Registration
New first-year applicants who have received firm academic admission offers to register, and who have confirmed their intention to do so, are reminded that late registration is open until 28 February 2026.
Those who are not yet registered and require lecture timetables and module information are encouraged to contact their respective Faculty Academic Administration Offices for assistance. A list of Faculty Academic Administration staff is also available HERE.
Students who are not yet registered are required to participate in academic activities as prescribed by their respective programmes and finalise their registration by 28 February to avoid losing their place and falling behind academically.
It should be noted that academic departments cannot approve late registration for modules that students have not attended from the start.
As of 12 February 2026, 29 974 students have registered for the academic year, including 8 147 first-time entering students. This is over 95 percent the 8,500 places for first-time entering students at the University in 2026.
Financial Concessions
The University continues to process applications for institutional financial concessions as a relief mechanism for qualifying students as per the agreed criteria. To date, a total of 6 744 applications were received and processed, with 2 644 approvals and 2 174 rejections. From the rejected applications, 207 appeals were received, and 113 appeals under consideration for approval. Students whose applications have been rejected and who feel that they have a case to present may still appeal.
The institutional concessions can no longer be extended to first-time entering students as the National Students’ Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has introduced provision for loan funding to students who fall within the “missing middle” – those whose combined household income does not exceed R600 000. The arrangement avails appropriate funding for qualifying students in this category.
Device Access
The handing over of laptops to students who requested them commenced on Thursday, 12 February and will continue on Friday. The Student Laptop Initiative affords first-time entering NSFAS-funded students an opportunity to secure their own laptops using a portion of their book allowances over a two-year period.
Thus far, more than 500 students have received their laptops.
Mandela University will remain fully operational across campuses in service of our students, staff and the broader community, and to ensuring that the academic programme continues.
Issued by the Division for Communication and Marketing on behalf of University Management.