Quick answer
Most funders want proof of who you are and proof of your results. Means-tested funders also want household income information. Some want proof that you have applied for admission. Disability-related funding wants the funder's own form. Check the page for the bursary you are submitting.
Identity
A South African identity document or smart-card copy is the usual proof of identity. NSFAS's 2026 criteria limit funding to South African citizens and permanent residents with a valid identity number, and they warn that an error in the identity number, first name or surname can cause a rejection.
If you are a permanent resident, have the document the funder names. Do not substitute a birth certificate once you have an identity number, unless the form still asks for the birth certificate.
Academic results
School-leavers are often asked for a grade 11 report for a provisional application and the National Senior Certificate or statement of results later. Students already at an institution are asked for an academic record or transcript. Use the document that has the institution's stamp or official electronic stamp.
A screenshot of results that cuts off your name is a weak copy. Download the official record. If you rewrite a subject, send the new result only when the funder asks for an update.
Proof of income, when it is required
Not every bursary means-tests. When it does, the form says whose income counts: parents, a guardian, a spouse, or the applicant.
NSFAS's 2026 criteria describe household income for non-SASSA applicants in that way, and they say NSFAS also checks third-party data. The application page refers to payslips, an IRP5, a SASSA letter or, where it allows one, an affidavit.
The 2026 criteria say that for an appeal, only a SARS ITA34 will be considered as proof of income. Follow the checklist on the application you are submitting, not a mix of old instructions.
- Payslips or an IRP5 for people in the household who earn, if the funder asks for them.
- A SASSA letter if the funder needs proof of a grant.
- An affidavit only if that funder accepts an affidavit for a household with no income. NSFAS says it can reject affidavits.
- Do not create a household list that leaves out a parent the form asks for.
Proof of application or admission
Some bursaries require you to have applied to a university or TVET college, or to have a provisional acceptance. The proof may be an application number, an offer letter or a registration printout. Funding and admission are separate decisions. Keep both reference numbers.
Household information
Forms may ask who lives with you, who contributes money, and how you are related to them. Answer for the people the form defines. A household for NSFAS is not necessarily every relative at the same address. Read the definition on that form.
Disability documentation, where it applies
If you are applying for disability-related support, the funder usually has its own annexure. NSFAS publishes a disability annexure and says it must be completed by a registered professional or, where indicated, a disability office. Applicants already funded on that basis are told not to resubmit the annexure. Do not send medical reports to a bursary that has not asked for them.
Supporting documents
A motivation letter, proof of residence, or an affidavit of a changed household is a supporting document only when the bursary requests it. Label the file with your surname and the document type. Keep the original and submit the copy the form describes. Certified copies are often required for public processes, and the acceptable age of the certification varies.
Name the files so a clerk can match them
Use your surname and the document type: Surname-ID, Surname-NSC, Surname-academic-record. A file called scan.pdf is easy to lose inside a bursary office that receives thousands of uploads. Check that the copy is upright, complete, and still readable when you open it after export.
Certified copies are often requested for public processes. Ask the funder how recent the stamp must be. A police station, a post office or the institution may certify, and the acceptable place can be named on the form. Do not send the only original certificate you own.
Before you send anything
- The checklist you are using is from the funder's current page.
- Names and identity numbers match across the form and the documents.
- You are not emailing the pack to a private address that the funder does not publish.
- You have saved your own copies and the submission receipt.
Common mistakes
- Treating this article as a complete list for every bursary.
- Uploading last year's affidavit because this year's form looks similar.
- Leaving out a parent because that parent does not live with you, when the form still counts their income.
- Sending a clinic letter instead of the funder's disability form.
Information can change
Bursary rules, NSFAS thresholds and closing dates are set for a funding year and then updated. This guide uses NSFAS material published for the 2026 academic year and the NSFAS website as it stood when the guide was prepared. Read the current NSFAS or bursary page before you apply. Do not rely on a screenshot from a previous year.
Official sources
- NSFAS how to applyNSFAS's own notes on household documents and the disability annexure.
- NSFAS 2026 eligibility criteriaThe 2026 criteria, including identity details, consent and income evidence.
- NSFAS disability annexureThe disability form NSFAS published for applicants who need it.