 10 times. These allowances start from February to November. The allowances are not paid in the months of December and January.  If you are considering signing onto the NSFAS, there is a need to go through the process and make sure you have met all the requirements. Once the scheme accepts your application, you will begin to enjoy the benefits that come with it.

What Is The NSFAS Monthly Allowance?

 Typically, the scheme has a specific sum of money that is allocated to students every month. This allowance is paid 10 times in a year that is throughout the academic year.   A breakdown of the allowance allocation is below.

  • Living Allowance     R700
  • Accommodation         Up to R2,500 (urban), R2,000 (peri-urban), R1,800 (rural)
  • Transport Allowance Up to R625 (within 40 km radius)
  • Personal Care Allowance        R304

Beneficiaries like applicants should always know that they will not receive any allowance in December and January. The allowances start from February and end in November.

What Is NSFAS?

The NSFAS is a South African government initiative or program that has its main focus pinned on providing financial assistance to South African students who are eligible. It must be noted that, if you want to enjoy the benefits that come with NSFAS, you must make sure that you are attending either a public university or a TVET college. Always remember that, the NSFAS is not going to cover your private tuition so if you are looking at enjoying the benefits that comes with the scheme, you should be enrolled in a government institution.

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What Does The NSFAS Cover?

They cover your full tuition fee at the university or TVET college. This means that you don’t have to worry about how you are going to foot your tuition.

They equally cover students’ accommodation. This would either be private accommodation, which is typically up to a limit, or a public hostel.

NSFAS also covers the cost of living. This comes in the form of allowances that can potentially cover food, toiletries, and other basic things.

NSFAS also covers transport. The program provides a designated amount of money to student beneficiaries to cater to their transportation needs.

A set amount for purchasing textbooks, stationery, and other study materials.

A designated amount of money is also set aside for food. Student beneficiaries are paid this money, which is allocated to take care of the food needs 

How Much Is NSFAS Allowance Per Month in 2025

The NSFAS beneficiaries will receive a monthly living allowance R1,650.  The allowance is basically meant to cover the basic and personal needs of the beneficiaries. These needs include food, transport and a few other things. The allowances students receive differ depending on the location of the students. Besides the basic allowance that is allocated, students are also given additional allowances that are used for books pegged at atR5,678 to R6,240. Students are also given transport allowances based on the location of the student.

How Many Times Does NSFAS Fund A Student

The system funds students for as long as the student is in school. Once a student applies for the funding and gets in, they are going to be funded until they complete their school. For instance, if a student applies for the funding and their school duration is three years, the NSFAS is going to fund them for all the three years through.

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