What Does NSFAS Provisionally Funded Mean?

What Does NSFAS Provisionally Funded Mean – NSFAS has revutionalised South African education system as far as bursaries are concerned. Most often, students applicants of this scheme would like to get answers to come of questions bothering them and some of these questions are what does NSFAS provisionally funded mean?

In this guide, we provide all answers to the questions as well as get you detailed information about anything related to NSFAS provisionally funded.

What Is Provisionally Funded NSFAS

Provisionally funded by NSFAS means the applicant’s application for a scholarship, student loan or any form of financial aid has been pre-approved but not finalized yet. This means that the financial grant has not been approved 100%. In other words, the applicant has been qualified for the funding but the NSFAS will have to wait for a confirmation from the chosen institution either being it a public university or TVET college before releasing any money.

So if an applicant gets this notification that their NSFAS application is provisionally funded, you should bear in mind that you are not receiving the funding immediately. You would be waiting for the confirmation first.

What To Do If Your NSFAS Status Is Provisionally Funded

If your NSFAS Status is provisionally funded, it means your application for financial assistance has been approved but the NSFAS will have to wait for confirmation from the institution you applied to either being it a public university or TVET college before the funding is finalized.

After your application has been approved, there are still some few steps required to complete or finalize the funding. Below is what to do if your status is provisionally funded.

1.Register at your institution; If your status is provisionally funded, you will have to ensure you have successfully registered at the university or TVET college where you have been accepted. Before any funding is officially released,the NSFAS will have to wait for the institution you applied to to confirm you have been registered. Without the confirmation, the NSFAS will not be able to provide the funding you have applied to.

2. Check with the Financial Aid Office; Visit or contact your institution’s financial aid office to verify that they have presented your registration details to NSFAS and also make enquiries if there are any documents or steps you will need to complete. There is a need for you to do follow up if you want to receive your funding when need be otherwise, you would have to start the entire process again.

3. Upload Outstanding Documents; Log into your myNSFAS account and make sure there are no unattended documents or tasks. If you check and there are any outstanding documents,upload them as soon as possible. This is to say that, make sure that all your supporting documents have been uploaded and they are eligible to, in order to avoid waste of time.

4. Await Final Funding Confirmation; Afteryour institution submits your registration, the NSFAS will immediately change your status to “Funded” and begin pay out allowances. The allowance covers tuition, accommodation,transportation, meals, living allowance etc. The allowance is paid 10 times every year. The payment starts from February to November. This means that payment is not done in December and January.

5. Monitor Your myNSFAS Portal Regularly; Always keep checking your status on the NSFAS portal as often as possible for updates or request additional information. The portal and email is mostly the channel that the NSFAS uses to pass information. Make sure you are checking your portal every now and then so that you don’t miss out on the information.

How Do You Know When NSFAS Has Funded You?

You will have NSFAS have funded you when your funding status on myNSFAS portal updates to show that the funding has been approved.This is when you begin to see allowances processed or payment information. You can also log into myNSFAS account to view your application status.

Also , the NSFAS may send you notifications or emails to let you know the information about your funding. Here are signs that NSFAS has funded you.

1.Check your myNSFAS portal; The NSFAS has provided an online portal where you can check and track the progress of your application. Log into myNSFAS and check your status. When you check your status and you see “Approved of funding” or “ Funding approved”. You can also see “Payment processed”.

“Registration received “ also means that the NSFAS has received your data from the institution.

2.SMS or Email Notification; Normally, the NSFAS send SMS or Emails once your funding is approved. Make sure that your contact details are correct and up to date in your MyNAFAS.

3. Allowance Schedule; Just after funding you will start to receive monthly allowances.

The allowances include tuition, accommodation,transport etc.

You can view payment details on the portal or through the NSFAS bank account.

4.Communication From Your Institution; Your institution may confirm the NSFAS has paid or allocated funds for your fees,accommodation or allowances. They often send notices to students through a portal or email.

How Long Does It Take For NSFAS to Release Funds?

Sometimes, it is hard telling when the NSFAS will release funds. And this is because there are several factors that can determine the time the NSFAS will release funds. Normally, the NSFAS releases payment in batches usually after institutions have submitted their student registration data and verified funding eligibility.This can typically take 5 to 10 working days for funds to be processed and paid out.

Here is the general timeline;

1.Registration Data Received; As soon as your institution submits your registration data to the NSFAS, the NSFAS accepts your funding eligibility.Usually, it takes 5-10 working days.

