Borrowing
Compare Student Loans and Study Funding in South Africa
A bank student loan, a loan that needs a surety, and NSFAS funding are different arrangements. NSFAS also runs bursaries, which are not the same as its repayable loan scheme. This page keeps those labels separate.
Standard Bank’s student loan without surety is described as closed to new applications. It is shown for context only. There is no apply button on this site for any study product. Each card shows the date that product was checked.
Commercial loans, surety and public funding
Standard Bank’s student loan with surety is a bank product for an accredited institution. Published interest and initiation figures conflict across the bank’s own pages, so this card does not pick a rate band. Full-time study can require a guarantor. Part-time study is linked to income of at least R5 000.
Absa’s study loan has a published minimum of R15 000 and can cover books, tuition and eligible accommodation, with an interest-only first year described by the bank. The maximum and the term were not published. Nedbank distinguishes full-time study, which may need a guarantor paying interest during studies, from part-time study that repays principal and interest. Current Nedbank pricing was not verified.
Capfin and RCS say a personal loan can be used for education costs. Those cards are marked as general-purpose borrowing. They are not specialist student loans, they do not defer repayment the way a study loan can, and they are not NSFAS.
NSFAS is a public student funding scheme, not a commercial lender on this page. The loan scheme is separate from an NSFAS bursary. The published eligibility refers to missing-middle household income and public institutions, and it has to be re-checked for the current academic year. No official NSFAS logo is shown, so the card uses the scheme name.
Compare providers
Each card uses the product published for this page. A product that also appears under another heading is still the same product. A missing fee is not shown as zero.
Bank study loans
A surety, an interest-only study period and a bursary are different arrangements.
- Amount
- From R15 000
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. SA citizen/permanent resident; income >R3,000; approved institution; study costs
- May cover books, tuition and eligible accommodation
- First-year interest-only structure
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
- Amount
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Credit-life available.
Eligibility. Full-time may require guarantor paying interest while studying; part-time repays principal and interest
- Supports full- and part-time studies
- Flexible study-stage repayments
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Standard Bank
Student Loan with Surety
Bank study loan
The provider’s own pages do not agree on the price. Confirm the quotation.
- Amount
- From R5 000
- Repayment
- 12–120 months
The provider’s own pages do not agree on the interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation.
- Initiation fee
- The provider’s pages do not agree. Confirm the fee in the quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- R69/month shown by provider.
- Credit insurance
- Insurance optional per product terms.
Eligibility. SA citizen; accredited institution; guarantor for full-time; part-time income ≥R5,000
- Covers tuition, accommodation and books
- Interest-only while full-time studying
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Public study funding
This scheme is separate from a bank study loan and from an NSFAS bursary.
NSFAS. No official logo is shown. NSFAS
NSFAS Loan Scheme
Public student funding scheme
This is the NSFAS loan scheme. It is not a bank loan, and it is not an NSFAS bursary.
- Funding
- Confirm with the provider
- Repayment
- Confirm with the provider
The scheme sets its own repayment terms. Confirm them for the academic year you apply.
- Scheme cost
- Set by the scheme.
- Monthly service fee
- Set by the scheme.
- Credit insurance
- Not the same as credit life insurance on a bank loan.
Eligibility. SA citizens/permanent residents; generally missing-middle household income R350,001–R600,000; public institutions; academic criteria
- Public sector alternative to commercial credit
- Income-based criteria
Information last checked 28 October 2026. NSFAS is a public funding scheme. This page does not show it as a registered credit provider.
Not a dedicated product for this need
The provider may allow this use. It is not a separate tariff for this purpose.
Capfin
Personal Loan for Education Costs (NOT dedicated student loan)
General-purpose personal loan
This is ordinary borrowing that the provider says can be used for education costs. It is not a specialist student loan.
- Amount
- R1 000 – R50 000
- Repayment
- 6–24 months
Personalised interest rate. Confirm the rate in the quotation. You may not be offered a published example.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Confirm in your quotation.
Eligibility. Ordinary personal-loan underwriting, not student-specific eligibility
- May finance tuition and study materials
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
RCS
Personal Loan for Study Expenses (NOT specialist student loan)
General-purpose personal loan
This is ordinary borrowing that the provider says can be used for education costs. It is not a specialist student loan.
