University of South Africa
Established	1873
Type	Public University
Vice-Chancellor and Principal	NB Pityana
Headquarters:	Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Enrollment	200 000
Academic staff	4 000
Homepage	http://www.unisa.ac.za/

Note: "UniSA" can also refer to the University of South Australia. Image File history File links Unisa1crest. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Nyameko Barney Pityana is a lawyer and theologian in South Africa. ... City motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Province Gauteng Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... Categories: South Africa stubs | Provinces of South Africa | Gauteng Province ... University of South Australia The University of South Australia (commonly known as UniSA) was formed in 1991 when the South Australian Government merged the South Australian Institute of Technology and the South Australian Colleges of Advanced Education through the University of South Australia Act 1991. ...

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 200,000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the World's mega universities. Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy/andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that is effectively incorporated in delivering education to students who are not physically on site to receive their education. ... City motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Province Gauteng Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... A mega university is a university with a large number of enrolled students in which distance learning techniques are used to deliver courses to them, which also makes the courses particularly cost-effective. ...

History

Founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, the University of South Africa (or Unisa as it is commonly known) spent most of its early history as an examining agency for Oxford and Cambridge universities and as an incubator from which most other universities in South Africa are descended. In 1946 it was given a new role as a distance education university and today it offers certificate, diploma and degree courses up to doctoral level. 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ... The University of the Cape of Good Hope, renamed the University of South Africa in 1916, was created by Act 16 of 1873 of the Cape of Good Hope Parliament. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A certificate is an official document affirming some fact. ... A diploma (from Greek diploma) is a document issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that is one of the following: A certificate testifying that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, A deed conferring an academic degree. ... It has been suggested that double degree be merged into this article or section. ...

In January 2004 Unisa merged with Technikon SA and incorporated the distance education component of Vista University (VUDEC). The combined institution is still known as the University of South Africa (Unisa). It is now organised by college and by school; see below. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The University

Location

• Main Campus: Pretoria (Gauteng) Florida (Gauteng)
• Provincial Centres: Durban (KwaZulu-Natal), Cape Town (Western Cape), Polokwane (Limpopo), Nelspruit (Mpumalanga), Mafikeng (North West), Kimberley (Northern Cape), Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape), Bloemfontein (Free State).

City motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Province Gauteng Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... Central area of Durban Durban is a city in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa (29°53′S 31°03′E). ... City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Province Western Cape Mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... Polokwane, previously known as Pietersburg is the capital of Limpopo Province, South Africa. ... Nelspruit is a city of 21,474 people (1991) situated in northeastern South Africa. ... Mafikeng is the capital of the North West Province, South Africa, 870 miles NE of Cape Town and 492 miles SSW of Bulawayo by rail, and 162 miles in a direct line W by N of Johannesburg. ... Kimberley is a town in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. ... Port Elizabeth is a city in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, at 33°58′ S 25°36′ E. The city is located on Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. ... Coat of arms of Bloemfontein Bloemfontein (Dutch for fountain of flowers) is one of South Africas three capital cities, along with Pretoria and Cape Town. ...

Students and staff

The University currently has some 200 000 students in Southern Africa, other African countries and abroad. Unisa now has a staff component of just over 4 000 people who provide tuition and administrative support to students in South Africa and worldwide.

Colleges

• College of Economic and Management Sciences
• College of Human Sciences
• College of Law
• College of Science, Engineering and Technology
• College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
• Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL)

Other institutes

• Centre for African Renaissance Studies (CARS)

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Distance education at UNISA

Accreditation

In 2002 UNISA was granted full institutional accreditation from the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) to be reviewed 2007 [1]. DETC’s accreditation is through the first-professional degree level only [2]. 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Generally, accreditation is the process by which a facility becomes officially certified as providing services of a reasonably good quality, so that the public can trust in the quality of its services. ... 2007 (MMVII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Entrance Requirements

Students need a school-leaving qualification that would entitle them to enter a university or college in their own country. However, Unisa also offers access courses to those who have completed their schooling but without university matriculation. Access course programmes are available for students who have a national certificate (matric without university entrance). If successful, students can study further for a degree.

Advantages

Market research has shown that Unisa is rated as one of the top universities in South Africa [3] - Unisa qualifications are sought after in the marketplace.

• Courses are offered at one-quarter to one-third the price of residential universities;
• Courses are accessible as students who do not have a university entrance matric can register for UNISA's access programme; *Courses are flexible, because students can plan their studies to fit into their lifestyles;
• The qualifications are credible, because of the international recognition afforded its qualifications.

Culture

The University of South Africa has been promoting and promulgating culture in all its manifestations since its inception in 1873. Apart from the academic courses offered by UNISA's College of Humanities, practical language, art and music skills have been actively pursued through the setting of curriculums and the implementation of special courses and examinations.

• african centre for arts, culture and heritage studies
• museum of anthropology and archaeology
• department of music
• unisa art gallery
• unisa music foundation
• little theatre

UNISA Foundation

The Unisa Foundation was established in 1966 and now has approximately 280 active donors, many of them individual alumni with the desire to give back to the communities that nurtured them and corporate giants, South African and international, with a strong sense of social responsibility. Equally vital is the role played by the Board of Trustees, whose members not only oversee the affairs of the Unisa Foundation but who also lend the weight of their professional and personal reputations in a drive to reach potential donors, without financial reward to themselves.

Based at Unisa's main campus in Muckleneuck, Pretoria, the Foundation has Fundraising and Development Divisions in Gauteng, the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. The Fundraising and Development Divisions support the smooth running of projects being undertaken in their regions while raising additional funding for local community projects.

Notable alumni

• Nelson Mandela
• Robert Mugabe
• Chenjerai Hove
• Sindiwe Magona
• Kaiser Matanzima
• Kenneth Mopeli
• Cyril Ramaphosa
• Tokyo Sexwale
• Danny Jordaan
• Ahmed Kathrada
• Bulelani Ngcuka
• Mamphela Ramphele

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, (born July 18, 1918), was the first democratically elected President of South Africa, having previously been a prominent anti-apartheid activist there. ... Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe KCB (born February 21, 1924) has been the head of government in Zimbabwe, first as Prime Minister and later as first executive President, since 1980. ... