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Purchase a laptop from the UFS

11 May 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to embrace technology and find alternative ways to campus-based classes. Like most other institutions in the country, the University of the Free State (UFS) is following an online/blended learning and teaching approach during the 2021 academic year. This means that most students will spend their time online, therefore owning or having regular access to a laptop has become a necessity.

To ensure students have access to digital devices, the UFS is offering registered students the opportunity to purchase a laptop at affordable rates. Students can apply to purchase a device in order to access online platforms, obtain learning material, and engage with lecturers. The laptops will be provided interest-free through various payment options and will become the property of the student.

Who can apply for a laptop?

The offer is open to all registered students. The UFS has made provision for 3 000 laptops, and devices will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

What is the make, model, and cost of available devices?

► Option 1:

Make: Hewlett Packard

Model: HP 250 G7

Style: Laptop

Price: R5 040,34 (VAT inclusive)

► Option 2:

Make: Asus

Model: X540NA-C45B0T

Price: R5 247,97 (VAT inclusive)

The laptops are enabled with Microsoft 365 software and a step-by-step manual to help you with the personal configuration once you receive the device.

What are the payment options?

The student must agree to the payment terms as defined by the UFS.

The payment options are as follows:

A. Final-year students (students who will be completing their qualifications in 2021):

► Option 1: Two payments – one in May 2021 and a second payment in October 2021

► Option 2: Six payments – from May 2021 to October 2021

► Option 3: Once-off cash payment

B. New and other returning students with bursaries

► Option 1: Two payments – one in May 2021 and a second payment in October 2021

► Option 2: Equal payments until November 2021

► Option 3: Once-off cash payment

C. New and other returning students without bursaries (with the exclusion of final-year students)

► Option 1: Three payments – one in May 2021, a second payment in October 2021, and a final payment in March 2022

► Option 2: Twelve equal payments – from May 2021 to April 2022

► Option 3: Once-off cash payment

How will I receive the laptop?

Students will have the option of collecting a laptop from the Bloemfontein or Qwaqwa Campuses, or to collect it from a courier. We will communicate the logistics of this individually to students.

Students who opt for courier services will be charged an additional cost of R162,71.

When can I order a laptop?

Applications are currently open.

To apply for a laptop, click HERE and make sure that the digital form is fully completed before submitting it via the SUBMIT button.

Enquiries:

Enquiries about technical support regarding the issuing of the laptops, delivery, and courier services can be directed to: Studentdesk@ufs.ac.za | +27 51 401 2000.

News Archive

"We cannot train for unemployment"

2009-11-16

The prestige forum was attended by, from the left: Prof. Dirk van Damme, Head of the Centre for Education research and innovation at OECD in Paris, France; Dr Saretha Brüssow of the Planning Unit: Teaching and Learning; Mr Francois Marais, Director of CHESD; Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice-Rector Academic Planning and the guest speaker; and Prof. Magda Fourie of the University of Stellenbosch.
Photo: Gerhard Louw

“We cannot train for unemployment. We must continuously look at what employers and the world want, and update,” Prof. Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Teaching and Learning at the University of Stellenbosch, recently said at a prestige forum for teaching and learning at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Prof. Fourie, former Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS delivered the second Magda Fourie Prestige Lecture at the forum. The forum was presented by the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Learning (CHESD) and the Planning Unit: Teaching and Learning. Various presentations were made on innovations in teaching and learning at the UFS.

Prof. Fourie said research has shown that the knowledge, skills, competencies and values of students are out of sync with the needs of the world out there. Higher Education must look at the context in which it operates and the relevance of its teaching and learning. “We are busy with the cultivation of humanity,” she said.

The UFS is doing excellent work with its bridging programmes and other universities will have to give attention to it. The UFS is also excellent in its extended programmes and have more women and foreign students than the national average. The UFS, however, has a lower percentage of black students than the national average.

The UFS is also excellent in terms of postgraduate students. The national average is 36%, with the UFS boasting 47%. Prof. Fourie expressed her concern for the low throughput in Business and Economics at the UFS where only 13% of those who enter the system graduate. “These are the people we need for this country’s economy.”

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