NSFAS runs what it calls a virtual contact centre, which in practice means the phone is only one of several equally official routes — WhatsApp and a USSD code work just as well, and for many students they work better, because they do not depend on airtime or a queue. The toll-free number is the same whether your query is about a payment, a balance, or a general student matter, so there is no need to work out which line to choose. What does need care is your postal address: NSFAS publishes two different private bags, one for university and TVET college documents and a separate one for NSFAS Wallet documents, and sending paperwork to the wrong one delays it. There is also a strict rule on legal documents, which are only valid through one specific mailbox. All routes below come from the NSFAS website.
Official contact channels
- Toll-free: 08000 67327, as published by NSFAS — dialled as 0800 067 327. This covers payment and balance enquiries as well as general and student queries.
- WhatsApp: +27 63 093 5671
- USSD: *120*67327#
- General and student enquiries: [email protected]
- Payments and balances: [email protected], or [email protected]
- Social media: Facebook as National Student Financial Aid Scheme, and @myNSFAS on both X and Instagram
- Outreach and community events: 021 763 3200, [email protected]
- Media enquiries: 021 763 3200, [email protected]
Services and responsibilities
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme funds eligible students at South African universities and TVET colleges, covering tuition and providing allowances, and it administers the NSFAS Wallet through which some payments are made. It is a registered credit provider in terms of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005, under registration number NCRP 2655 — which matters because part of what NSFAS does is recover historic loan debt, and that is why collections has its own mailbox separate from general enquiries. If your query is about repaying an older NSFAS loan rather than current funding, use the collections address.
Office and address information
- Head office: The Halyard, 4 Christiaan Barnard Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001
- Postal — university and TVET college documents: Private Bag X4, Plumstead, 7801
- Postal — NSFAS Wallet documents: Private Bag X6, Plumstead, 7801
The two private bags differ by a single character, X4 against X6, and they are not interchangeable. Check which category your documents fall into before posting. NSFAS does not publish contact centre operating hours, so treat the phone line as a business-hours service and use WhatsApp or USSD outside those times.
Applications and escalation
- Start on 08000 67327, WhatsApp or USSD, and keep a record of the reference and date.
- Legal documents must go to [email protected]. NSFAS states that legal documentation not submitted and logged through that dedicated mailbox will be deemed invalid and will not receive timeous attention. This is the strictest rule it publishes, and it is easy to fall foul of by sending papers to a case handler instead.
- Fraud and corruption go to the NSFAS Ethics and Fraud hotline on 0800 007 396, by WhatsApp on 0860 004 004, or to [email protected]. NSFAS also publishes an SMS call-back number, 48691, a free post address at BNT165, Brooklyn Square, 0075, and the behonest.co.za reporting site.
- The fraud hotline is run as an independent reporting channel rather than through ordinary student support, which is what allows a report to be made in confidence.
Sources
The telephone numbers, WhatsApp and USSD routes, email addresses, postal and physical addresses and credit provider registration on this page were read from the NSFAS website at nsfas.org.za on 30 August 2026. Nothing has been inferred or taken from a directory. Student funding contact routes change between academic cycles, so confirm against nsfas.org.za before relying on them.