25 February 2026

Special Student Support Fund - 2026 academic year

Dear NWU student

The NWU has approved the establishment of a Special Student Support Fund for the 2026 academic year.

This is a targeted, once-off intervention to address defined financial gaps that fall outside existing bursaries and approved funding instruments. It does not replace current funding schemes nor constitute general debt relief.

Purpose

The fund seeks to:

• Enable registration of financially constrained, academically performing students.
• Protect the academic progression of qualifying students, particularly those in their final year.
• Provide limited, capped support in clearly defined cases.

Historical debt will not be automatically settled. Any consideration thereof will be strictly limited and subject to the approved framework and students will remain responsible for outstanding debt where not able to be settled.

Financial allocation

The university has approved:

• R23 million to facilitate the registration of academically deserving students who meet approved criteria.
• R7 million for ad hoc, merit-based cases that fall outside standard bursary categories.

The total allocation amounts to approximately R30 million, excluding existing postgraduate, master's and doctoral bursary provisions for 2026.

Eligibility and governance

Applications will be assessed case by case in accordance with defined criteria and available funding.

Preference will be given to:

• Postgraduate students
• Final-year students
• Academically performing students.
• Recognised student leaders (where applicable).
• Students with verified financial distress.

Approval is not guaranteed and remains subject to compliance with institutional requirements.

This intervention affirms the university's commitment to academic continuity and prudent financial stewardship.

Further administrative details will be communicated through the appropriate channels.

Regards

Prof. Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka
Principal and Vice-Chancellor