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17 January 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Kaleidoscope Studios
2025 UFS Registration
Kickstart your 2025 journey – register now and make this year unforgettable.

It is that time of year again – registration is officially open for the 2025 academic year at the University of the Free State (UFS). Whether you are a bright-eyed first-year ready to start your university journey, a returning student taking the next step on your academic path, or a postgraduate aiming to dive deeper into your research, now is the time to secure your spot for 2025.

Do not leave it to the last minute – completing your registration early ensures that you are set for the year ahead, without any unnecessary stress. Some programmes may have specific deadlines, so the earlier you act, the better.


Register

 

Online Registration: Quick, Easy, and Efficient

The UFS strongly encourages all students to take advantage of the online registration platform. It is simple, convenient, and fast. Whether you are registering for the first time or returning for another year, the online process will help you get everything sorted without leaving your home. Just visit the official registration website and follow the step-by-step guide to complete your registration.

However, if you feel that you need more help or prefer to register in person, on-campus registration is still available at selected venues. Check out your faculty below for on-campus registration venues and dates.

Faculty of Theology and Religion

Faculty of The Humanities

Faculty of Health Sciences

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences

Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Faculty of Law

 

Key Dates You Don’t Want to Miss

  • Online registration: 7 January - 7 February 2025
  • First-year students: Curriculum advice and registration: 27 January - 7 February 2025 (face-to-face)
  • Senior students: Curriculum advice and registration: 20 January - 7 February 2025
  • Postgraduate students:
    • New research master’s and doctoral students: Register any time during the year.
    • Returning master’s and doctoral students: First semester registration before 31 March 2025.
    • Honours and PGDip students: Confirm registration dates with your faculty.
  • Classes start: 10 February 2025
  • Module adjustments: Last day to add or change modules: 14 February 2025
  • Module cancellations for full credit: 31 March 2025 (Semester 1)

 

First Payments and Fees

To make sure your registration goes through without a hitch, remember to make your first payment on time. The first payment is essential to complete your registration; you can find payment options on the Student Finance page.

If you have any questions or run into issues, the Student Finance team is here to help! Reach them at tuitionfees@ufs.ac.za or call + 27 51 401 9111.

 

First-Year Residence Move-In

For first-year students living in residence, you will be officially moving in on 25 January 2025. This is your opportunity to settle into campus life, meet new friends, and get comfortable before classes kick off. If you have any questions about accommodation, visit the Housing and Residence Affairs page at www.ufs.ac.za/residences.

 

Need Assistance? We’ve Got You Covered

The UFS Call Centre is always here to help you throughout the registration process. If you have any questions or need guidance, you can reach them on +27 51 401 9111 or WhatsApp on +27 87 240 6370. You can also email studentadmin@ufs.ac.za for support.

As you begin your academic journey at the UFS, remember that this is not just about attending classes – it is about being part of a community committed to excellence, care, and quality. The UFS experience is designed to nurture your growth, help you thrive, and challenge you to achieve your highest potential. Here, we believe in supporting you every step of the way, ensuring that your time at the UFS transforms your future and empowers you to make a meaningful impact on the world.

News Archive

A bridge to the future for school leavers
2009-03-04

 
Ms Merridy Wilson-Strydom, Research Consultant at the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development at the UFS. 
 Photo: Supplied)

Thousands of learners in the country’s high schools fail to qualify for post-school education and training. Now a unique project funded by the Ford Foundation and being piloted at the University of the Free State (UFS) seeks to provide such learners with a lifeline.

The 2008 Grade 12 results showed once again that the schooling system is – and has been for a long time – in the throes of a severe crisis. The most disturbing feature of this crisis is that the system does not produce learners with the required level of literacy, numeracy and other cognitive skills to further their education or to become part of the country’s workforce.

Clearly this situation is untenable in a developing country such as ours, facing the immense challenges of a severe skills shortage, poverty and unemployment. We cannot afford to have hundreds of thousands of young people walking the streets without any prospect of a decent living and a future of opportunity.

The UFS and partners in the Free State Higher Education Consortium (FSHEC) have devised a unique programme to help underprepared and even unprepared school-leavers who have fallen through the cracks of the school system.

“We are hoping to make a meaningful contribution to the challenging field of creating educational opportunities for post-school study and the world of work through the generous support of the Ford Foundation,” says Ms Merridy Wilson-Strydom, Research Consultant at the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development at the UFS.

“The Skills for a Changing World Programme is specifically aimed at removing barriers to educational opportunities for school-leavers who are not able to access higher education – mainstream or extended degrees. At the moment there are few, if any, meaningful opportunities for those learners who come through the school system un/underprepared,” she says.

The primary target group for the NQF Level-5 Programme is young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who are currently excluded from post-schooling educational opportunities. The duration of the programme is one year.

According to Ms Wilson-Strydom, the core modules of the activity-driven curriculum are English Literacy and Language Development, Mathematical Literacy, Information and Communication Technology and Your Global Positioning System (YGPS), which focuses on study skills and critical life skills, e.g. dealing with diversity. Students will also be supported to make informed choices about their future study or career directions.

“The development of the core-module materials is almost complete and from the second semester we plan to test the programme by means of a pilot project, which will be conducted on the UFS’s South Campus in Bloemfontein,” says Ms Wilson-Strydom.

“The pilot study will involve a group of 20-50 learners who have finished Grade 12 but do not qualify for the UFS bridging programme known as the Career Preparation Programme or any other higher-education programmes,” says Ms Wilson-Strydom.

Although not yet accredited, the project team aims to have the programme accredited as a Higher Certificate and is also exploring the possibility of registering the programme as a Short Learning Programme.

“One of the challenges with access and bridging programmes in the country is that students do not obtain a formal qualification for their bridging year. Hence those who do not continue with higher-education study (or cannot continue for various reasons such as finances), do not gain the recognition they should get for what they have learnt during their bridging year.”

“Our focus on developing the Skills for a Changing World Programme as a qualification in its own right is a key innovation in the current education and training landscape,” says Ms Wilson-Strydom.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
4 March 2009
 

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