Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS celebrates 96% South African Institute of Chartered Accountants IAC pass rate

01 September 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Dr Reabetswe Parkies

BAccHons and PGDip graduates — Prof Frans Prinsloo, Head of the UFS School of Accountancy, with some of the proud 2024 BAccHons and PGDip (Chartered Accountancy) graduates who contributed to the School’s outstanding 96% pass rate in the June 2025 Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC).

The University of the Free State (UFS) has once again affirmed its position as one of the country’s leading institutions in accounting education. In the June 2025 Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC) by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), UFS graduates from the 2024 BAccHons and PGDip (Chartered Accountancy) programmes achieved an exceptional 96% pass rate. This performance stands well above the national throughput of 76% across both the January and June sittings, confirming the university’s reputation for producing work-ready Chartered Accountants (CAs).

This achievement in the IAC – previously known as the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) – not only showcases the quality of teaching and learning at UFS but also echoes the recent SAICA endorsement visit, during which evaluators commended the School of Accountancy for cultivating confident, competent graduates ready to contribute to both the profession and the South African economy.

Driving excellence through vision and innovation

Reflecting on the results, Prof Frans Prinsloo, Head of the School of Accountancy, emphasised that this success confirms the School’s long-standing commitment to excellence and innovation. “Exceeding the national average by such a significant margin reinforces that our programmes are developing highly competent and sought-after Chartered Accountants. This achievement places UFS among the leading institutions in South Africa for producing high-quality graduates,” he said.

Prof Prinsloo attributed the outcome to the unwavering dedication of staff who, as highlighted by SAICA’s endorsement team, “go above and beyond” to support student success. He also pointed to a range of initiatives that have created an enabling environment for achievement, from a humanising pedagogy that prioritises student voices and dynamic learning communities, to early intervention strategies and an academic trainee programme that provides peer support through consultations and small-group sessions. “We are not just delivering a curriculum; w are fostering a culture of learning, growth, and achievement,” Prof Prinsloo added.

Prof Phillipe Burger, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, said the results reflect the faculty’s broader vision of preparing leaders who can excel in both business and society. “We are preparing leaders for tomorrow, and education is the key to that. Corporate leadership requires technical expertise, but also resilience, adaptability, and the ability to work as part of a team. All of this we pack into our CA programme,” he explained.

Prof Burger also highlighted the faculty’s national role in shaping the profession through ongoing collaboration with SAICA and industry, ensuring that graduates remain relevant and highly employable. He noted the remarkable growth in the faculty’s accounting programmes, with the BAcc enrolling four times as many new first-year students this year compared to five years ago, alongside a significant increase in the average Admission Point (AP) scores of incoming students. “This growth, combined with rising admission standards, is testament to the quality of our programmes and the confidence that students and parents have in what we offer,” Prof Burger said.

As UFS celebrates this milestone, both leaders agree that the achievement belongs not only to the graduates but to the entire learning community. The outstanding 96% pass rate signals the university’s continued success in producing Chartered Accountants who are academically excellent, ethically grounded, and ready to make an impact in South Africa and beyond.

News Archive

SASOL TRAC laboratory launched at UFS Qwaqwa Campus

2006-05-08

Some of the guests attending the launch of the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at the University of the Free State's (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus were from the left Prof Peter Mbati (Principal of the Qwaqwa Campus), Mrs Zimbini Zwane ( Communications Manager of Sasol Infrachem), Prof Gerhardt de Klerk (Dean : UFS Faculty of the Humanities), Prof Fred Hugo
Director of TRAC SA) and Prof Jack van der Linde (Director of RIEP at the UFS).

SASOL TRAC laboratory launched at UFS Qwaqwa Campus

The Research Institute for Education Planning (RIEP) of the University of the Free State (UFS) today unveiled the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at its Qwaqwa campus.

The laboratory will be used to help grade 10, 11 and 12 learners and educators from the Qwaqwa region to conduct the experiments from the physical sciences outcome-based curriculum.

“The Sasol TRAC Laboratory introduces learners not only to the latest technology used by engineers and other scientists in practice but also to stimulate the learner’s interest in the field of science in such a way that more of them will enter into science related careers,” says Mr Cobus van Breda, Co-ordinator of the TRAC Free State Regional Centre.

According to Mr van Breda the newly established Sasol TRAC Laboratory will enable RIEP to train learners and their educators in Physical Sciences. The laboratory will consist of six work stations equipped with computers and electronic sensors.

“Learners from the Qwaqwa region will visit the Sasol TRAC Laboratory on regular basis to conduct experiments based on the curriculum. Data will be collected with electronic apparatus and presented as graphs on the computer so that results can be analysed and interpreted,” says Mr van Breda.

“There is a serious shortage of suitable qualified teachers in maths and science in the Qwaqwa region. Many schools in the region are not yet part of the RIEP project and are in dire need of assistance. A large number of these schools are in remote areas not reached regularly by intervention programmes,” says Prof Peter Mbati, Principal of the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.

“The establishment of the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at the Qwaqwa Campus provides us the opportunity to engage with our community and assist in the development and training of these vital education subjects. We are pleased that Sasol agreed to fund the project,” says Prof Mbati.

Students from the Qwaqwa Campus will also benefit from the TRAC programme. “Some promising students will also undergo further training and become assistants for the TRAC programme,” says Prof Mbati.

“Nurturing science and mathematical skills is of great importance in growing our national economy. Annually, Sasol invests more than R50 million in supporting mathematical and science education in South Africa. Our primary aim is to increase the number of learners gaining access to tertiary education in the science fields. Therefore, our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) education interventions at secondary school level focus on educator development and direct learner interventions such as the Sasol TRAC Laboratory,” explains Ms Pamilla Mudhray, CSI and SHARP manager at Sasol.

According to Ms Mudhray the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement for physical sciences in the further education and training (FET) phase from 2006, under resourced schools will need greater access to the tools and equipment necessary to teach the syllabus and fulfil the ideals of the curriculum.

TRAC South Africa is a national non-profit programme focused on supporting and expanding science, mathematics and technology education in secondary schools. The programme was first introduced to South Africa in 1994. In 2005, RIEP established the TRAC Free State regional centre on the UFS Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 May 2006

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept