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16 February 2018

The announcement from President Jacob Zuma on 16 December 2017 regarding fee-free higher education for new, first-year South African undergraduate students from poor and working class families in 2018 refers. While the University of the Free State (UFS) welcomes the initiative by the government to support the above category of students, South African universities remain fee-paying institutions for all other students. 

Further to the email concerning fees for 2018 from Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, sent to returning/current students on 29 December 2017, the UFS has since received guidelines from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) regarding tuition fees for 2018, which is shared in this letter. 

The following information is important for students and parents to note:

  • There will be an 8% fee increase for 2018
  • Gap funding (i.e. gross combined family income up to R600 000 per annum for 2018) will be applicable for 2018 tuition and accommodation fees only
  • Full cost-bursary/scholarship holders must provide the Tuition Fee Department at the UFS with proof of bursaries/scholarships for 2018
  • The Schedule of Fees booklet will be made available online by 5 January 2018; see the University website for more information of actual costs
  • Students must take note that all students who are not funded through, for example the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), DHET, etc., will need to find their own funding for 2018.

The information below pertains to various fee categories. Kindly read the section that applies to you carefully.

1. NSFAS, Scholarships, and Bursary holders

  • The qualifying threshold for NSFAS beneficiaries remains R122 000 per combined household income per annum
  • NSFAS is closed for applications for 2018. No late applications from senior/returning students will be considered by NSFAS
  • The UFS Financial Aid Office will communicate via SMS with students who received NSFAS funding in 2017 and who have met the academic requirements for continued funding in 2018, once they are cleared for registration. No registration pre-payment is applicable to these students
  • Students who are already in the system and are funded through NSFAS under current criteria (household income up to R122 000), will continue to be funded. These continuing students will receive full bursaries for their actual cost of tuition and prescribed learning materials, as well as subsidised accommodation where applicable. The 2018 NSFAS funding will not have to be paid back. The previous year’s loans of students already in the system and funded through NSFAS, will not be converted to bursaries at this stage
  • Continuing students who applied for the first time for NSFAS in 2018, will be considered for funding if they meet the pre-2018 NSFAS academic and financial requirements (combined household income threshold of up to R122 000)
  • Please familiarise yourself with the NSFAS rules and procedures which are available on its website: http://www.nsfas.org.za/content/studentsupport.html
  • Students who qualified for NSFAS funding in 2017, but did not receive a link from NSFAS to sign a loan agreement, must report to the Financial Aid Office before registration. After assistance from Financial Aid, these students will be referred to the UFS Student Finance Division in the Registration venue for assistance with registration
  • Students who qualified for NSFAS funding in 2017, and received a link from NSFAS to sign a loan agreement, but who have not signed the loan agreement yet, must report to the Financial Aid Office before registration
  • Continuing NSFAS students who qualified for funding in 2018, but who have outstanding 2017 fees, will be allowed to register, provided that they have made appropriate arrangements with the UFS (Student Finance Division)
  • Students who were offered funding from other funders, but which does not cover the full cost of study, may be eligible for top-up funding through NSFAS if they applied and meet the academic and financial eligibility requirements. Double funding will not be allowed

2. NSFAS students with outstanding debt for 2017

NSFAS 2017 and NSFAS 2018 with outstanding debt up to R15 000:

  • Students must submit payment plans
  • Payment period up and until end of October 2018
  • Do not have to make any upfront payments
  • Full registration 

NSFAS 2017 and NSFAS 2018 with outstanding debt MORE than R15 000:  

  • Students must first reduce their debt to R15000
  • Must submit payment plans for the balance
  • Payment period up and until the end of October 2018
  • Full registration

NSFAS 2017 but not qualifying for NSFAS in 2018:

