The University wishes to congratulate the matric class of 2021, which achieved a national pass rate of 76.4%.
The release of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) today will see the cohort of provisionally accepted students receiving their firm offers based on their individual results.
Applicants need not arrive on campus to submit their results as the University receives these directly from the DBE. Applicants will be notified of the final outcome of their applications via SMS, or they can check their status online using the Admission Dashboard.
Admissions
Mandela University received a total 67 022 first year undergraduate applications, and 21 791 postgraduate applications for the 2022 academic year. This, in comparison to the 82 173 and 16 013 applications, respectively, received for the 2021 academic year.
Late applications
Window period:
Nelson Mandela University will be accepting late applications for a period of two weeks – from 25 January to 04 February 2022 – only from applicants who meet the direct entry requirements for those programmes that are not yet full. Details thereof will communicated in due course.
Please note that there is no need for prospective students to physically arrive at University campuses to apply for the available programmes as applications can only be made online. No applications will be accepted after 04 February 2022.
DHET Central Applications Clearing House (CACH):
Prospective students who, for various reasons, do not have placement at a tertiary institution for their 2022 studies are encouraged to use the opportunity to apply for placement using government’s Central Applications Clearing House (CACH).
CACH will provide unsuccessful applicants with access to career development services and, where possible, an opportunity to access spaces still available within all universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges or any Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) learnerships, without having to travel to institutions to try and find a space.
Applications can be made via CACH from Monday, 24 January 2022, to Thursday, 31 March 2022.
Financial Aid
NSFAS funded students:
The National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is scheduled to start communicating funding decisions for new and returning students from Monday, 24 January 2022. Students who had applied for funding during the extension period will know their outcome from 28 January 2022. NSFAS has indicated that these deadlines are dependent on their budget allocation for 2022 being finalized and communicated to them.
NSFAS has also enhanced the appeals process for this year to enable a direct interaction with students during the processing of appeals. Appeals will open on 24 January 2022 and students will have up to 30 days to submit an appeal.
Missing middle students:
In ongoing efforts by the University to ensure that no academically deserving, financially needy student is denied access to higher education due to financial constraints, the institution has made available a number of concessions since 2016.
The concessions are granted to qualifying academically deserving students who, among other criteria, are South African citizens, unfunded and whose family income does not exceed R600 000. This allows the student to register with outstanding debt and be exempt from down payment on tuition and on-campus accommodation.
Applications for these concessions can be made online via the Financial Aid website..
Important dates:
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11 January: Online registration
Online registration started for students not awaiting any results.
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24 January – 13 February: Virtual first-year orientation
The virtual orientation programme affords new students an opportunity to enhance their university experience and set themselves up for success through participation therein. Students will get a better understanding of what lies ahead and get to know their fellow students.
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28 January: Residences open
First-year residences open in Gqeberha and George for all on and off-campus accommodation options, and the mandatory 10-day quarantine process begins.
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25 – 28 January: Virtual faculty meet-and-greet events
In the build-up to the official University Welcoming Ceremony, students and their parents or guardians are invited to attend a virtual faculty meet-and-greet session, hosted by the Executive Dean of their respective faculty, which will also include an opportunity to meet lecturers.
The University’s George Campus team will host a special virtual meet and greet event for first year students accepted to the Campus and their parents or guardians on the 28 January 2022.
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29 January: Vice-Chancellor’s virtual first-year welcoming ceremony
First year students and their parents or guardians will be welcomed by Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sibongile Muthwa, during a virtual address.
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14 February 2022: Lectures start
Lectures for all full-time and part-time students, in both Gqeberha and George, begin. Details on how lectures will be presented will be shared with students by their lecturers for each module.
George Campus
The University’s George Campus, in the Southern Cape, remains only accessible via the back road coming from Wilderness. This comes after the town was struck by severe floods in November, causing major infrastructural damage to Madiba Drive, which is the main road leading to the Campus. As such, Madiba Drive currently remains closed to traffic after a section of the road was completely washed away during the floods.
Work to reconstruct Madiba Drive began on Monday, 17 January 2022, and is scheduled for completion in March. Staff and students are kindly reminded not to make use of Madiba Drive as it remains closed until the work is complete.
COVID-19 and academic year
As the University gears towards the start of lectures on Monday, 14 February 2022, it is important to note that it is still operating within a global pandemic. As such, COVID-19 compliance measures remain in place. These include the non-pharmaceutical interventions such as physical distancing, wearing masks and regularly sanitising hands.
Another step in the defence against COVID-19 is vaccination. While Nelson Mandela University acknowledges the right of every individual to vaccinate or not, it strongly advocates every staff member and student to vaccinate for their own good and that of others. It is our greatest defence against the pandemic and will significantly contribute to fostering a safer campus environment for all.