When Will I Receive My First NSFAS Allowance?

When Will I Receive My First NSFAS Allowance? – The NSFAS, which stands for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, is a government institution that provides financial assistance in the form of a bursary or loan to eligible students who want to further their education at Public Universities or TVET Colleges but cannot afford to pay for tuition and other study-related costs.

The NSFAS funding covers not only tuition and registration fees, but also an allowance. So, whether you qualify for a bursary or a loan, you will still receive an allowance to help you manage your living expenses such as food, transportation, and learning materials.

The first NSFAS allowance payment is expected to be processed sometime in March once registration is completed and verified. Their monthly payment is generally made around the 30th of each month for students receiving ongoing allowances.

When Will I Receive My First NSFAS Allowance?

You can expect your first NSFAS allowance payment early in the academic year.

NSFAS allowances for the 2025 academic year are expected to be paid out starting in mid to late March 2025, with the first payments typically corresponding with the end of the registration period for institutions like UNISA. Usually, the monthly payments are made on the 30th of each month. Your first NSFAS allowance payment depends on the type of institution you are in

If you are at a university or TVET college that stumps up allowances to students:

The cycle 1 payment is scheduled for Thursday, 6 February 2025. That is when your first monthly allowance should hit your account, as long as your 2025 registration data was uploaded to NSFAS before the cut-off and as long as our banking details on myNSFAS are current.

If you are a TVET college student and your institution collects funds first:

NSFAS released the funds to colleges around 7th March 2025, which includes the two-month allowance for Feb and March, based on registrations at the shop. Your college then pays out directly to your bank, so the actual receipt depends on when they processed the funds.

How Long Does It Take To Get NSFAS Allowance?

The NSFAS allowance is usually paid out within 48 working hours after students receive their password and after the NSFAS has accepted and confirmed the registration data from the institution. Once the allowance is available in the student’s account, the student will receive an SMS from NSFAS. Once your funding is approved, below are the next steps:

Registration and bank details: The NSFAS pay out allowances once the student’s institution, either the university or the TVET college, has submitted the student’s confirmed registration details and the student’s verified banking information is on file.

First payment timing: For most universities like UNISA, the first NSFAS allowance is usually paid around mid to late March. UNISA announced that payments began on 19 March 2025, and similarly, Varsity Wise reports allowances from mid-late March.

Monthly Payment afterwards: After the first payment, ongoing monthly instalments are normally programmed around the 29th-30th of each month. This means that after students have received their first allowance in the middle of March to the late of March, the afterwards monthly payment is always going to be received at the end of every month.

TVET college students: With students at TVET college, payments are made directly into their bank accounts. For example, TVET monthly allowances were paid on the 25th MAY 2025.

Typical duration: After registrations are closed and banks confirm your details, we look forward to your first payment within a few days to a couple of weeks. After that, monthly allowances follow a set schedule each month.

What to do:

Confirm your NSFAS approval status on the myNSFAS portal.
Make sure your institution(university or TVET college) has submitted your registration to NSFAS.
Upload and confirm your bank details as soon as possible.
Watch your bank account in mid-march for universities or on scheduled dates for TVET.

First follow-up: mid to late March after all admin steps are complete.
Subsequent payment: at the end of every month.
TVET students get their allowance directly, with variations depending on college dates.

How Much Does NSFAS Pay Per Month In 2025?

The NSFAS allowances in 2025 differ depending on whether a student is at a TVET or at a university, or whether they are in a catered or non-catered residence. For the TVET college, students in non-catered residences, accommodation allowances can range from R42,640 to R52,000 per year, with a living allowance at R20,800 or R17,160 per year.

University students may receive up to R45,000 per year for accommodation and R1,650 per month for living expenses. Below is a clear breakdown:

University Students

Living Allowance for non-catered, able-bodied: R1,650 per month
Personal Care Allowance for students in catered residence: R316 per month
Transport Allowance for those not receiving accommodation: around R802- R819 per month.
Learning Material Allowance is paid once a year:

R5,678 for non-disability.
R6,240 for students with disabilities

Accommodation Allowance: Continued monthly across 10 months; yearly caps
Catered Residence(Metro): R6,599 per month.
Catered (Non-Metro): R5,663 per month
Non- catered (Metro): R5,200 per month
Non- catered (Non-metro): R4,264 per month.

TVET College Students

Transport Allowance: R802 per month
Living Allowance : R1,650 per month
Personal Care Allowance (when applicable): R316 per month.
Accommodation Allowance (monthly across 10, depending on setup):

1. Catered (metro): R6,599 per month.

2. Catered(Non Metro) : R5,663 per month

3. Non-Catered (Metro): R5,200 per month

4. Non- Catered (Non Metro): R4,264 per month

Annual Caps Breakdown

Government figures highlight the yearly maximum range of the money across 10 instalments:

For university (metro,no-catered)

Accommodation: R52,000 per year to R5,200 per month.
Books: R5,678 one-off
Living Allowance: R17,160 per year to R1,716 per month.
Person Care (Centred): R3167 years-R316 per month.

Example Estimate per Month

Assuming a non-catered metro university student with no disability:

Accommodation: R5,200
Living: R 1,650
Total: R6,850 per month.

If you live in a catered residence:

Accommodation: R6,599
Living: not applicable
Personal Care:+R316
Total: R6,916 per month.

How Do I Know When My NSFAS Will Get Paid?

Check Your Funding & Registration Status
Log in to myNSFAS portal via nsfas.org.za and go to “Track Funding Progress”.

