For many matriculants in South Africa, the gap between secondary school and higher education feels wide and often challenging. The University of the Free State School of Accountancy is doing something practical about it.

This winter, the School of Accountancy within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences is hosting a series of Winter Camps for Grade 12 pupils in Qwaqwa and Bloemfontein, in partnership with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and the Free State Department of Basic Education. The camps are designed to give matriculants focused academic support in accounting, commerce-related subjects, mathematics, and sciences, while offering them first-hand experience of university life and the study pathways available to them.

The first camp will be hosted in Qwaqwa, serving matriculants from the Thabo Mofutsanyane and Fezile Dabi Education Districts. A second camp in Bloemfontein will accommodate pupils from the Matjhabeng, Xhariep, and Motheo Education Districts. Approximately 500 schoolchildren will benefit from the programme, which will run between June and July 2026.

Extending the reach beyond the Free State

The School of Accountancy is partnering with SAICA to host camps across several regions, ensuring that children from communities who do not always have access to this kind of support are reached directly.

The School of Accountancy extends the UFS' reach beyond the Free State, with staff from the school participating in similar camps in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the Northern Cape, taking the university's commitment to matriculant development well beyond its provincial borders.

Academic staff from the School of Accountancy participate in these camps, which combine intensive academic sessions with career guidance and peer engagement. The aim is not only to sharpen pupils' examination preparation, but to make the prospect of studying accounting and related fields at university feel accessible and achievable.

A university that comes to you

The Winter Camps initiative reflects a philosophy that has become central to the School of Accountancy's engagement with the communities it serves. Instead of waiting for matriculants to find their way to campus, the school takes the university experience directly to them.

Dr Carla Serfontein, Director of the School of Accountancy, explains the thinking behind the approach:

“At the School of Accountancy, we believe in creating impact for value and value for impact. Through the Winter Camps, we are not only equipping matriculants with the academic knowledge they need to succeed, but we are also inspiring them to recognise their own potential and showing them that higher education is within their reach. The greatest value of this initiative lies in the lasting impact it has on the futures of these young people.”