  • Students will be treated the same as students from the Missing Middle Group

3. Missing Middle – Gap Funding 

Students whose combined household income does not exceed R600 000 per annum, qualify to apply for gap funding to cover the 8% fee increase. More information as well as the application form will soon be made available on the UFS website (https://www.ufs.ac.za/kovsielife/unlisted-pages/bursaries/financial-aid). 
Please Note:
  • Only South African citizens and citizens with a permanent South African residency, who are studying towards an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in 2018, will be considered. 
  • NSFAS recipients will automatically qualify for the gap funding. 
  • Students who received gap funding in 2017 and who will be returning in 2018 will not be required to re-apply for the gap funding. 
  • Gap funding will cover the 8% increase on 2018 tuition and university accommodation fees only.
  • First payments payable by students who qualify for gap funding, will be as follows:
    • Students with NO outstanding balances for 2017:
      • Non-residential students: R3 000
      • Residential students: R7 000
      • Upon payment of the above-mentioned amounts, the student will be FULLY registered for 2018
    • Students with 2017 outstanding balances NOT exceeding R15 000
      • Non-residential students: R2 000
      • Residential students: R5 000
      • Upon payment of the above-mentioned amounts, the student will be PROVISIONALLY registered for 2018
      • All terms and conditions for provisional registration will be applicable.
    • Students with 2017 debt of MORE than R15 000
      • Students in this category will have to reduce their debt to at least R15 000 before they may apply for provisional registration.

4. International Applicants

  • International students are required to make the following payments five (5) working days prior to registration:
    • International Students (SADC)
      Residential R29 080
      Non-residential R19 360

    • International Students (NSADC)
      Residential R43 160
      Non-residential R28 160 
  • International students must pay all fees for the second semester in advance before registration can take place
  • South African and international SADC students pay the same fee per module. International non-SADC (NSADC) students pay the actual module price + 50%
  • An additional administrative levy for all international students is included in the amounts quoted above. The International Admin Levy is not refundable
  • All fees are Rand (ZAR) denominated
  • Please contact the Office for International Affairs for more details at:
    T: +27 51 401 3219/2501/3403/9436
    F: +27 51 401 9185
    E: internationalenquiries@ufs.ac.za

5. PostgraduateStudents

  • Postgraduate students may consult the Postgraduate School for any queries regarding first payments prior to registration.  Please see the UFS website for contact details on:
    https://www.ufs.ac.za/postgraduate

The Fees Yearbook 2018 is available online on the UFS website. Please use the following link: https://www.ufs.ac.za/docs/librariesprovider31/default-document-library/fees-yearbook-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=3222a621_0

For queries, please contact the relevant offices during working hours:

  • Tuition Fees
    Undergraduate students (Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses):
    +27 51 401 3003
    +27 51 401 2806

    Postgraduate students (Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses):
    T: +27 51 401 9537
    F: +27 51 401 3579
    E: tuitionfees@ufs.ac.za 
  • Housing and Residence Affairs
    +27 51 401 3455
    +27 51 401 3562 
  • Financial Aid
    Undergraduate students:
    Bloemfontein Campus: +27 51 401 3741
    Qwaqwa Campus: +27 58 718 5061

I trust you will find this in order and wish you all the best with your studies during 2018.

Regards,
Chris Liebenberg
Senior Director: Finance

News Archive

UFS Winter Graduation Ceremony
2012-06-18

UFS awards record number of master’s degrees and doctorates

The University of the Free State (UFS) celebrated an increase in postgraduate successes with a record number of master’s degrees and doctorates that were awarded during the winter graduation ceremony at the Bloemfontein campus on Thursday 14 June 2012.

A total of 481 master’s degrees and 82 doctorates were awarded in two ceremonies in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus. This is the most postgraduate qualifications to be awarded at a single graduation ceremony.

DiMTEC has reason to celebrate
Dr Andries Jordaan (second from right) with some of the people who received their master's degrees. From the left are Kehinde Balogun, the couple Olive Chisola-Darris en Clement West Darris, and the couple Everson Ndlovu en Patience Sibongile Ndlovu.
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar
18 June 2012

DiMTEC had reason to celebrate at the winter graduation ceremony. The Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa delivered a healthy crop of 32 master’s degrees and one doctorate.

This was the most master’s degrees that the centre has been awarded at one opportunity. The doctorate, however, was not at DiMTEC – Andries Jordaan, the director of the centre, obtained his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economy.

It was also the first time that two couples received their master’s degrees at the centre at the same time.

Speaking at the event, Dr Jordaan said former students of the centre were using their expertise worldwide. Some of them are in senior positions at the United Nations, in African countries, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. DiMTEC’s students hail from 17 African countries, including French-speaking countries.

“I am proud that we have a footprint right across Africa,” he said.

Three travel all the way from Europe for their MBAs
Smiles on an important day. From the left are: Kasina Baker, Friederike Hackelberg, and Johanna Kössler and her parents and sister.
Photo: Stephen Collett
18 June 2012
No distance, time or money could prevent three MBA graduates from Europe from attending the winter graduation ceremony in Bloemfontein. Two of them were exchange students who were so captivated by the university and the country that they undertook their MBA studies at the Business School.

