University Education In South Africa: Student Population Insights

South Africa has made significant progress in addressing the issue of access to higher education, with the number of university students exceeding 1 million. The country's 26 universities, including 9 universities of technology, 6 comprehensive universities, and 11 traditional universities, accommodate a large student population. In 2023, the public university sector projected to offer 1,112,439 spaces, reflecting a steady growth in higher education opportunities. The government aims to add 500,000 more students by 2030, with initiatives like the Siyaphumelela network contributing to enhanced student success rates.

South Africa's university student population exceeds 1 million

The country's universities are divided into three categories: universities of technology, comprehensive universities, and traditional universities. Pretoria, a city of 2.1 million people, is home to five universities, while Johannesburg (9.4 million) and Cape Town (3.7 million) each have three.

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the biggest tertiary institution in South Africa, with 400,000 students. The other 25 universities have a combined total of over 622,000 students.

South Africa has made significant strides in addressing access to higher education, with the demographics of first-time undergraduate enrolments now closely reflecting the country's national demographics. Financial aid schemes, such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), have played a crucial role in increasing access for students from low-income backgrounds. The number of students receiving support from NSFAS grew from 175,000 in 2014 to nearly 700,000 in 2022.

However, challenges remain, particularly regarding student success and retention. The Siyaphumelela initiative, which includes 20 of South Africa's public universities, aims to address these issues by establishing a more student-centred culture, improving institutional capacity, and consolidating and sharing evidence-based student success strategies.

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the biggest tertiary institution in SA

South Africa has a total of over 13 million students, with the vast majority (95%) in public schools. The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest tertiary institution in the country, enrolling nearly a third of South Africa's students. With over 400,000 students, including international students from 130 countries, it is considered one of the world's mega universities.

UNISA was founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope and spent much of its early history as an examining agency for Oxford and Cambridge universities. It was established as an autonomous university in 1916 and has since played an integral role in the development of higher education in South Africa. The university has produced several notable alumni, including two Nobel Prize winners: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

UNISA offers a range of academic and vocational programmes, many of which have received international accreditation. The university is organised by college and school, with eight colleges in total: the College of Accounting Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Education, College of Economic and Management Sciences, College of Graduate Studies, College of Human Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the Graduate School of Business Leadership.

UNISA has seven regional centres across South Africa, servicing students in all nine provinces. The university is committed to promoting culture and has actively pursued practical language, art, and music skills through curriculum development and special courses and examinations.

In recent years, UNISA has faced controversies and challenges in governance and management, with allegations of mismanagement and a deterioration of governance. Despite these issues, the university remains a prominent and accessible institution, serving the needs of disadvantaged communities and promoting tertiary education for all.

The country's 26 universities are divided into 3 categories

South Africa's 26 universities are divided into three categories: traditional universities, universities of technology, and comprehensive universities.

Traditional Universities

These institutions offer theoretically oriented university degrees. Examples include:

• University of Cape Town
• University of the Free State
• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• North-West University
• University of Pretoria
• University of the Witwatersrand

Universities of Technology ("Technikons")

These institutions offer vocationally-oriented diplomas and degrees. Examples include:

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Durban University of Technology
• Mangosuthu University of Technology
• Tshwane University of Technology
• Vaal University of Technology

Comprehensive Universities

These institutions offer a combination of both types of qualifications. Examples include:

• University of Johannesburg
• University of South Africa (UNISA)
• Nelson Mandela University
• Walter Sisulu University
• University of Zululand

The country's public university sector is steadily growing, with over one million enrolments projected for the 2023 academic year. This is an increase of 41,545 spaces from the previous year. Of the enrolments in 2021, 655,427 students were female and 412,428 were male.

South Africa has made significant strides in providing opportunities for all students

One of the key initiatives that have improved access to higher education in South Africa is the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The number of students receiving financial support from NSFAS has increased significantly, from 175,000 in 2014 to nearly 700,000 in 2022. This has helped to increase the proportion of African students in universities, which is estimated to be around 72% at present, up from 49% in 1995.

Another important initiative is the Siyaphumelela ('We succeed' in isiXhosa) network, which is now made up of 20 of South Africa's 26 public universities. Siyaphumelela aims to establish a more student-centred culture in the higher education system, improve retention and course success rates, and eliminate differences based on race, gender, and socio-economic status. The network has received significant funding from the United States-based Kresge Foundation, totalling more than ZAR114 million over three years, to enhance its initiatives and improve student success rates.

The shift from a segregated apartheid higher education system to a more representative one has also been a significant step forward. The demographics of first-time undergraduate enrolments now closely mirror the national demographics, indicating that South Africa has made remarkable progress in providing opportunities for all students.

Despite these strides, challenges remain, particularly in terms of student success and dropout rates. Many students from poor communities and first-generation students are now enrolling in universities, and they often require more support to succeed. However, South Africa's universities and the government are working to address these challenges and create a more equitable and supportive environment for all students.

The Siyaphumelela initiative aims to improve student success rates

The total number of students in South Africa in 2022 was 13.4 million, with 12.7 million in public schools, and 735,085 in the independent schooling sector. In 2023, over one million enrolments were expected within the public university sector.

The Siyaphumelela ("We Succeed") initiative, led by the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE), aims to improve student success rates by encouraging the use of data analytics to enhance South African university students' performance. The initiative is funded by The Kresge Foundation, which has invested nearly $40 million to promote South African postsecondary access and success, with a focus on improving student graduation rates.

Siyaphumelela seeks to build the capacity of institutions to collect and analyze student data to identify when and why students are not succeeding, enabling universities to focus on the most effective interventions. This includes supporting the latest technological and productivity advances to identify cost-effective methods of delivering high-quality postsecondary instruction.

The initiative is organized into five main workstreams that focus on different elements of student success: the first-year experience, mental health, open educational resources, a national student data warehouse, and student tracking systems. Siyaphumelela also aims to create a shared vocabulary and consensus on effective practices to improve student success and grow the cadre of data analytics professionals equipped to support students.

Siyaphumelela's work has been shaped by student success innovators such as the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) and Achieving the Dream (ATD), and is currently being implemented at five universities: Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, the University of Pretoria, the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and the Durban University of Technology.

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