University of South Africa

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"UNISA" redirects here. UNISA may also refer to University of South Australia.
University of South Africa
Established: 1873
Type: Public distance education university
Vice-Chancellor & Principal: NB Pityana
Staff: 4 000
Students: 200 000
Location: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Website: http://www.unisa.ac.za/

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 200,000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the World's mega universities.

Contents

[edit] History

Founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, the University of South Africa (or UNISA as it is commonly known) spent most of its early history as an examining agency for Oxford and Cambridge universities and as an incubator from which most other universities in South Africa are descended. In 1946 it was given a new role as a distance education university and today it offers certificate, diploma and degree courses up to doctoral level.

Largely because it was a distance education university, it remained interracial during the years of apartheid in South Africa.

In January 2004 UNISA merged with Technikon SA and incorporated the distance education component of Vista University (VUDEC). The combined institution is still known as the University of South Africa (UNISA ). It is now organised by college and by school; see below.

[edit] The University

[edit] Location

The front part of the Theo van Wijk Building on the Main Campus of UNISA.
The front part of the Theo van Wijk Building on the Main Campus of UNISA.
UNISA's Main Campus in Pretoria
UNISA's Main Campus in Pretoria

[edit] Students and staff

The University currently has some 200 000 students in Southern Africa, other African countries and abroad. Unisa now has a staff component of just over 4 000 people who provide tuition and administrative support to students in South Africa and worldwide.

[edit] Colleges

[edit] Other institutes

[edit] Distance education at UNISA

[edit] Accreditation

Unisa received a Royal Charter in 1877. It operates under the University of South Africa Act (No. 19 of 1959), and is accredited by the South African Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Its qualifications (including those of the SBL) are registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

Internationally, Unisa is listed in the Commonwealth Universities Handbook of 1999 and also in the International Handbook of Universities of 1998.

On 12 January 2002 UNISA was granted full institutional accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The accreditation lapsed in March, 2007, and UNISA did not pursue renewal.

[edit] Entrance Requirements

Students need a school-leaving qualification that would entitle them to enter a university or college in their own country. However, Unisa also offers access courses to those who have completed their schooling but without university matriculation. Access course programmes are available for students who have a national certificate (matric without university entrance). If successful, students can study further for a degree.

[edit] Advantages

Market research has shown that Unisa is rated as one of the top universities in South Africa [1] - Unisa qualifications are sought after in the marketplace.

  • Courses are offered at one-quarter to one-third the price of residential universities;
  • Courses are accessible as students who do not have a university entrance matric can register for UNISA's access programme;
  • Courses are flexible, because students can plan their studies to fit into their lifestyles;
  • The qualifications are credible, because of the international recognition afforded its qualifications.

[edit] Culture

The University of South Africa has been promoting and promulgating culture in all its manifestations since its inception in 1873. Apart from the academic courses offered by UNISA's College of Humanities, practical language, art and music skills have been actively pursued through the setting of curricula and the implementation of special courses and examinations.

[edit] UNISA Foundation

The Unisa Foundation was established in 1966 and now has approximately 280 active donors, many of them individual alumni with the desire to give back to the communities that nurtured them and corporate giants, South African and international, with a strong sense of social responsibility. Equally vital is the role played by the Board of Trustees, whose members not only oversee the affairs of the Unisa Foundation but who also lend the weight of their professional and personal reputations in a drive to reach potential donors, without financial reward to themselves.

Based at Unisa's main campus in Muckleneuck, Pretoria, the Foundation has Fundraising and Development Divisions in Gauteng, the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. The Fundraising and Development Divisions support the smooth running of projects being undertaken in their regions while raising additional funding for local community projects.

[edit] Vice-Chancellors and Principals

  • Antony Melck
  • Samuel Pauw
  • NB Pityana
  • AJH van der Walt
  • Theo van Wijk
  • Cas van Vuuren

[edit] Notable alumni (students and faculty)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] The University

[edit] International Cooperation

Flag of South Africa South African universities Mortarboard
Traditional universities
Cape Town | Fort Hare | Free State | KwaZulu-Natal | Limpopo | North-West
Pretoria | Rhodes | Stellenbosch | Western Cape | Witwatersrand


Comprehensive universities
Johannesburg | Nelson Mandela | Unisa | Venda | Walter Sisulu | Zululand

Universities of technology
Cape Peninsula | Central | Durban | Mangosuthu | Tshwane | Vaal