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19 January 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Unsplash
The second annual International Scholarship and Mobility Fair offered both UFS staff and students the opportunity to ask questions and get answers right away, with links to detailed information.

The Office for International Affairs hosted its annual International Scholarship and Mobility Fair on 3 and 4 November 2020. This is the second annual mobility fair and the first time that it was hosted in virtual format on Blackboard Collaborative. The event showcased study-abroad opportunities for all registered students and staff. 

Staff too can enrol for studies abroad

In the mobility and exchange programme session, the UFS international partner universities presented study, teaching, and training opportunities available to students and staff on their campuses. Staff have also learnt that they can enrol for exchange programmes at any of more than 60 international universities to teach, conduct research, or collaborate to enhance their professional development.

Another session promoted scholarship opportunities for postgraduate students who would like to study abroad full- or part-time. The last session promoted research-related study opportunities such as PhD, fellowships, and academically associated opportunities. Postgraduate students have learnt about joint degrees at master’s and doctoral level, which allows them to register at the UFS and another university abroad.

Student support through scholarships 

The sessions aimed to attract and also support talented students with a scholarship – despite the current pandemic.


Participants liked that it was easily accessible and that they could ask questions and get answers right away, with links to detailed information. 

To view these sessions, please visit the UFS international webpage on the following link:

News Archive

Former UFS Dean awarded SAAWK medal for contribution to Bible translation work
2016-05-09

Description: Prof Hermie van Zyl Tags: Prof Hermie van Zyl

Prof Hermie van Zyl
Photo: Eugene Seegers

Prof Hermie van Zyl, former Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently awarded the Ds Pieter van Drimmelen medal by the South African Academy of Science and Arts (SAAWK) for his contribution to Afrikaans Bible translation and other translation work.

Prof Van Zyl was part of the team that published the Interlinear translation of the Bible (New Testament) in Greek and Afrikaans. This translation takes the reader from the original text (Greek), to an almost verbatim version, to a rough translation, and, ultimately, to a more polished, finished translation in the target language of Afrikaans.

Other translations Prof Van Zyl has been involved in include the Afrikaans Bible for the Deaf (published in 2008), the direct translation of the Bible (of which the New Testament and the Psalms have already been published), the New Living Translation, the Parallel New Testament, and the Reference Bible. He is the first lecturer from the Faculty of Theology at the UFS to receive an award from the SAAWK.

“It is a wonderful privilege and an honour and really came out of nowhere,” said Prof Van Zyl. He added that he is grateful that, amongst all the wonderfully talented people at the UFS, he could make a modest contribution. He mentioned that the collegial conversations, seminars, and other discussions in the faculty over the years, were very stimulating. He singled out Prof Jan du Rand and Prof Francois Tolmie (another former Dean of the Faculty and long-time colleague in the department of New Testament Studies) as inspiration.

The official presentation of the medal will take place in the Atterbury Theatre in Pretoria on 29 June 2016.

Prof Van Zyl was employed in the Faculty of Theology at the UFS for 29 years until his retirement in 2013. He is currently a Research Fellow in the Department of New Testament, and still lectures on occasion.

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