Infographic
The University of the Free State (UFS) suspended all academic activities until further notice on 14 October 2025, following student protest actions that had taken place on its three campuses over the past week.
The protests are related to the introduction of a fairer, more equitable, and sustainable financial support system for ALL students as of 2026. Under this system, academically qualifying students will be fully registered once their fees or funding have been confirmed. All students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) will continue to be registered in full. This will provide greater certainty about registration status and enable the gradual phasing out of provisional registration. The UFS is the only university in South Africa that allowed students to register while they still had outstanding fees.
Situation on the campuses
The Qwaqwa Campus is closed with immediate effect, and students have been requested to vacate the campus within the next 24 hours. This decision follows incidents on the evening of 13 October 2025, during which a group of students caused extensive damage to university property, engaged in acts of vandalism and arson, and during which several security officers sustained injuries and three remain hospitalised. The university strongly condemns the violent and destructive behaviour displayed during these incidents.
The Executive Management Committee (Exco) of the university expresses its deep concern about the situation on the Qwaqwa Campus and is currently assessing the full extent of the damage.
The university’s Protection Services continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure the safety of staff and students.
On the Bloemfontein and South Campuses, all lectures are suspended until further notice; however, only limited movement will be allowed on campus from 19:00 in the evening until 07:00 in the morning.
The university’s Exco has extended an invitation to the Student Representative Councils (SRCs) of all three campuses for continued engagement on the issues that have led to the protests.
Circulation of false information on social media
The university has noted false social media reports alleging that a student was killed during the protest on the Qwaqwa Campus. These reports are incorrect.
Impact of rising levels of student debt
For many years, the UFS was the only university in South Africa that allowed students to register while they still had outstanding fees. This practice reflected the university’s commitment to access. However, there are deep concerns about the rising levels of student debt and the accumulation, leaving students with unserviceable debt at graduation, and together with other contributing factors, debt levels have amounted to close to a billion rand over the past five years.
A comprehensive review and analysis of the 2025 registration data found that the practice of provisional registration was not deemed an effective mechanism to support students with financial challenges. Each year, an average of 8% of UFS students were provisionally registered. In 2025, the majority of students who had registered provisionally and signed payment arrangements were unable to meet their commitments. This caused a high level of stress and uncertainty for students.
Notably, students who were successfully registered in full in 2025 did so primarily through UFS-funded bursaries, rather than personal payment.
Proactive, student-centred financial support strategy
To address this, and in agreement with the 2024/2025 Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC), the university has resolved to phase out provisional registration at the end of 2025 and implement a proactive, student-centred financial support strategy.
During a meeting between the university management and the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) on 10 October 2025, it was agreed that the gradual phasing in of this system and approach will NOT affect the following students:
- Students who have confirmed funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), irrespective of their historical debt category.
- Students with confirmed financial aid and historic debt of less than R20 000.
- Students with debt outstanding less than R30 000 (these students can register in full for 2026, subject to the payment of a first payment and settlement of historic debt by 30 May 2026).
- Students with debt outstanding more than R30 000 need to reduce their historic debt to R30 000 to qualify for point 3 above.
It was also agreed with the ISRC that academically qualifying students with historic debt of more than R30 000 will be prioritised in funding applications for bursaries, provided that proof of their own application is given.
The implication of the above is that only 6% of currently registered students with outstanding fees will have to either obtain financial support in the form of bursaries or settle a portion of their fees.
Bursary support for academically qualifying students
Under the university’s student-centred financial support strategy, bursary applications for the 2026 academic year opened on 11 October 2025 for final-year bursaries, and other bursaries will open on 20 October 2025, giving students adequate time to plan and secure funding. The university will also provide targeted financial advising to help students manage their finances, apply for funding, and avoid registration-related crises.
As part of this transition, no deregistration of provisionally registered students took place in 2025. In addition, the
VC-ISRC Imbewu Legacy Fund has been established as a joint initiative between the university and the ISRC to create a dedicated vehicle for additional funding to support students at risk. Final-year and leadership bursaries have been created to assist academically qualifying final-year students in 2026 to settle historic debt, ensuring that deserving students are able to continue their studies and complete their qualifications. Applications for the VC-ISRC Imbewu Legacy Fund and the final-year and leadership bursaries must be submitted within the time period.
The UFS remains committed to supporting all our students by building a fairer, more equitable, and sustainable support system that promotes access, success, and responsible financial sustainability.
Issued by:
Lacea Loader
Senior Director: Communication and Marketing
University of the Free State