This figure surpasses the more than 800,000 applications received for the 2026 academic year and reflects strong ongoing demand for financial assistance among prospective students seeking to study at public universities and TVET colleges.
Applications opened around mid-September 2026 and closed on 31 October 2026, with NSFAS confirming there would be no extensions. By mid-to-late October the scheme had already recorded around 868,000 applications (with roughly 71% from female applicants, the large majority targeting universities, and a high proportion from SASSA beneficiaries); the total then crossed the one-million mark in the final days.
NSFAS urged applicants to review requirements carefully, submit complete and accurate information plus all supporting documents via the official website (www.nsfas.org.za) or mobile app, and avoid last-minute issues or scams (applications are free). The NSFAS Board joined a “Final Push” outreach programme focused on rural communities, townships, and areas with limited access to information or application support.
(Note: Separate earlier reporting in 2026 confirmed funding approvals for more than one million students for the 2026 academic year, including hundreds of thousands of first-time entrants. The “more than a million applications submitted” reports refer specifically to the 2027 cycle applications.)
