On January 21, matric results will be released. Pupils across the country will find out what marks they have earned. Following that universities will send out acceptance letters to prospective students. This kicks off the registration process for the 2022 academic year. Here’s what you need to know about university registration and academic activities in 2022.
PSA: This list will be updated as and when more universities release the information.
NSFAS extends deadline for 2022 applications
University of Venda
Registration for first-year students and returning students begins January 25.
Students are registering online.
The academic year will begin on February 14. Blended and multi-modal learning will continue, but first-year students will be prioritised for on-site learning.
The Council of the University of Venda approved a mandatory vaccination regime for 2022. Students are encouraged and assisted to get vaccinated on campus. No student will be denied education.
University of Pretoria
New students can register from January 25 and senior students from February 1. Lectures will start on February 21 (either virtually or on campus)
Registration is online.
During the last quarter of 2021, UP started opening up the campus to a limited number of students under strict health regulations. Their plan is a more significant re-opening for the 2022 academic year. However, Rikus Delport, spokesperson said it is not possible to resume all contact classes immediately while ensuring everyone’s safety. They are currently looking at introducing face-to-face classes on a rotational basis for at least some of the programmes.
The university is taking proactive steps to ensure that they have an appropriate plan in place for the re-opening of their campuses for the 2022 academic year. The process must be carefully managed, taking risks associated with it into account.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Registration at CPUT has already begun and so far 16403 have already done so. Courses start at different times but by February the academic year will begin.
The registration process is exclusively online
CPUT have not made a decision on the return to on-site learning. Their COVID command centre makes that determination based on multiple factors. CPUT was branded a low-risk institution and they intend keeping it that way by constantly insisting on the usual covid safety protocols and encouraging our community to take responsibility for themselves and others.
They have not made a determination on the vaccine policy and are guided by prevailing lockdown regulations and laws.
University of KwaZulu Natal
The University of KwaZulu-Natal aims to register over 46 000 students in the 2022 academic year. There are approximately 10 000 first-year places available. The university will continue with online teaching and learning until further notice. Only practical and clinical training will be face to face.
Registration is conducted online and is ongoing.
Online registration: Monday 10 January – Friday, 25 February 2022;
First semester and Lectures commence: Monday, 14 February 2022;
Final date for minimum fee payment required for registration: Friday, 25 February 2022;
Final date for semester 1 registration: Friday, 25 February 2022;
Final date for curriculum changes: Friday, 25 February 2022.
The university is currently in discussions regarding mandatory vaccinations for staff and students. Students are encouraged to vaccinate via regular, accurate communications, direct messaging via social media platforms and notice systems of the facilities available and the importance of vaccinations.
North-West University
Online registration of full time first-year students will take place from January 25 up until February 16. Online registration of full time senior and returning students will commence on January 31 and continue up until February 18.
Students should register online and need not be on campus for registration.
The academic year will begin on February 21. All information around on-site learning and COVID measures can be found here. Vaccination at the NWU is at this stage non-mandatory. The university is finalising vaccination requirements and an accompanying standard operating procedure, which will be communicated with students shortly.
No walk-inns or late applications are accepted.
Central University of Technology
CUT is gearing up to welcome about 4677 first year students for 2022. CUT first-year registration will commence on January 26 and February 3 for returning students.
No walk-ins will be allowed, and students are encouraged to check their application status online.
All registration processes for 2022 will be done online. Students who have received their acceptance letter will be informed of the registration process which will be accompanied by a step-by-step video of the process.
CUT encourages students to vaccinate. The institution has vaccination sites on both their campuses.
University of Stellenbosch
Online registration has been in place for a number of years at SU and most students will be able to register for the 2022 academic year online. Classes for undergraduate students (with the exception of some MB,ChB clinical rotations) start on February 14.
The University’s Institutional Committee for Business Continuation made a decision in late 2021 to have a full return to campus and into the classroom for the 2022 academic year. The university will be continuing with augmented remote teaching learning and assessment for the 1st semester of 2022. This is a flexible hybrid mode of learning and teaching. The university’s vaccination rule is still being finalised.
Wits University
Online registration for first year students commences on January 21-27. Assisted registration is available if required. In the past five years, most students registered online with a few coming on campus for assisted registration. With regards to returning students, each faculty has specific dates and deadlines for both online and assisted registration.
Teaching and learning will commence on February 28 in blended mode. This means that some activities will take place on campus, including experiential learning and interactive learning and teaching sessions. Other activities, such as presentations, discussion forums and formative assessments, will be conducted online.
The Wits Council passed the COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy, which came into effect on January 1 2022. However, everyone will have until March 1 2022 to get vaccinated or apply for reasonable accommodation.
Tshwane University of Technology
Registration for the FTEN students will start on January 31 2022. The online system has been enhanced, including pre-selecting all compulsory first-year subjects and confirming registered first-year learners. Registration will close on February 25. Classes will begin on February 10.
Walk-in student admissions will not be allowed. However, students with difficulty registering online will be assisted in TUT laboratories.
Covid-19 risk levels will be assessed before the commencement of academic activities and throughout the 2022 academic year. If risk levels allow, mask-to-mask classes will be considered in terms of the directions on venue capacity. TUT is in the process of drafting their policy on Covid-19 vaccination and will only be in a position to comment once that draft has been taken through the consultation process.
University of Free State
Online academic advice and online registration for senior students will take place from January 17-31 and for first-year students from February 1-11.
