Encouraging progress is being made daily, as more students get cleared for registration, as evidenced by the rising enrolment numbers.
Registration
As at Monday, 28 February 2022, a total 29 742 students were registered. Of those, 27 140 are undergraduate students, while 2 602 have registered for their postgraduate studies. The target for 2022 enrolments was set at 30 953. Students who have been cleared for registration but have not yet enrolled are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.
Any registration after the closure date on Friday will be dealt with in terms of a special dispensation where students will have to complete a late request form, motivate why they could not register on time and submit same via their Faculty Academic Administration Office. These will be considered by the Faculty Academic Administration Office and Academic Administration.
For issues relating to the last outstanding modules in Higher Certificate programmes, Faculty Management Committees (FMCs), who have the delegated authority, would consider each case on merit.
For academic appeals, FMCs have met, included student representatives in the discussions, and supported faculty administration to finalise these and communicate the outcomes to students as soon as possible. There are a few appeals that are still coming through, which faculties are working to speedily resolve.
NSFAS
As at Friday, 25 February 2022, a total 23 888 students are funded by the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), effectively clearing them for registration. Of these NSFAS-funded students, 20 265 have been cleared for accommodation registration.
Concessions
As at Friday, 25 February 2022, the University had received 8525 applications for financial concessions for qualifying students up to and including the “missing middle” students (whose household income is more than R350 000 and less than R600 000), with 5 423 applications approved.
A number of those approved (2 032) were ultimately funded by NSFAS and have since fallen off the list. About 743 applications were unsuccessful due to students not meeting the criteria, and the University received 378 appeals. These appeals have been dealt with and the outcome have and or will be communicated to the applicants shortly whilst new appeals and applications will be processed and concluded expeditiously. To date 207 appeals have been approved.
Furthermore, about 933 students who are awaiting their NSFAS outcomes (Higher Certificate and Registration Template issues) have been granted concessions.
Academic
As we enter the third week since the start of lectures, the hope is that admitted students, whether registered or not, have been attending classes as per provisions made. Numerous messages were sent to unregistered students to participate in lectures from Monday, 14 February 2022. Unregistered students were provided with data and given access to various online platforms, including email and Moodle.
Unregistered students who have struggled to keep pace with their studies should approach their lecturers for guidance so they can be supported in taking responsibility for developing a personal catch-up plan and are encouraged to go through all the materials in Moodle to assist them in this regard.
Unregistered students should also consult advisers in faculties or Success Coaches to assist them in their catch-up planning. The same process of contacting the lecturer concerned should be followed regarding missed assessments.
Conclusion
The increasing number of registrations and funding clearances bear testament to the ongoing work towards ensuring that no academically deserving student is denied access to higher education.
Students are reminded of the existing engagement protocols should they need to raise any concerns about their future at Mandela University.
The University remains committed to serving student interests to the best of its ability.