Built for 11 million SA students

Your varsity life, finally under control.

NSFAS tracking, budget management, study planner, meal prep, and Nova — an AI companion built for the reality of being a South African student.

Free forever · Works offline · Install on your phone

R0to get startedfree forever
5-in-1tools, one appno switching
15+SA universitiesUCT to TUT
R39to unlock Scholar75 Nova messages

For students at South African universities

UCTWitsUPSUUKZNUJUWCNMURhodesUFHWSUUNISADUTCPUTTUT+ more

Sound familiar?

SA varsity life is hard
enough without the chaos.

Your NSFAS money runs out 10 days before month-end — and you're not sure where it went.

You missed another deadline because it was buried in a WhatsApp group at 11pm.

Load shedding hit during your only study block. No plan B.

You're stressed, you can't afford a therapist, and generic wellness apps don't understand SA.

You're not failing. You just don't have the right tools yet.

Enter VarsityOS

Everything you need.
One place. Built for SA.

Budget · March

NSFAS foodR890
TransportR340
BooksR210

R1,840 remaining this month

Upcoming

CHEM3 exam

Mon 14 Apr

Physics assignment

Wed 16 Apr

Group presentation

Fri 18 Apr

12 day streak

Keep it going

Nova

AI companion

stressed about exams + not sleeping 😔

Let's start with tonight — what's actually keeping you awake?

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

Budget & NSFAS

Track every rand. Log allowances, monitor spending, and get AI budget analysis.

Study Planner

Timetable, exam countdowns, tasks, and AI study plans around your schedule.

Meal Prep

Budget SA recipes under R50, weekly meal plans, and an AI recipe generator.

Nova AI

A warm AI companion for mental health, study strategy, and NSFAS guidance.

Work & Shifts

Track part-time jobs, log shifts, and get conflict alerts with your lectures.

Study Groups

Create group spaces, share tasks, and collaborate with classmates — built in.

✦ Nova AI companion

Not a chatbot.
Someone who gets it.

Nova runs on a comprehensive SA student knowledge base — NSFAS rules, load-shedding strategies, CBT techniques, imposter syndrome coaching, real-rand financial guidance. It knows the difference between ordinary stress and a crisis.

CBT-based mental health support

Crisis detection + SADAG & LifeLine hotlines built in

Evidence-based study strategies

Spaced repetition, retrieval practice, load-shedding plans

Real NSFAS & money coaching

N+ rules, debt prevention, side hustles around lectures

SA student life, deeply understood

Township backgrounds, language barriers, family pressure, res culture

Nova

Online · SA Student AI

I'm really stressed about my exams and haven't been sleeping properly 😔

That combination is genuinely hard — and very common before exams. Let's start with tonight, not the whole exam period. What's actually keeping you awake?

I keep thinking about failing and losing my NSFAS funding.

That fear is real and it makes sense — NSFAS is tied to your academic progress. But catastrophising now makes it harder to perform. Let's separate what you can control tonight. What's your first exam and when?

Talk to Nova...

10 free messages/month · 75 with Scholar · 200 with Premium

Up and running in 3 minutes.

No app store. No credit card. Just sign up.

Create your account

Sign up with email or Google in under a minute. No payment details required.

Set up your profile

Add your university, degree, and year. We personalise everything around you.

Take control

Add your modules, load your NSFAS budget, and meet Nova. Everything syncs.

Simple, honest pricing.

Start free. Upgrade only when you need more Nova.

Free
R0
forever, no catch
  • Full Study Planner
  • Budget & NSFAS tracker
  • Meal Prep module
  • Work & earnings tracker
  • 10 Nova messages / month
Get started free
Best value
Scholar
R39
per month
  • Everything in Free
  • 75 Nova messages / month
  • AI Recipe Generator
  • Study session tracking
  • Priority support
Go Scholar
Premium
R79
per month
  • Everything in Scholar
  • 200 Nova messages / month
  • CSV data export
  • Early access to new features
  • Priority support
Go Premium

What students are saying

Nova talked me through a full breakdown before my CHEM3 exam. Didn't feel like a chatbot — it felt like someone who actually got it.

Lethabo M.

3rd year BSc, Wits

I finally know exactly where my NSFAS money goes. The budget tracker is the first thing I open every month.

Ayasha P.

2nd year Law, UCT

Set up my whole semester timetable in 10 minutes. No more missed assignments buried in WhatsApp.

Siyanda D.

1st year Engineering, UKZN

Common questions

Is VarsityOS actually free?

Yes. The free plan gives you full access to the Study Planner, Budget & NSFAS tracker, Meal Prep, Work tracker, and 10 Nova messages every month — forever. Paid plans unlock more Nova.

How does VarsityOS help me track my NSFAS?

Log your NSFAS allowances, track spending by category, and see exactly how much you have left. Nova can also answer questions about N+ rules and what happens if you fail modules.

What makes Nova different from ChatGPT?

Nova is built specifically for SA students. It knows NSFAS rules, understands load shedding, speaks to imposter syndrome in first-gen students, uses CBT techniques, and detects mental health crises with instant access to SA helplines. It speaks your reality.

Which universities does VarsityOS work for?

All SA universities — UCT, Wits, UP, Stellenbosch, UKZN, UJ, UWC, NMU, Rhodes, UFH, WSU, UNISA, DUT, CPUT, TUT, and more.

Can I install it on my phone without an app store?

Open VarsityOS in Chrome or Safari and tap 'Add to Home Screen'. It installs like a native app, works offline during load shedding, and uses almost no storage.

What does the Scholar plan include vs Premium?

Scholar (R39/month) gives you 75 Nova messages per month and the AI Recipe Generator. Premium (R79/month) gives you 200 Nova messages, CSV export, and early access to new features.

Ready to actually get on top of it?

Your budget, your studies, your mental health — in one app built for the reality of SA varsity life. Free to start.

Create your free account

No credit card · No app store · Works on any device