We are pleased and excited to announce to you that the University of South Africa’s UNISA Online Application for the 2024–2025 academic year is now open to all interested and qualified applicants. We are not just making this announcement known but also providing various steps on how to apply online for University of South Africa (UNISA admission.
Gather all the necessary documents and get ready to follow the steps on our website to a successful University of South Africa (UNISA online application. We will try as much as possible to make your application smooth and seamless. But before we proceed, remember that this application is open to all prospective undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma and certificate students. The only thing you need right now to apply for admission to the prestigious University of South Africa, UNISA, is for you to be eligible and ready.
The management of the University of South Africa, UNISA, is no stranger to technology, as they have made this application exclusively online, unlike the rigorous task of going through the paper-based application (only when necessary). This is why they opened an application portal for all high school leavers and those trying to further their studies either part-time or full-time.
Brace up and read along as we guide you through the University of South Africa’s UNISA online application procedure for the 2024–2025 Academic year.
Further Reading: University of South Africa, UNISA Full Tuition & Fees
STEPS ON HOW TO APPLY ONLINE FOR UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA, UNISA ADMISSION
To use the University of South Africa, UNISA online application feature, you must have a working internet device, a valid email address which is not shared with another University of South Africa, UNISA applicant, your South African identity number, or, if you are an international applicant, your passport number. Kindly follow the easy steps below to apply online for University of South Africa, UNISA (University of South Africa, UNISA Online Application) admission:
1. Apply Online
- Step 1: Please apply online via the University of South Africa, UNISA Application Portal if you are enrolling in Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Study Abroad or Graduate School of Business Exchange Programme.
- Step 2: Kindly select a qualification (either undergraduate, Postgraduate, Short Learning Programmes, Master’s or Doctoral) to proceed.
- Step 3: If you are a first-time user, you will then be prompted to answer ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ to the required fields.
- Step 4: You will then be required to fill your names and date of birth. Then click “Continue” to proceed.
- Step 5: You will then be required to select your preferred course of study and then click “Continue” to proceed.
- Step 6: You will then be required to fill your academic records as well as upload documents where necessary. Then click “Continue” to proceed.
- Step 7: After you are done with the above steps, you will then be taken to the page where you will be required to fill in all the necessary information like your Personal Details, Nationality, Address Information, disability information, Study Choices, Residential Address, Postal Address, Contact Details, Demographic Details, Next of Kin, Emergency Contact, Current Activities, Employment, Education, Indemnity and Undertaking, make Payment (Check the University of South Africa, UNISA Application Fee and how to Pay Here) and upload the necessary Documents.
- Step 8: Complete all the fields and click ‘Continue‘ at each interval to proceed.
- Step 9: When you are done, kindly click on the ‘Submit‘ button to get your application submitted.
2. Acknowledgement of Application
- You will receive an email confirming the online submission of your application immediately.
- Within three working days, you should receive formal acknowledgment of your application along with your student number and log-in details.
- Note: this acknowledgement does not mean you’ve been accepted or admitted to University of South Africa, UL.
3. Upload Supporting Documents
In order to consider your application, please upload every necessary supporting documents listed below on this article. If the application is incomplete, it may be declined by the University.
4. Acceptance of Offer
When we update your application, you will receive an email notification. Please monitor your email account closely for updates. You can also check your status online with the log-in credentials that we will send you after you apply. We are not permitted to disclose your application status telephonically.
Further Reading: Track your application by visiting the UNISA Application Status Page
LIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA, UNISA ONLINE APPLICATION
All applicants starting a new qualification must upload all the required documents, which generally consist of the following:
- Copy of your school qualifications (eg Senior Certificate)
- Copy of your official tertiary academic record(s) (if applicable) (internet copies will not be accepted.)
- Copy of your ID document (RSA students) or ID / passport (international students)
- Copy of your marriage certificate (if applicable) or divorce decree (if applicable)
- Sworn translations of documents if they are not in English or Afrikaans
Some qualifications may require additional documents. Unisa reserves the right to request original documents and/or to verify the correctness of submitted documents at any time. Submitting fraudulent documents is an offence in terms of the Student Disciplinary Code.
Only upload the required documents as individual files, not a complete set of documents as one file.
- Files are not larger than 2MB (2048KB) each.
