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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

Nigeria’s Boko Haram: Why negotiations are not an option

2014-10-23

There has been much speculation if the recently announced ceasefire in Nigeria as well as talks with Boko Haram will indeed secure the release of about 200 girls kidnapped by this religious militant group.

Talks already started between the government and Boko Haram but there are still doubts if the girls will be freed and if the Nigerian government can successfully negotiate with Boko Haram. Prof Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor at the University of the Free State, regards this current negotiations as a terrible idea.

“At a time when Boko Haram’s strength is escalating, the correlatory weakness of the Nigerian government is increasingly exposed. As Nigerians prepare for the next presidential elections, embattled President Goodluck Jonathan is increasingly desperate to negotiate with Boko Haram to secure the release of schoolgirls seized by the terrorists earlier this year and to negotiate a ceasefire. This is a terrible idea. It makes a mockery of the rule of law and of the thousands of innocent victims of the militant violence. More importantly, it will only serve to fuel the terrorists’ ambitions further as the powerlessness of the government is exposed.”

Prof Solomon says religious intolerance is on the rise on the African continent, with a concomitant rise in terrorist incidents. In Algeria, extremist terrorism carries the name of Jund al Khilafah or Caliphate Soldiers in Algeria. In Mali it is Ansar Dine or Defenders of the Faith. In Somalia it is Al Shabaab (The Youth). But none of these organisations come close to the carnage wrought by Nigeria’s Boko Haram (literally meaning Western education is forbidden).

Boko Haram has carried out more than 1 000 attacks since 2010, which has resulted in the deaths of 10 000 people and a further 6 million affected by this terrorist violence. The 300 000 Nigerian refugees who have fled this tsunami of terrorism and have sought refuge in neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, provide adequate testimony to the human costs of such terrorism. Boko Haram, meanwhile, has formed tactical alliances with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Al Shabaab and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which means that the groups are sharing intelligence, tactics and material support. This cooperation has also resulted in increasingly sophisticated terror attacks mounted by Boko Haram.

Read more about Prof Solomon and his research.

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