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Embark on your academic journey: UFS 2024 registration guide

14 December 2023 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) warmly welcomes its future, present, and returning students to an exciting academic year, where opportunities for growth, learning, and community abound. As a proud member of the vibrant UFS family, get ready to dive into a world of knowledge and experiences that will shape your future. The UFS strongly urges all incoming first-year and senior students to frequent the registration website for a complete and detailed overview of essential information.

Important dates to remember

All new first-year students, mark your calendars for essential dates:

Curriculum advice and registration: 5-9 February 2024
Classes commence: 12 February 2024
Last date to add/change modules: 16 February 2024
Deadline to cancel modules with full credit: 31 March 2024

Senior students, your academic year begins with guidance from your faculties – starting from 22 January 2024, leading to these crucial dates:

Registration: 29 January-12 February 2024
Classes commence: 12 February 2024
Last date to add/change modules: 16 February 2024
Last date to cancel modules with full credit: 31 March 2024

Postgraduate students, your journey towards enrolment and progression includes:

Registration for new research master’s and doctoral students takes place throughout the year.
For returning master’s and doctoral students:
First semester: 29 January-12 February 2024
Second semester: 8-19 July 2024

Resources at your fingertips

Navigate your registration journey smoothly with these resources:

Registration Guide: 8 steps to take: https://ufsweb.co/3sZOOet
Online Registration Guide – User Manual: https://ufsweb.co/489Qf8O
Registration Guide – First-Year Students: https://ufsweb.co/4aeLQDF
Registration Guide – Senior Students: https://ufsweb.co/46RMWSC
Registration Guide – Postgraduate Students: https://ufsweb.co/3TnjeSm
Registration Activity Guide – User Manual: https://ufsweb.co/47Tvv5O
Service Request Management – User Manual: https://ufsweb.co/3t5cIFp

How to seek assistance

Should you require guidance or have enquiries regarding the registration process, multiple avenues are at your disposal:

Institutional Contact Centre: Call +27 51 401 9111 or WhatsApp +27 87 240 6370

Email Support: Reach out to studentadmin@ufs.ac.za

Faculty support tailored for you

Each faculty offers specialised support designed to cater to your needs:

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: https://www.ufs.ac.za/econ
Faculty of Education: https://www.ufs.ac.za/edu
Faculty of Health Sciences: https://www.ufs.ac.za/health
Faculty of The Humanities: https://www.ufs.ac.za/humanities
Faculty of Law: https://www.ufs.ac.za/law
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences: https://www.ufs.ac.za/natagri
Faculty of Theology and Religion: https://www.ufs.ac.za/theology

Prepare to embark on an incredible academic expedition at the University of the Free State! As part of the UFS family, immerse yourself in a diverse, vibrant, and enriching community. Welcome aboard and get ready to thrive!

News Archive

Young researchers are equipped to participate in projects relevant in global context

2017-09-05

This group of early career researchers received bioinformatics
training in Worcester in the UK from Dr Diane Saunders of the
John Innes Centre in the UK.
Photo: Supplied

The interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools to understand biological data is known as bioinformatics. According to Dr Renée Prins, a research fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State, there are few tertiary institutions in South Africa that offer a postgraduate degree in Bioinformatics.

“Most institutions focus either on humans, human diseases, forest trees and their pathogens. They usually do not have spare capacity to assist researchers, for instance, those working on crops in the agricultural sector,” Dr Prins said.

Big data sets need significant skills
With the advancements made in genomics such as high throughput DNA marker platforms and next-generation sequencing technologies, the data sets biologists have to deal with have grown massively big and cannot be dealt with unless you have significant computer skills.

Dr Prins believes that all young researchers need some level of training in this field to be effective in future. The British Council Researcher Links, being run by the Newton Fund, gives early career researchers across selected partner countries the opportunity to form international connections through fully funded workshops and travel grants. Dr Prins made use of this opportunity and with the assistance of the Department of Research Development at the UFS, she arranged for Dr Diane Saunders of the John Innes Centre in the UK, a bioinformatician of note, to present training to a group of 20 early career researchers in Worcester in the UK.

Providing training with Dr Saunders were two other bioinformaticians from the UK, Dr Burkhard Steuernagel (John Innes Centre) and Dr Robert Davey (Earlham Institute). From the UFS side, Eleanor van der Westhuizen and Dr Henriëtte van den Berg (former UFS academic) acted as mentors, providing guidance on funding opportunities and career development skills.

Participating in projects in a global context
The researchers attending the training came from research institutions or academia, and they work involving plants (predominantly wheat) or plant pathogens. A limited number of participants from the commercial sector, including private South African companies focusing on plant breeding and molecular genetics lab work on agriculturally important crops also benefited from the training.

“Tertiary institutions in South Africa have the obligation to ensure that young scientists are equipped with bioinformatics skills. If they are not equipped with the necessary skills, they will not be able to participate in research projects that are relevant in a global context,” said Dr Prins.

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