VerifiedSometimes. It depends on what you failed, how much you passed, and whether you still have funded time left under NSFAS’s N+ rule. For TVET college students, NSFAS’s 2026 criteria use two tests: passing at least 70% of the modules or courses you enrolled for, and the subject rules for your programme.
Check Your Personalized Bursary Options
Step 1: Choose Study Level
Step 2: Choose Field of Study
Step 3: Describe Your Interest
Tell us if you want bursaries, scholarships, admissions, or student loans?
The TVET progression rules
| Programme | To keep NSFAS funding for the next level |
|---|---|
| NC(V) | Pass at least 5 of the subjects in the level you have just completed, and at least 70% of your enrolled modules |
| Report 191 (N-courses) | Pass at least 3 subjects in the N-level you have just completed, and at least 70% of your enrolled modules |
| Occupational programmes | The college sets the progression criteria and shares results with NSFAS |
How the N+ rule affects repeating
- NSFAS funds the normal length of your qualification plus one extra academic term (N+1). Students with disabilities get two extra terms (N+2).
- At a TVET college, the rule counts NSFAS-funded academic terms, and the extra term can be used to repeat at any level.
- The extra term is used once per sector, so a second failed term after it is used usually ends your funding.
If NSFAS stops your funding
- Check the reason on myNSFAS.
- If your failure was caused by serious circumstances, appeal within 30 days of the result.
- Accepted academic grounds include being ill for two months or more, a death in your immediate family, being the victim of a violent crime, giving birth during the term, a disability that affected your studies, or results that were captured incorrectly.
- Attach proof, such as medical certificates, a death certificate or a police case number.
Changing programmes, for example from NC(V) to an N-course, also makes you ineligible for NSFAS, unless you were funded for the first time and completed only one term.
Frequently asked questions
Will NSFAS fund me if I fail one NC(V) subject?
You can keep funding for the next NC(V) level if you passed at least five subjects in the level you completed, provided you are still within the N+ limit.
Can I appeal if I failed because I was sick?
Yes. Illness for two months or more during the term is an accepted ground for an academic appeal. Appeal on myNSFAS within 30 days with medical proof.