The short version
We do not ask you for your name, ID number, phone number or email address anywhere on this site, and we have no database of visitors. The eligibility check runs entirely in your own browser. Your answers are never sent to us or to anyone else — close the tab and they are gone.
The things that do collect data here are the advertising: Google's ad code, and the sponsored banners served through OfferForge. Both are explained in full below.
Who we are
StudentFundza (studentfundza.com) is an independent information site about the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. We are not NSFAS, not the Department of Higher Education and Training, and not connected to any bursary scheme. We cannot see, change or process your NSFAS application.
The eligibility check
The questions you answer are processed by JavaScript running on your own device. Nothing you select is transmitted to a server, stored on our systems, or shared. We do not know what any individual answered, and we could not tell you if you asked.
Because of this, we also cannot retrieve a past result for you. If you want to keep a result, take a screenshot.
Advertising and cookies
This site is funded by advertising. We use Google AdSense, and this is what that means in practice:
- Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on this site.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and other sites on the internet.
- Google may collect your IP address, device and browser type, the pages you view here, and how you interact with ads.
If you are visiting from the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, you are asked to make a choice before any advertising cookies are set — Consent, Do not consent, or Manage options, which lets you decide purpose by purpose and vendor by vendor. Your choice is remembered, and you can change it later. Visitors from elsewhere, including South Africa, are not shown that prompt — the opt-out links below work for everyone.
You can opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies at aboutads.info/choices. Opting out does not remove ads; it makes them less relevant.
Google's own handling of your data is governed by the Google Privacy & Terms page. We do not control it and cannot delete data Google holds.
Sponsored banners and affiliate links
Some pages carry sponsored banners and links to financial products. These are served through OfferForge, a South African affiliate network. If you follow one and sign up, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Those links pass a referral code so the other company can tell the visit came from here.
Each banner also loads a small tracking image from OfferForge when the page opens, so the network can count how often the banner was shown. That request tells OfferForge your IP address, your browser type, and which of our pages you were on. It does not tell them who you are, and none of your calculator answers are ever included.
Once you leave this site, the advertiser's privacy policy applies, not ours. A sponsored banner is never a recommendation to borrow money, and applying for NSFAS is always free.
Analytics
We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which reports totals only — page views, referring sites, countries. It sets no cookies and does not build a profile of you or follow you to other sites.
Hosting and logs
This site is hosted on Cloudflare Pages. Like every web host, Cloudflare processes your IP address and request details in order to deliver the page and to block attacks. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
Children
This site is aimed at prospective and current tertiary students. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Your rights under POPIA
South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act gives you rights over personal information held about you. Because we hold no personal information about visitors, there is nothing for us to show, correct or delete. For the data Google collects through advertising, use the Google links above — those requests go to Google, who is the responsible party for it.
External links
We link to nsfas.org.za, my.nsfas.org.za and other sites. We are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices. Always confirm official information on the official NSFAS website.
Contact
If you have a question about this privacy policy or wish to exercise a right under POPIA, email us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the "last updated" date at the top of the page changes with it. Material changes will be noted on the page.
Never pay anyone to apply for NSFAS. NSFAS applications are free on my.nsfas.org.za. If a site or person asks you for money to apply, or asks for your myNSFAS password, it is a scam.