Nsfas slams ‘fake news’ about registration portal closure

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) has distanced itself from a false statement circulating on social media claiming that its 2025 registration portal has closed due to budget constraints.

The scheme condemned the message as misleading and warned of the damage such misinformation could cause to students and the broader higher education sector.

‘Fake news’

According to Nsfas, the fake message alleges that: “Due to the ongoing Nsfas budget constraints, the 2025 registration portal has closed. Therefore, Nsfas has advised that no registration templates will be accepted until further notice.”

Nsfas rejected the claim on Wednesday, calling it a “gross misrepresentation” of its operational status.

“Nsfas wishes to unequivocally distance itself from a message currently circulating on social media platforms,” the scheme said.

Clarifying the false claims, Nsfas confirmed that the registration system has been fully functional since March.

“On 3 March, Nsfas issued a circular notice to all universities confirming that the Nsfas portal was ready to receive valid registration data,” the statement read.

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.

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Delays caused by late submissions

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

This was denied by DUT.

“This non-compliance has regrettably impacted the timely disbursement of tuition and living allowances to eligible students,” the scheme said.

It has since made progress in addressing the delays.

“On 6 May, the scheme successfully released student allowance payments to the affected universities,” it confirmed.

The scheme reaffirmed its dedication to supporting students and ensuring that funding is delivered efficiently.

“Nsfas remains committed to ensuring that eligible students receive their funding in a timely and efficient manner and urges all institutions to comply with the stipulated data submission deadlines,” it said.

The financial aid body also encouraged students to verify all official communication through its website or authorised institutional channels to avoid falling victim to false information.

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University called to clarify

The source of the misleading information is unclear, but Nsfas has pointed to the possibility that it may have originated from the Durban University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Should this statement have originated from [this university, it] is formally requested to issue an immediate correction,” the scheme said.

In response, DUT said no official institutional communication or media statement was released by the university making claims about Nsfas.

“The information referenced in the Nsfas statement originated from direct communication sent by the Financial Aid unit to a group of 1671 affected DUT students on Monday, 05 May 2025.

“The intention was to provide those students with accurate and transparent information concerning the status of their May 2025 Nsfas allowance payments, as part of the university’s commitment to open, honest and responsible communication,” DUT said in a statement.

Dut added that by the Nsfas deadline of 2 April 2025, 23 464  student registration templates were successfully uploaded.

“An additional 634 templates were uploaded on 03 April 2025, when the portal remained accessible.

“However, a further 1037 registration templates could not be uploaded as the system was no longer accepting submissions after that date,” it said.

DUT said it respects the role of Nsfas “as a critical partner in supporting students in higher education and remains committed to constructive engagement to resolve any outstanding matters”.

“The university is, however, disappointed that NSFAS issued a public statement referencing DUT without first engaging directly with the university to seek clarification.

“We confirm that DUT is actively seeking to address this misunderstanding through appropriate channels and remains fully committed to the shared goal of ensuring that qualifying students receive the financial support they are entitled to.”

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