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13 August 2019 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo Sonia Small
Student Success
The UFS is committed to student success through its own initiative.
In its endeavour to assist and support academically deserving students, taking into account the current economic climate in South Africa, the University of the Free State (UFS) has been able to maintain its approach to student success from its own initiative and in cooperation with external sources or partners. 
 
In addition, the university’s tuition fees remain on average 20% less than those of comparative universities.
 
“More than 70% of all registered undergraduate and postgraduate students at the UFS are receiving some kind of financial support – whether from the university or via external sources or partners, or from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). In fact, financial support to students is one of the main expenses of the university,” says Mr Chris Liebenberg, Senior Director: Finance at the UFS. 
 
According to Mr Liebenberg, undergraduate bursaries to the value of R63 million and postgraduate bursaries to the value of R77 million have been allocated for 2019. These bursaries are funded by the UFS, as well as by external sources or partners and are awarded on merit, which includes academic, sport, and cultural performance. It excludes bursaries that students receive from NSFAS. 
 
“The university is able to provide this support to deserving students due to its stringent application of financial governance and discipline and within a framework of financial sustainability. It is a principle that the university management strongly believes in and will continue to apply,” says Mr Liebenberg. 

News Archive

Motho ke motho ka batho. A person is a person through others.
2016-04-26

Video
Student Bursary Fund Campaign booklet (pdf)
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Student Bursary Fund Campaign launched: #FundAFuture and make a difference

 

“I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to study further. For that to happen, the heavens had to forge a way.” Mixed feelings dapple Jean-Pierré van der Walt's face as he recounts the miracles - and hardships - of his journey.

Motho ke motho ka batho. A person is a person through others.

Jean-Pierré is one of ambassadors of the Student Bursary Fund Campaign, launched by the University of the Free State (UFS). The project aims to raise R100 m to fund talented, deserving students who do not have the financial means to obtain a university degree. This financial support will change the future irrevocably for many young people in our country, young people who are similar to Jean-Pierré.

Description: Jean-Pierré van der Walt Tags: Jean-Pierré van der Walt

Jean-Pierré van der Walt
Photo: Sonia Small

“When I was in matric, going to university was never an option.” Surmounting his financial circumstances seemed impossible. “It made me feel despondent, and I thought to myself: after school, what would my life be like, where am I going?” It was at this juncture in his life that a funding opportunity enabled him to pursue his dream of making a difference in the world through education. He embarked on a BEd degree in Senior and FET (Further Education and Training) Teaching, which he completed in 2015.

“Varsity taught me to stand up for myself, to make my voice heard,” Jean-Pierré says. “If I did not have the opportunity to attend university, I would have missed my calling in life: to show the world that, despite your physical restrictions, you can still make a difference.” Jean-Pierré is differently-abled as a result of cerebral palsy.

Looking to be placed as an English and Sesotho teacher, Jean-Pierré is eager to teach children that anything is possible, regardless of heritage, family life, or circumstances. “Motho ke motho ka batho. A person is a person through others,” he says is the philosophy he lives by. “One cannot survive in solitude; one needs others to go further in life.”

In the same way, the UFS needs your support and generosity. Each contribution will bring us closer to our goal of R100 m, and to changing the landscape of our youth’s future.

Visit our Giving page for ways to donate.

 

For enquiries or further information:
T: +27(0)51 401 3966 | E: FundAFuture@ufs.ac.za | www.ufs.ac.za

 

 


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