The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has provided an update on the payment of July 2026 allowances for students funded through the NSFAS DHET Bursary Scheme at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
According to NSFAS, the allowance funds were successfully transferred to UNISA on 2 July 2026 after all the necessary payment and reconciliation processes were completed. From that point, the university became responsible for distributing the funds to eligible students.
NSFAS said UNISA later experienced technical system challenges that delayed the processing of payments for some students. However, the university informed NSFAS that these issues were resolved on 6 July 2026, and the outstanding payments are now being processed.
Approximately 93,093 students who were due to receive their monthly Personal Care Allowance were affected by the delays. NSFAS said some students have already received their allowances, while the remaining payments are expected to be completed during the course of this week.
What students should know
- NSFAS transferred the July allowance funds to UNISA on 2 July 2026.
- Technical issues at UNISA delayed payments for some students.
- The system problems were resolved on 6 July 2026.
- Around 93,093 students were affected by the delays.
- Outstanding Personal Care Allowance payments are currently being processed.
NSFAS also clarified that UNISA students do not receive meal allowances under its funding model. Instead, eligible students receive support through the Book/Study Material Allowance and the Personal Care Allowance.
The scheme currently provides funding to:
- 168,480 students for Book Allowances, worth R425.6 million.
- 93,910 students for Personal Care Allowances, worth R148.6 million.
NSFAS said it is continuing to work closely with UNISA to ensure all eligible students receive their allowances as quickly as possible. Students are also encouraged to keep checking official NSFAS and UNISA communication channels for further updates on allowance payments.
