Following the registration of new students for the 2019 academic year at Rhodes University this past week, the University is now set for the registration of returning students.
“Although the registration process has been very smooth, we faced some serious challenges with students arriving on campus without being cleared for registration, as they had not received their confirmation from NSFAS. The University was, however able to accommodate these students in temporary accommodation on campus, and the majority of them have now been allocated to residence,” said Dr Adele Moodly, Registrar at Rhodes University.
Returning students are encouraged to ensure that they are cleared for registration before registering to ensure a smooth process.
Moodly added that students from Zimbabwe are struggling to transfer funds to South Africa due to the restrictions with transferring foreign currency from Zimbabwe. The South African ambassador in Zimbabwe has also communicated challenges and delays in issuing student visas. The Rhodes University International Office is liaising with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) to request urgent interventions.
Despite the fact that the University only has the capacity to accommodate 1 650 newly-entering students, approximately 12 000 applications have been received.
Moodly stressed that admissions to Rhodes University are competitive and that the University can only admit a limited number of students.
“The planned intake of undergraduate first-year students for the 2019 academic year is 1 650. The University would offer more places to deserving students, but the number of spaces available is limited by capacity and infrastructure constraints, in addition to the formal Enrolment Plan approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET),” she said.
As of Tuesday, 1 377 of the 1 650 students who have been offered places at Rhodes University have registered. Of these students, 1 249 are in the University’s residence system.
Of the 8 300 students that are expected for the 2019 academic year, 3 780 will be accommodated on campus and those students who are not accommodated within the residence system are accommodated in town.
The academic programme is set to start on Monday, 11 February.
