How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps

There is no separate NSFAS email address for appeals. An appeal is submitted inside your myNSFAS account, and the address for everything else is info@nsfas.org.za on the toll-free number 08000 67327. We read these details on nsfas.org.za on 23 September 2026.

NSFAS appeal contact details

How an appeal is submitted	Log in to your myNSFAS profile and complete the appeal application there
General and student enquiries	info@nsfas.org.za, 08000 67327
WhatsApp	+27 63 093 5671
USSD	*120*67327#
Payments, balances and account queries	queries@nsfas.org.za or collections@nsfas.org.za, 08000 67327
Social media	Facebook: National Student Financial Aid Scheme; X and Instagram: @myNSFAS
Head office	The Halyard, 4 Christiaan Barnard Street, Cape Town City Centre, 8001
Postal (university and TVET documents)	Private Bag X4, Plumstead, 7801
Postal (NSFAS Wallet documents)	Private Bag X6, Plumstead, 7801
Fraud and ethics hotline	0800 007 396, WhatsApp 0860 004 004, speakup@nsfas.org.za

If someone gives you an “appeals@” address for NSFAS, treat it with suspicion. The only mailboxes NSFAS publishes are info@, queries@, collections@, outreach@, media@ and speakup@.

How the appeal works

NSFAS defines an appeal as a request to reconsider a decision not to award funding. A student whose application was rejected, or whose funding as a continuing student was withdrawn, may lodge one, and appeal decisions are subject to budget availability.

1. You have 30 days from receiving your application result to appeal.
2. Log in to myNSFAS and complete the appeal application with the information requested.
3. Upload the supporting documents for your specific rejection reason; without them the appeal has nothing to stand on.

Appeals are only considered for students who actually applied to NSFAS for financial aid in the first place.

Who cannot appeal

• Students registered for a qualification NSFAS does not fund.
• Students who have reached N+2, or N+3 for students with disabilities, except final-year students with a propensity letter completed by the institution.
• Gap year students previously denied aid for not meeting the academic eligibility criteria.
• Students whose institution has not submitted the registration record, or submitted an incorrect one. NSFAS says those enquiries must go to the institution, not to it.

Income appeals

Rejections on financial grounds come from SARS data, credit bureau data or the income you declared, at thresholds of R350,000 for most students and R600,000 for students with disabilities. NSFAS will consider an appeal where:

• Household income has changed since the application and you can show it, for example with a retrenchment letter, a letter of termination or a UIF letter.
• The main contributor to household income has become incapacitated or has died, with a death certificate attached.
• A court has declared you independent of your biological parents.
• You are from a child-headed household, substantiated by a report from a social worker registered with the Department of Social Development.
• A divorce decree restricts responsibility for the cost of education to one parent, and that parent meets the financial criteria.

Most of these appeals also need the latest ITA34 from SARS for every listed parent, guardian or spouse, and proof of income such as a payslip. A SASSA letter is the supporting document where you are a SASSA beneficiary.

Academic appeals

Where funding was refused on academic grounds, NSFAS will only consider an appeal from a continuing student who was not a first-time entering student in the previous term, and where the failure was caused by one of these:

• Severe ill health for two or more months of the term, or during the examinations, with a medical report.
• A death in the immediate family during the term, with the death certificate.
• Being the victim of a violent crime, with proof.
• Pregnancy and giving birth during the term, with a medical report.
• A disability, where a medical report shows it is why the term was not completed.
• Evidence that the academic results NSFAS received are wrong.

Appeals against the N+ rule need a letter from the institution confirming you can finish the qualification within one additional academic term, alongside the document for your reason. TVET students also need a letter from the college where fewer than three subjects remain for a Report 191 qualification, or fewer than four for an NC(V) qualification. The propensity forms for university and TVET students are downloadable from nsfas.org.za.

Frequently asked questions

What is the How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps contact number?

The number listed on this page for How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps is 0800 007 396 (Fraud and ethics hotline).

What is the How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps email address?

The email address listed on this page is info@nsfas.org.za (General and student enquiries).

Does How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps have a WhatsApp number?

Yes. The WhatsApp number listed on this page is +27 63 093 5671.

How do I know these How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps details are correct?

We only list details read from the official website or channels of How to Lodge an NSFAS Appeal: Deadline and Steps, and this page shows the date they were checked. Confirm on the official site before you share personal information or make a payment.

Sources

• NSFAS, Appeals: nsfas.org.za/content/appeals.html (read 23 September 2026)
• NSFAS, Contact us: nsfas.org.za/content/contact.html (read 23 September 2026)