NSFAS accommodation in Goodwood and Parow

What to know

How NSFAS pays for a private room

How private rent is paid depends on your institution. Some use the NSFAS accommodation portal; others, like CPUT in 2026, run their own system. Your funding must be confirmed and the property must be one that NSFAS or your institution allows.

NSFAS says that a funded student living somewhere that is not accredited gets no accommodation allowance unless NSFAS and the institution have given permission. A signed lease on its own does not get the rent paid.

NSFAS says funded students should not be charged fees for student accommodation. If a provider asks you to pay to hold a room, ask what the money is for, get it in writing, and check with Financial Aid before you pay.

CPUT Bellville students

For 2026, CPUT was not part of the NSFAS accommodation platform. CPUT Financial Aid ran private accommodation through a system called Fundi:

1. You agree on a room with a private provider and sign a lease.
2. The provider registers the property on Fundi Merchant, links you, and uploads the signed lease and your proof of home address.
3. Financial Aid reviews the request.
4. You get an email, log in to Fundi and approve or reject the provider.
5. If NSFAS has paid CPUT, rent goes to the provider monthly from February to November.

CPUT’s 2026 rules also required a home address more than 60 km from the institution and minimum academic results. Proof of address could be a utility bill or bank statement. Affidavits were not accepted. NSFAS caps the allowance, so if the rent is higher, you pay the difference. The lease was between you and the provider, so you would carry the rent if your funding fell through.

The 2026 window ran from 16 January to 15 February 2026, with no extensions. Watch the CPUT NSFAS notices page for the 2027 dates and rules.

Northlink students

Northlink asks you to apply for accommodation at the campus where you enrol. It lists residences at Belhar and Tygerberg (Tygerberg is for returning students) and a private partner, Northville. Parts of that page are old, so confirm with your campus.

If you want a private room in Goodwood or Parow instead, ask your campus how a private lease would be approved and paid for your funding type before you sign.

Goodwood and Parow

Goodwood and Parow are close to CPUT Bellville and Northlink’s Goodwood campus, and many private providers here advertise to NSFAS students. Treat the advert as a starting point. What counts is approval for that exact address and room. Ask the provider to show you.

Gradhaven in Goodwood

Gradhaven has apartments in Goodwood with en suite bathrooms and workspaces, for students at CPUT Bellville, Northlink and nearby campuses. Tell us your campus, dates and where your NSFAS application stands, and we reply in writing, including anything we cannot confirm yet. An enquiry does not reserve or confirm a room.

Questions to answer

Ask any provider, including us:

• Has NSFAS or my institution approved this exact address? Can I see it in writing?
• Is the property registered on the system my institution uses, such as Fundi?
• Does the lease match my study period: a year or a semester, or a trimester at a TVET college?
• What do I owe if my funding is not confirmed, or if the rent is above the NSFAS cap?
• Are there any fees on top of the rent, and what are they for?

Then use the signing checklist for the lease itself.