POV: SHE APPLIED FOR FINANCIAL AID AND GOT A BURSARY (FULL AND NON REFUNDABLE )

# 🎓 UP FINANCIAL AID EXPLAINED 💰 | SAVE THIS! If you’re a University of Pretoria student and you’re confused about **NSFAS, UP financial aid, bursaries, loans and what documents you need**, SAVE this post! 🥹📚 First things first: **financial aid ≠ only NSFAS.** At UP, students can potentially access different forms of funding, including **UP bursaries/loans, external bursaries, scholarships and NSFAS**. UP also has a funding database where students can register to be considered for suitable funding opportunities. However, registering or applying **does NOT guarantee that you will receive funding** — funding is limited and you still have to meet the relevant criteria. ### 💙 1. UP FINANCIAL AID UP bursary and loan applications are submitted through the **UP Student Portal**. For 2026, UP financial-aid applications opened on **3 November 2025**. UP advises students to apply in the year BEFORE they study so that applications have enough time to be processed. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: **Submitting an application does NOT mean you have been funded.** UP specifically states that there is no guarantee that a student will receive a bursary or loan. Your application must meet the relevant criteria, funding is limited, and incomplete applications will not be considered. ### 📂 2. DOCUMENTS YOU SHOULD HAVE READY Your exact documents depend on your personal circumstances and the specific funding opportunity, but UP requires supporting documentation relating to your financial situation. You may need: 📌 **Proof of income** — such as recent payslips or pension advice 📌 **Proof of income for your parent(s)/legal guardian** 📌 **Proof of your spouse’s income if you are married** 📌 **Proof of income/means of survival if you are financially independent** 📌 **Affidavits if a parent/guardian is unemployed or has no formal proof of income** 📌 **Affidavits relating to maintenance/financial support where parents are divorced or a parent is single** 📌 **Proof of monthly support/allowance from a legal guardian where applicable** 📌 **Additional documents required by the specific bursary or loan** UP states that proof of income should generally **not be older than 3 months**. Self-employed applicants may need recent financial statements plus confirmation from an auditor/bookkeeper or an affidavit stating gross monthly income/withdrawals. 🚨 **VERY IMPORTANT:** Your documents need to be uploaded in the required format, and UP states that documents must be **PDFs and not password protected**. You need to upload ALL required documents before you can submit the application for processing. If a document is rejected, check your **Documents & Communications** tile on the Student Portal to see why and upload the corrected document. ### 💰 3. NSFAS NSFAS is separate from UP's normal financial-aid application. **NSFAS applications are centralised with NSFAS**, so students should apply through NSFAS and follow the relevant NSFAS application dates and requirements. If you are successfully funded by NSFAS, the funding can cover applicable study-related costs and allowances depending on your circumstances and the rules applicable to your funding. For example, UP's 2026 NSFAS payout information specifies different arrangements depending on whether a student lives at home, in non-accredited private accommodation or accredited private accommodation. ### 🎓 4. DON'T ONLY APPLY FOR NSFAS! If you don't qualify for NSFAS, that does **NOT automatically mean you have no funding options.** Look at: ✅ UP bursaries ✅ UP loans ✅ External bursaries ✅ Scholarships ✅ Achievement awards ✅ Faculty/department-specific opportunities ✅ Other funding opportunities available through UP's funding database UP says its funding database is open to students regardless of household income, programme or year of study, although each individual funding opportunity will have its own criteria. Applying doesn’t mean automatically you’ll be funded #bursary #funding #financialaid #studentlife #universityofpretoria