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Mafriq is the youth-first finance platform that underwrites future earnings, not current bank balances, so that South Africa's missing-middle students can access, complete, and convert tertiary education into real economic mobility.
OUR MISSION
Every year, hundreds of thousands of young South Africans qualify for tertiary study but cannot secure funding or complete their degrees because the system misprices their risk. Public schemes support the poorest. Banks support the wealthiest. The missing middle sits between these two poles, facing blocked registrations, unpaid fees, and dropout driven mostly by money, not marks.
Mafriq is designed to close this gap. We use Income Share Agreements (ISAs) combined with a proprietary behavioural potential model to fund high-potential students into high-employability programmes. Instead of asking for collateral, we look at what really predicts success: your academic trajectory, programme quality, resilience, and labour-market outcomes.
We fund tuition, accommodation, and living costs, then recover a fair, income-linked share once students are employed and earning above a threshold. We win when they win.
R0
No compounding costs, ever
ISA
Income-linked, fair repayment
3
Lifecycle phases of support
∞
Potential we believe in
What We Stand For
These aren't slogans on a wall. They're the principles that guide every decision we make.
Every decision we make starts with one question: does this serve the student? Not the institution, not the investor. The student.
No hidden fees. No fine print. You know exactly what you will pay, when you will pay it, and when you are done.
We do not judge you on your parents' income or your postal code. We look at who you are and who you are becoming.
We only succeed when you succeed. That is why we invest in your career, not just your fees.
You are never alone on this journey. Mafriq surrounds you with peers, mentors, and coaches who want to see you thrive.
We think in decades, not semesters. Repayments from one cohort fund the next, turning the missing middle from a structural loss into a national asset.
WHY INCOME SHARE AGREEMENTS?
Mafriq's Income Share Agreements are not like traditional student funding. They are designed to flex with your life and protect you when things are tough. We only get repaid when you are earning, which means we are deeply invested in your success. That is not just good ethics. It is good business.
No repayments while you are studying. Contributions start only once you are earning above a threshold.
If you earn less, you pay less. Payments pause if your income drops below the threshold.
No collateral or parental guarantees required.
Once you hit the repayment cap, you are completely free. No more payments, ever.
We actively help you get employed, because your success powers the whole system.
Get In Touch
Whether you are a prospective student, an institution, an employer, or a funder who believes South Africa's youth deserve better than broken funding and blocked opportunity, we would love to hear from you.