If your household income is under R350,000 a year, the NSFAS bursary is almost always the better option — it does not have to be repaid in the way a loan does. The real question comes up for students in the “missing middle”, above the bursary threshold but nowhere near able to pay fees out of pocket.
There are three different things people mean by “student funding” in South Africa: the NSFAS bursary, the NSFAS loan for missing-middle students, and a commercial student loan from a bank. They differ in cost, in who qualifies, and in what happens after you graduate. This guide compares them directly.
The three options, side by side
Full content for this section is still being written. In the meantime, the official criteria are published on www.nsfas.org.za.
The NSFAS bursary: who it is for
Full content for this section is still being written. In the meantime, the official criteria are published on www.nsfas.org.za.
The NSFAS missing-middle loan
Full content for this section is still being written. In the meantime, the official criteria are published on www.nsfas.org.za.
Bank and private student loans
Full content for this section is still being written. In the meantime, the official criteria are published on www.nsfas.org.za.
What repayment actually looks like
Full content for this section is still being written. In the meantime, the official criteria are published on www.nsfas.org.za.
How to decide
Full content for this section is still being written. In the meantime, the official criteria are published on www.nsfas.org.za.