2.Allowances and Tuition Disbursement; The NSFAS begins to release fundings monthly after verification.The monthly allowance includes allowance for transport,living etc are usually paid out at the start of each month.

3.Your Institutional calendar or the NSFAS banking partners will usually set exact payment dates.

Whatever the case may be, you should expect the funds every month except for December and in January. The only months funds are not released is in January and December. If for some reasons why funds are not allocated as and when you need be, you should follow up to make sure the issue is solved or reverted.

How Long Does NSFAS Fund You?

The NSFAS can fund students for up to 5 years. It all depends on your academic performance and the type of qualification you are pursuing.The funding usually covers a limited period of time.This means that you will be funded for the number of years it takes a person to complete that specific degree or diploma. If a student changes institutions,their previous funding years will still be active and be counting towards the total funding.

To stay funded, you will have to pass 50% of your modules each year and also you will have to continue to meet the NSFAS financial requirement.

Here is a more detailed breakdown.

Qualification- The duration of the funding attached to the specific qualification the student is pursuing either being it a diploma,undergraduate degree etc

Limited Funding Period- The NSFAS funding isn’t indefinite. Every student or applicant seeking financial assistance has a maximum duration for which a student can receive support. The funding period typically matches the standard duration of their degree.

Funding Count When Transferring- When a student transfers from one institution to the other, the funding does not go to waste. The funding will be intact and will count towards your total funding period.

Performance Monitoring- Students who enjoy the privilege of funding are monitored. The NSFAS monitors their performance and if they don’t pass or meet their academic requirements,your funding might be affected.

N+1 Rule- Every student is entitled to a particular number of years to be funded for depending on the specific qualification.This is usually referred to as the N+1 where the N represents the standard duration of the degree and the 1 is for the additional year allowed.

You should bear in mind that the NSFAS will not fund your post-graduate course. You would have to look for funding somewhere else.

Does NSFAS Fund You For An Extra Year

Yes,the NSFAS can fund you an extra year for students who need it to complete their qualification.This extra one year is given under the rule N+1. This extra year is given to students who can not finish their degree or course within the said time.

Conclusion

To conclude everything written above, the NSFAS does well by providing allowances for each need of students who apply for funding. Also monitoring them help them to keep up their good work in terms of academics. To add to it, N+1 is also a great opportunity that gives qualified students an additional year to study in case their given time won’t be enough.

FAQs

What does it mean if you are Provisionally Funded by NSFAS?

Being provisionally funded by the NSFAS means you meet the basic qualification requirements for the NSFAS funding but your funding has not yet been finalized. Being provisionally funded means your application has been initially approved for funding but the NSFAS will need a confirmation from the institution you applied to either being it a public university or TVET College before the funding can be finalized.

Which month does the NSFAS start paying ?

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme popularly known as the NSFAS usually begins paying out student allowances early in the academic year. For 2025, the first cycle of payment was scheduled for February 6,2025 with upcoming payment occurring monthly. However, the exact date to start can vary depending on the institution and the type of allowance. Below is the payment schedule for 2025 at the university of KwaZulu-Natal(UKZN).

– Cycle 1; February 6, 2025

– Cycle 2; March 3, 2025

– Cycle 3; April 1, 2025

– Cycle 4; May 5, 2025

– Cycle 5; June 2, 2025

Students of the University of South African(UNISA) allowances for 2025 began paying out on March 19, 2025. From April 2025 going, qualifying students receive payment on the 29th of each month. Payments are made to students whose registration data has been successfully submitted to NSFAS and to those whose banking details have been verified .Therefore, NSFAS payment is usually between February or March based on the institution and the type of allowance .

What If my NSFAS Status says Funded?

If your NSFAS status says “ Funded” , it means that your application for financial assistance has been approved. However this doesn’t mean you will automatically receive payment.

Your Funding Is Approved; After the NSFAS has confirmed, they will pay for tuition , registration fee,transport and allowances depending on the situation.

Your Institution Must Submit Your Registration; The processing of the allowance payment begins only when the NSFAS has received or verified the information.

Banking Details Must Be Verified; You will need to make sure that all your banking details are correctly submitted. Also, any delays or issue here can even can postpone your payment,

Payment schedule follows; Once everything is verified and aligned, the NSFAS will start by paying out monthly allowances following the payment plans of the institution.

How much is NSFAS paying per month?

The NSFAS provides various allowances to support qualified students throughout the academic year. For 2025, all these other allowances are paid out monthly from February to November totaling 10 payments per year. The exact amount paid differs from others due to the type of institution, the student’s accommodation situation and other factors.