This will show if your institution has submitted your registration and if you have been funded. Both are required before payment can be disbursed.

There will be an update on your application status through steps like “Registration Received” and “Payments” once processed.

Ensure Your Bank Details Are Up to Date
If you are a student of the TVET college, you receive your payment directly into your bank account. So accurate banking Information on myNSFAS is very important.

As for university students, they usually receive an allowance through their institution. Some universities may later adopt direct payments.

3. Know the official NSFAS Windows

The NSFAS publishes a cut-off and payment date every month.

After your registration is logged by the cut-off, expect payment by the end of the month.

4. Confirm Your Institution

Universities may follow their cycles sometimes earlier or later.
Always check your university’s finance office or notifications for exact dates.

5. Tracking via SMS, Email or USSD

NSFAS may notify you of payment or bank detail issues via email/SMS
You can also dial *120*67327# for USSD updates on your application and payment status.

NSFAS Allowance 2025 Payment Date

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) released the first payment to the universities during the week of March 3rd, 2025, allowing institutions to pay out March allowances to students allowing March 7th 2025, according to the South African Government. Here is the official NSFAS allowance payment date based on the cut-off submission

Here are the confirmed NSFAS allowance payment dates and a reliable university source

University and TVET College Allowance Payments.

First Semester via institution:

Cycle 1:6 February 2025
Cycle 2: 3 March 2025
Cycle 3(March): 1 April 2035
Cycle 4(March) : 5th May 2025
Cycle 5(May): 2 June 2025.

Second Semester (payment now processed directly by NSFAS):

Cycle 6(June): 7 July 2025
Cycle 7(July) : 4 August 2025
Cycle 8(August): 1 September 2025
Cycle 9(September): 6 October 2025
Cycle 10 — Final payment (October): 3 November 2025

Upfront & Special Payment Rounds

Upfront payment (accommodation, books, tuition);
First: 10-05 March 2025
Second 14 March 2025, paid by 31 March 2025

Special catch-up run for May: Outstanding accommodation and unpaid allowances processed by 31st May 2025.

Conclusion

To conclude on everything written above about the NSFAS allowance, I would say it was a great idea for the NSFAS allowance to be implemented. The allowance helps the students to afford necessities like food, accommodation, learning materials, etc. The allowance also helps to reduce financial stress for students, allowing them to focus on their studies to help improve their academics.

FAQs

Which Month Does NSFAS Start Paying?

The NSFAS usually begins paying student allowance in March of the academic year.

The NSFAS made the first upfront allowances in March 2025, covering two months of allowances based on valid registrations.
With monthly allowances, platforms like UNISA state that payments began on 19 March 2025, and April onwards, followed by a monthly cycle.

To summarise it all ;

Upfront Monthly Payments, early March
Ongoing Monthly Payments; mid-to late March and tp April and beyond.

Has NSFAS Paid For 2025?

Yes, NSFAS has started paying in 2025.

Upfront Payments in March

Universities received their second payment in advance during the week of 3-7 March, which covered the early semester allowances.
TVET colleges had a two-stage rollout: The first payments on 7 March, followed by the second run around which is on 14 March, for registrations submitted on 10 March.

The monthly allowance, which is from March onward
UNISA announced payment to begin on 19 March, with the regular payments arranged for the 29th of each month thereafter. This aligned with NSFAS’s official instalment schedule, which lists instalment number 3 for 31 March and instalment number 4 for 3o April, continuing monthly through November.

June Payments

For June 2025, the NSFAS has followed this pattern; University students’ allowances were paid in the first week of June.
The TVET college allowances are typically paid mid-month, typically between 10-14 June.
A recent social media update confirms 6th June as the payment date for university and TVET allowances and tuition.

Funds are ongoing via this monthly cycle up to November 2025, provided you have updated your banking details on your myNSFAS. Also, ensure your institution submitted registration data on time.

What Does It Mean When You Are Provisionally Funded by NSFAS ??

Being provisionally funded by the NSFAS means that your request for financial assistance by the NSFAS has been approved, but the funding has not been fully initiated yet. The provisionally funded status indicates that the NSFAS is waiting for confirmation from your institution, either being it is a university or TVET college, before the funding is fully finalised.

Most importantly, you need to register at your chosen institution, and once the NSFAS receives confirmation, your status will be changed to (Funded).

In others, being provisionally funded also means that you meet the basic funding qualifications, but your funding is not finalised yet.

Here Is What Provisionally Funded Means

You have passed the NSFAS check

But still needs confirmation that you have registered.

Your application has been approved

Waiting for the institution to submit your registration data to NSFAS.

The means test was successful

Sometimes, final banking details or academic progress.

How Much Does NSFAS Pay For The First Time?

What is the First Time or Upfront Payment?

The NSFAS pays an upfront payment in early March to the TVET colleges and to Universities. The first payout typically covers a two-month allowance based on the student’s registration.
For universities, the second upfront payment ran from the 3-7 week in March, and TVET colleges followed a multi-run process, including 7 and 14 March.

If you are being funded by NSFAS for the first time, you will receive your first NSFAS allowance payment after registration is confirmed, which is usually around February or March. The first payment typically covers two months’ worth of allowance plus half of your annual book allowance which is larger than your monthly instalment.

Here is a breakdown based on living situation(university students to first disbursement):

On campus(residence) : R,3,180
Off campus private: R6, O35
Living at home or own accommodation (borrow accommodation): R7,532

For TVET college students, the amount remains whether living at home or elsewhere.