All first-year and senior students will register online.
The academic year will begin on February 14. UFS is planning for the return of all staff and registered students in 2022 in a way that minimises risk. Classes will be presented on campus in 2022, except for a few qualifications and modules that will be presented in a blended format.
UFS will be implementing its COVID-19 Regulations and Required Vaccination Policy as from February 14 2022. The policy does not force anyone to vaccinate. “It is aimed at restricting campus access to vaccinated persons” – barring medical and religious exemptions.
University of the Western Cape
Online registration for Masters and PhD students opened on January 10 2022. For senior undergraduate and Honours students registration opens January 24 and concludes February 11. For first-year and returning undergraduate students hybrid assisted registration opens January 31 and concludes on February 11.
Registration will be conducted online via the student portal and e-advising platforms. Certain programmes will have in-person curriculum advising and this will be communicated to the respective students along with the designated dates and times.
The academic year will commence on February 14. A hybrid/blended approach will be followed. In-contact classes will take place in 2022 if national regulations permit. Flexible online learning and teaching will also continue in most faculties for 2022. All staff and students will have to be vaccinated in order to enter campus or attend university events. Therefore, unvaccinated students will not be allowed to attend classes on campus, however flexible online learning and teaching will continue in most faculties for 2022. It will be mandatory for staff, students and anyone else (such as service providers and visitors) to be vaccinated before they are allowed access to campus. This policy came into effect on January 3.
University students’ thoughts on proposed mandatory vaccinations
Mangosuthu University of Technology
MUT registration for the 2022 academic year is scheduled for February 14-25 2022, for new and returning students. Students are encouraged to make use of MUT online registration platform which allows them to register where they are without having to come on campus. This is meant to reduce the risk of having large groups gathered at the university, in line with the COVID-19 protocols. MUT’s academic year begins on February 14 2022. MUT, like all other universities, takes its directive from the department on whether students can fully return to the university or if they can return in parts.
MUT has consulted a legal opinion before putting in place a vaccination policy. The legal opinion received was that MUT should do further work before deciding whether to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory or not. The Committee has resolved that the matter on COVID-19 mandatory vaccines would be referred to Senate to determine the approval of the proposal.
University of Johannesburg
Registration for senior/ returning students commenced on January 17 2022 until February 11 2022. As for first-year students, once the university selection process has been finalised, the UJ student enrolment centre will inform the applicants of their admission status by email. Registration for undergraduate (first years) commences on January 21 and will be open for three weeks. UJ has planned its academic activities for 2022 in accordance with different scenarios and the university is ready to implement any one of the scenarios, depending on the Covid-19 situation.
All registrations are done online and off-campus
The start of academic activities for first year and senior students is on February 14 2022. As for on-campus learning, UJ’s council has resolved that all the university’s campuses and facilities will be mandatory vaccination sites from 2022. Exemptions, based on medical or religious grounds, will be considered. Fully vaccinated students’ access cards will be activated for all campuses and facilities. Partially vaccinated students are conditionally registered with access granted to the campuses and facilities. Accommodation in campus residences will be allowed.
Students have until March 31 2022 to comply with the conditional registration i.e. to become fully vaccinated or risk having their studies cancelled.
Rhodes University
Post Grad registrations opened on January 10. First-year registration will open on February 12 and for returning students on February 18.
The registration process will be online.
Lectures are scheduled to start on February 21. The university will be monitoring developments in relation to the pandemic and adapt their plans according to the evolution and trajectory of the virus. They encourage all students and staff to get fully vaccinated. Rhodes University has a vaccination mandate rule towards a full return for staff and students to campus in 2022. They are adopting a hybrid approach that will be followed for many of the academic activities in order for returning students to prepare for the 2022 return to campus.
Students will only be able to continue with their online administration registration once their vaccination certificate has been verified. If they are not vaccinated, they will only be allowed to continue if they have been granted an exemption.
What you need to know about NSFAS 2022
University of Limpopo
The registration period is between January 24 – 28. The academic year will begin on January 24 for returning students and January 31 for first year students.
Registration will be conducted remotely through their online facilities
Their approach remains multimodal teaching, learning, and assessment. Repatriation will continue to be done in a phased approach guided by an ongoing risk assessment. The university has considered it important that they do not rush into a particular position with regards to vaccination. Final admission status will be accessible on their online facilities from January 21 2022.
UNISA
At the University of South Africa, first semester registration commenced on January 4 and will close on January 24 2022. Students may also register their modules for semester 2 during this period if they wish to do so. This is provided there are no pre-requisite requirements for modules. The second semester registration period will commence from June 20 to July 18 2022.
University of Cape Town
Orientation and registration are scheduled to commence on February 1 until February 11. UCT will put in place the First Year Campus Reception (FYCR) programme, which was introduced in 2021. Teaching and learning is scheduled to start on February 14. The university has a framework which guides the teaching and learning process.
All students, whether they are South African or international, are expected to be in Cape Town throughout the academic year and to come to campus as required. Students will have increased contact time with academic staff. All forms of face-to-face on-campus teaching and learning activities need to have an online alternative.
A draft vaccination policy is in place and will go through the consultation process and thereafter a final decision will be made. The draft policy proposes the introduction of a campus-wide vaccine mandate that will be applicable to all staff, students, independent contractors, and other visitors. The draft policy provides for staff and students to apply for an exemption to the vaccine mandate on narrow medical grounds and religious grounds.
