The National Student Financial Aid Scheme confirmed in an official statement on February 15th that R5,200 would be paid to approved students by the end of February. These payments will be made in the wake of announcements over the previous two weeks that campuses have registered their concern about unanticipated delays because of the holdup suffered by first registrations. NSFAS announced during its regrettably late mid-year budget presentation that the aforenamed allowance has been rolled out for structured support across 2026.
Who are the NSFAS R5,200 Beneficiaries
The R5,200 has been made applicable to registered NSFAS fully funded students at public universities and TVET colleges. For students’ payments, a student must have completed academic registration, provided the right bank account information, and passed the required NSFAS validations. There is only one prerequisite for accessing the payment: The student must be marked as active on the NSFAS system.
Distribution of the February NSFAS R5,200 Allowance
The monthly allowance of R5200 covers the students’ basic livelihood costs for February including the costs of living, educational materials and where applicable, transport. Lastly, NSFAS has once more reiterated that accommodation allowances are paid to institutions who maintain student accommodation.
Release Date from February 2026 NSFAS Allowances for Payment
February 2026 allowances are still in the beginning of the second week of release processing. University students could expect an earlier date of payment because of different terms of registration on TVET student record. An allowance for TVET colleges will follow after confirmation of enrolment data by each college, as expected.
Timeline of Payment for University Students
As for university students, payments are inclusive of data confirmation for the receiving of funds. NSFAS would then release the funds for students using its prearranged payment channels. However, it is worth noting that banking and payment options also affect the time-frame within which a payment can be reflected.
TVET College Students Payment Schedule
The payment of R5,200 to TVET students will be made once colleges successfully input student-approved registration data to their integrated Student Funding System. Delays occur only when input data is not captured or where incompletion was noted. The mantra of NFAS for TVET students remains consistently in place, whereby students will have to liaise directly with their academic financial aid officers in case of any outstanding issues.
How Students Will Receive the R5,200 Allowance
Payments, including the R5,200 allowance, will be channeled directly from NSFAS-approved bank and payment system gateways, such that any student with a registered bank account or digital wallet should be able to receive funds directly. NSFAS has raised alarm that the main contributors to delay in payment are incorrect/obsolete banking details.
Many Reasons Why Payment is Not Supplied in Time
Despite the allowance, students may find that payments are not forthcoming due to verification of registration, incorrect personal particulars or approval of academic eligibility. The officials have made it clear that funding will not be obtained automatically and that it will be conditional on real-time similar data submission of the institution.
What an Ideal Student Must Do Not to Miss Out on Payment
Well, you need to ensure that your registration status has been improved, details for receiving money are a match, and NSFAS portal shows active funding. The non-trivial differences are all to be cleared up on the spot at the immediately prepared institutional financial aid offices, no later than midparty-noon on that Friday… being close to the payday.
After the Payment in February 2026…
NSFAS confirms that the disbursements that are going to be followed would be based on the February payout. All students who get a February R5.200 stipend should expect their monthly allowance to continue, provided that they keep up their academic eligibility and registration.