Friederike Hackelberg of Bremen, Germany, was an exchange student in 2008 and extended her stay to do an MBA. Johanna Kössler of Bolzano, Italy, was also an exchange student who succumbed to the charms of the UFS and South Africa. She brought her parents, George and Nannie, and her sister, Magdalena, with her to attend the graduation ceremony.

Kasina Baker of Warsaw, Poland, began her studies while her husband was working in Kenya. She wanted to study at a quality institution and thus chose the UFS's Business School.

Jessica gets three prestigious medals
Jessica Potgieter (right) was the first student in almost three decades to receive three prestigious medals at the Winter Graduation Ceremony. She received the Dean's medal as best Master's student in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, the Senate Medal as best Master's student at the university and the Award for Scientific Achievement by the South African Association for the Advancement of Science. She is seen here with her mother, Mrs Ilse van Rhyn, and Dr Khotso Mokhele, Chancellor.
Photo: Johan Roux
18 June 2012
Three daughters, three degrees for proud Kovsie mom
Liezel Alsemgeest and Adri Kotzé.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
18 June 2012

Adri Kotzé, Faculty Manager in the Faculty of Law, is a very proud parent. In the course of one year, all three her daughters will receive degrees from the University of the Free State (UFS). First in line is the eldest, who received her Ph.D. in Business Management at the Winter Graduation Ceremony.

Liezel is a lecturer in the Department of Business Management at the UFS, where she lectures, publishes and hopes to further her research in finance. “I enjoy working at the university because you have the freedom to do your own thing and focus on whatever you like,” she says.

The title of Liezel’s thesis is Customers’ perception of business units within an agricultural business in South Africa. Her focus is on the subjects of customer satisfaction and financial management, with a specific focus on the management of agricultural businesses.

Middle sister Corné will be graduating with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy in December, while the youngest, Adéle, will receive her B.A. in Media Studies and Journalism at the Autumn Graduation Ceremony in 2013.

“I am very proud of all three my daughters,” says Adri.
Sasolburg minister receives Dean's Medal for best master's degree in Theology
Rev. Frans Redelinghuys.
18 June 2012

Rev. Frans Redelinghuys of the Reformed Church in Sasolburg received his master’s degree in Theology at the University of the Free State’s Winter Graduation Ceremony. Rev. Redelinghuys was also awarded the Dean’s Medal as the best master’s degree student in the Faculty of Theology.

The focus of his dissertation is Spirituality. “My lecturers are all people who practice what they preach and they have shared their knowledge with me.,” he says.

“My studies also contributed to my personal development,” says Rev. Redelinghuys.

Student from the Netherlands receives degree at UFS Winter Graduation Ceremony
Deborah Van den Bosch-Heij.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
18 June 2012

Deborah Van den Bosch-Heij from the Netherlands was awarded a Ph.D. at the Winter Graduation Ceremony by the Faculty of Theology of the University of the Free State (UFS). Her thesis, Spirit and healing in Africa: A reformed pneumatological perspective, is an interdisciplinary investigation of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and healing in Southern Africa. The research addresses the need for a reviewed and contextually reformed approached to healing.

Deborah started her career as a minister at the Valkenburg Congregation of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2001. She was appointed by the missionary department of her church to lecture at the Justo Mwale Theological University College in Lusaka, Zambia in 2005. It was here that she decided on the topic of her thesis. Prof. Rian Venter from the Department of Systematic Theology at the UFS, who is also involved at the Justo Mwale College, is Deborah’s promoter and assisted her in her studies whilst she was in the Netherlands. It was also Prof. Venter who made Deborah aware of the importance of interdisciplinary research.

Well-known judge's granddaughter receives degree

Judge Joos Hefer and Annelie de Man.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Annelie de Man, a law researcher at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein received her master’s degree at the Winter Graduation Ceremony of the University of the Free State (UFS). She is Judge Joos Hefer’s granddaughter. Annelie was also awarded the Dean’s Medal as the best master’s degree student in the Faculty of Law.

“Today is one of the biggest highlights in my career,” says Annelie, who received exposure to the field of law from a young age.

In September, she will be leaving for Italy to study for a master’s degree in European Human Rights at the European Inter University.

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