- Only black-and-white documents may be submitted.
- Only the following file types are allowed: PDF (Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format file), DOC (Word document file) or TIF (image file)
Further Readings: University of South Africa, UNISA Application Deadline
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION ON THE UNISA ONLINE APPLICATION
1. How do I know if I’m ready for distance learning?
- Many of us do not know what it’s really like to study through distance learning because most of our schooling and post-school education was completed through contact or face-to-face learning. We have developed a number of videos to help you assess how ready you are for distance learning.
2. Is Unisa a correspondence university?
- Unisa is an Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) university. Open-distance e-Learning is a different way of learning; there is a physical distance between you and your university. For most of us, this means that our previous learning experiences will not have prepared us for the Unisa study journey. In distance learning, YOU are responsible for your studies. You don’t attend daily classes/lectures. You learn from a distance, and you connect to the university mostly via the internet (eg a laptop, tablet, smartphone).
3. What qualifications does Unisa offer?
Unisa offers different levels of qualifications:
- Undergraduate higher certificates, diplomas & degrees, advanced certificates, advanced diplomas & postgraduate certificates
- Honours degrees and postgraduate diplomas
- Master’s and doctoral qualifications
- Short learning programmes
4. I don’t know which qualification to choose.
Our careers are a work in progress and you continuously need to make career decisions, including what to study. Your starting point is to understand what kind of opportunities you want to prepare for. If you want to be a teacher, for example, you need to choose a qualification such as a Bachelor of Education degree to prepare you to be a teacher. If you want to be able to work in finance, you might choose to start with a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree to prepare you for finance-related opportunities.
The next step is to do research about yourself (your interests, values and skills) and career opportunities (by doing research on Google, job websites, talking to professionals in person and on LinkedIn, and doing job shadowing and volunteer work). This process will help you understand what qualifications are more relevant to your career.
5. I know what I’m interested in but am not sure what to study.
- Your interests play an important role in sustaining your career and shaping specific career choices. Often, you are sure of what you like but not sure of what jobs are related to your interests.
6. Who must apply for admission?
- Everyone wanting to start a new qualification must apply for admission. This includes first-time Unisa applicants, Unisa students changing to a new qualification, and applicants who previously applied for admission but were not offered a space.
- Everyone completing a higher certificate must apply for admission to a follow-on qualification.
- You must re-apply for admission if you previously applied for admission and received feedback but did not register for any reason.
- Everyone planning to enrol at a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college under the Unisa-TVET agreement must apply for admission.
7. When can I apply?
- Applications for admission to undergraduate programmes for the 2024 academic year will be open by June .
8. I’m currently in Grade 12. When should I apply?
Applications for admission to undergraduate qualifications (higher certificates, advanced certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas & degrees), honours degrees and postgraduate diplomas for the 2024 academic year will be open soon.
9. How many qualifications can I apply for?
- You can apply for a maximum of two qualifications. You may be offered a space based on the following: whether you meet the academic admission requirements for your qualification of choice, your minimum points score and the number of spaces available for the qualification for which you have applied.
10. I applied in the previous application period but did not upload the required supporting documents and/or pay the application fee. What must I do?
- You must re-apply for admission during the relevant application period. Your student number allocated to you as part of your previous application remains valid.
11. I studied previously through Unisa. Must I also submit my academic record?
- Yes, please obtain this information from myUnisa and submit your academic record as part of the application process. Please note that you do not need to get this academic record certified, as Unisa can verify the information against the Unisa database.
12. Will I still be able to submit any outstanding documents after applications have closed?
No. Unisa will not accept any late applications or documents submitted after the closing date for applications. You will need to re-apply during the next application period.
13. Will I be able to change my two proposed qualification after I have submitted my application for 2023 (even for Grade 12 applicants)?
No qualification can be added or changed once an application has been submitted. You may apply for a maximum of two qualifications during the application process. You may want to consider applying for a lower-level qualification as your second choice.
Current or returning Unisa students who wish to change to a new qualification/specialisation may ONLY apply for this change during the relevant application period.
14. Who can apply for non-degree purposes (NDP)?
Admission to and registration for NDP is restricted and will only be considered in exceptional cases due to limited spaces available at the university.
