DUT denies claims of Nsfas registration portal closure

The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has strongly denied allegations that it is connected to social media reports that the 2025 registration portal has been closed due to budget constraints.

This follows a public statement by Nsfas referencing DUT concerning these claims.

Nsfas condemned messages shared online about the closure, labelling them as misleading and warning of the damage such misinformation could cause to students and the broader higher education sector.

In response, DUT said it had not released any “official institutional communication or media statement making claims about the financial standing of Nsfas”.

Internal message misrepresented

The university said that the information cited by Nsfas originated from an internal communication sent by its financial aid unit to 1 671 affected students on 5 May 2025.

“The intention was to provide those students with accurate and transparent information concerning the status of their May 2025 Nsfas allowance payments,” said the university.

The institution stated that the internal message was subsequently shared on social media without authorisation or context, leading to public misinterpretation and confusion.

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Portal closed

While the official deadline for institutions to submit registration data was 31 March, universities were encouraged to meet an earlier internal deadline of 14 March to ensure prompt processing and allowance payments.

Nsfas expressed disappointment that some institutions, including Durban University of Technology (DUT), failed to meet the recommended deadline.

But DUT said by Nsfas’s 2 April 2025 deadline, it had uploaded 23 464 student registration templates.

An additional 634 were submitted on 3 April, when the portal was still accessible.

However, “a further 1 037 templates could not be uploaded as the system was no longer accepting submissions after that date,” the university noted.

DUT referenced a Financial Aid Practitioners of South Africa (FAPSA) meeting with Nsfas on 11 April, during which it said it was confirmed that the system’s closure was tied to budget limitations.

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University reimbursed

To avoid delaying student payments, DUT said it paid allowances from its budget, over R44 million, on 6 May 2025, after receiving the necessary internal approvals.

“Qualifying students could receive their allowances within the acceptable time frame of the 7th day of each month,” said the university.

Nsfas reimbursed the amount later that evening.

DUT said it was disappointed that Nsfas “issued a public statement referencing DUT without first engaging directly with the university to seek clarification”.

It said it is addressing the matter through the proper channels and remains committed to ensuring that all eligible students receive their financial aid.

DUT submitted a memorandum to Nsfas on 25 April outlining the reasons for delays in registration uploads, which included late Nsfas appeal outcomes, delays from accredited accommodation providers, and unresolved duplicate registration flags.

The university reiterated its support for Nsfas and said it remains open to “constructive engagement to resolve any outstanding matters.”

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