- Amount
- R2 000 – R300 000
- Repayment
- 12–60 months
The provider advertises a rate from 15%. You may not be offered that rate.
- Initiation fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Monthly service fee
- Confirm in your quotation.
- Credit insurance
- Customer Protection Insurance per agreement.
Eligibility. Borrower must meet income, credit and affordability requirements
- Tuition, courses, books, equipment possible use
Information last checked 29 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Closed to new applications
These products are shown so the closure is visible. Amounts and rates are not offered as current.
Standard Bank
Student Loan without Surety
Closed to new applications
The provider’s page said applications were closed. This is not an open product.
Full-time SA student; participating university/course; household income limits; availability subject to reopening
Information last checked 28 October 2026. Not independently verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register before you apply.
Compare selected products
Choose up to three. This view does not rank a cheapest or best product, and it does not estimate an instalment.
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Illustrative repayment calculator
Type your own amount, annual rate and fees. The result is an illustration, not a provider quotation. It assumes equal monthly instalments. It does not price a loan counted in days, a student interest-only period, or a fee that was left blank.
What to check before you apply
Who is liable
The student, a parent, or a surety. A surety can be asked to pay if the student does not.
What the money covers
Tuition, accommodation and books are named only where the published product pages say so. Do not assume devices or a private college are included.
While you are studying
Interest-only or a payment pause can still grow the balance. Read whether principal is repaid during the course or afterwards.
Interest does not pause just because classes have started
Bank study loans are credit agreements. Fees and interest follow the quotation. Standard Bank shows a R69 monthly service fee on the surety product, and insurance is described as optional. The conflicting rate pages are a disagreement between the provider’s pages, not a range you should rely on.
NSFAS scheme terms, including what is repaid and when, were not verified numerically. Use the NSFAS pages linked from the card and the source register for the year you are applying.
Consumer protection
A registered credit provider must assess affordability and give a pre-agreement quotation. These cards are not that quotation. Interest, initiation fees, service fees and credit life insurance are set out by the provider for the agreement you are offered.
Registration numbers are not shown as verified. Check the legal entity on the National Credit Regulator register, including cancelled and lapsed entries. Early settlement, arrears and default consequences depend on the contract and the National Credit Act.
Personal information you submit on a provider’s own site is their responsibility under POPIA. WiT Money does not take loan applications on this page. Information Regulator
How WiT Money compares these products
Each category keeps its own products. A short-term amount is not copied onto a student loan, and a bank study loan is not described as NSFAS funding. Empty fees and amounts stay blank.
Nothing is sorted as cheapest, best or easiest to get. The default order is alphabetical by provider, then product. A listed name is not a recommendation. No provider is paying for a placement. The button opens the provider’s homepage.
Bad-credit products stay ordinary credit assessments. The Standard Bank student loan without surety stays closed to new applications. NSFAS stays a public scheme, and its bursary is separate from the loan scheme.
Questions readers ask
Is an NSFAS bursary a loan?
No. A bursary is generally not repaid when the programme conditions are met. The NSFAS loan scheme is a separate, repayable arrangement. The card on this page is the loan scheme.
Can I apply for the Standard Bank loan that does not need surety?
The official page reviewed on 28 October 2026 said applications were closed. The card stays visible so that closure is not hidden, and it is not offered as an open product.
Does a student loan skip an affordability check?
A bank loan does not. A parent or surety who signs is taking on credit. NSFAS uses its own eligibility rules, which are not a bank score.
Sources
Page updated 29 October 2026. A source date is the day WiT Money checked that page, not a promise the institution has not changed it since.
- National Credit Regulator
National Credit Regulator · checked 28 October 2026
- National Credit Act 34 of 2005
South African Government · checked 28 October 2026
Related borrowing pages
Personal loans
Longer unsecured loans, with their own amounts and terms.
Short-term loans
Smaller amounts and shorter contracts.
Emergency loans
The same short products, read as a once-off bill.
Debt consolidation
One new loan in place of several. Not debt review.
Bad credit
No specialist approval product was verified.