15. Can I apply for admission to NDP with only a Grade 12 certificate?
Prospective students with only a Grade 12 without any previous tertiary studies may not apply for admission to register for NDP.
16. I am registered at Unisa for a formal qualification but wish to register for additional modules for NDP together with the qualification. Is this allowed?
- In such a case, you are not required to apply for admission to register for the NDP modules. As stipulated in the Unisa rules for students, such NDP registration is restricted and may not be exceeded.
17. My application for admission to a formal qualification has been rejected due to limited space. Can I apply for NDP to obtain credits towards a qualification?
- Registration for NDP will unfortunately not be considered to obtain credits towards a qualification at a later stage.
18. What is the qualification code to apply for admission to NDP for undergraduate modules?
- Qualification code: 00019.
19. How do I apply for NDP to gain admission to postgraduate studies at Unisa?
- Please contact the College of Graduate Studies (honours & postgraduate diplomas; master’s and doctoral qualifications).
20. How do I apply for NDP?
I’ve never before applied for NDP at Unisa | I’ve previously applied for NDP at Unisa |
To apply, kindly visit the UNISA application portal.
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If you have an existing NDP record at Unisa, you will not be able to apply online for admission.
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21. Documents to be submitted as part of your NDP application
Documents to be submitted if you are a first-time NDP applicant: | Depending on the scenario/reason to register for NDP, the following documents must be submitted and uploaded when you apply online for admission:
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Documents to be submitted if you previously registered at Unisa for NDP: |
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Documents to be submitted if your NDP application is for work/employment purposes: |
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Additional documents to be submitted if you are required to pass additional modules to be registered with a professional body: |
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22. Is there an application fee? If so, how much is it?
The non-refundable application fee for self-help and online applications is R125.00.
This application fee is non-refundable even if you decide not to study through Unisa or do not qualify for admission to Unisa.
Please note: No application fee will be accepted after the closing date of the 2023 application period. No application will be processed until the application fee has been paid (for first-time applicants) and supporting documents have been uploaded.
23. Who must pay the application fee?
- Only first-time applicants at Unisa have to pay the application fee. You do not need to pay the application fee if you have previously paid an application fee at Unisa.
24. Is the application fee subject to a cooling-off period?
- No.
25. I’ve applied. What happens now?
- Unisa will assess your application, which includes the points score system. You may be offered a space based on the following: whether you meet the academic admission requirements for your qualification of choice, your minimum points score and the number of spaces available for the qualification for which you have applied.
- Please note that you will not automatically be accepted to study through Unisa, even if you meet the above requirements for your qualification(s) of choice. Students will be accommodated on the basis of the number of spaces available for each qualification. Please note that the “first come, first served” principle does NOT apply.
- Unisa will inform you of the outcome of your application.
- You must accept or decline Unisa’s offer within the prescribed period of time.
- First-time applicants to Unisa will be required to complete the First-Year Experience MOOC (massive open online course) before you will be able to accept your offer and be able to register for the 2024 academic year. You will automatically be routed to the offer acceptance page once you complete the last activity in the MOOC.
- If you accept Unisa’s offer, you must register for the period for which you have been granted admission. Should you not register for the 2024 academic year, you will need to re-apply for admission during the next application period.
26. When can I expect feedback on my online application?
- The verification of applications takes some time. You may only receive feedback from Unisa six to eight weeks after the closing date for applications.
27. I’ve applied for one qualification but now want to change to another. What should I do?
- In exceptional cases and on receipt of a written request, an applicant may change the qualification for which he or she has applied. Unisa will consider such a request, but the outcome will be based on merit and the number of spaces available in the proposed qualification.
28. Accepting Unisa’s offer
- If your application for admission to the 2024 academic year is successful, Unisa will offer you a space for the period for which you have applied and will also indicate for which qualification you are being offered a space.
- You must accept or decline Unisa’s offer within the prescribed period of time (10 days from the date of the offer).
- You may only accept one offer. This means that when you accept an offer for one qualification (irrespective of whether it is your first or second qualification of choice), the other offer will automatically fall away.
- You will only be permitted to register for the qualification for which you have accepted the offer.
- If you accept Unisa’s offer, you must register for the 2024 academic year. If not, you will have to re-apply during the next application period.
29. I want to register but didn’t apply during the application period. What should I do?
- You will need to apply for admission during the next application period.
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