NSFAS opens 2027 applications as Manamela faces governance questions

Applications for the 2027 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) cycle are open, and Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has urged eligible students to apply.

As SABC News reported on 21 September 2026, Manamela used a broadcast interview to encourage applications and to address why the scheme’s governance problems have persisted for years. NSFAS has come into sharp focus in recent months, with governance raised as one of the issues.

NSFAS is the state’s primary funding mechanism for poor and working-class students at public universities and TVET colleges. For an eligible student, an approved application covers tuition and provides allowances for accommodation, food, transport and learning materials. The scheme’s application window is the single most important date in the higher education calendar for hundreds of thousands of households.

Governance at NSFAS is not a new concern. The scheme has faced repeated questions about its administration, its leadership and its ability to pay allowances on time. Those issues have been raised for years, as Manamela acknowledged in the interview.

What the minister did not do in the broadcast was set out a detailed plan or timeline for resolving them. A reader who wants to know what changes are coming, and by when, will not find that in the interview.

For students and families, the practical question is straightforward. The 2027 cycle is open, and eligible applicants should apply. NSFAS applications are free, and the scheme publishes its eligibility criteria and closing dates on its official channels. Applicants are advised to use the official NSFAS platform and to be wary of anyone charging a fee to submit an application on their behalf.

The Enquirer has not verified the current closing date for the 2027 cycle, and readers should confirm it directly with NSFAS.

Source: SABC News, NSFAS | Eligible students encouraged to apply: Buti Manamela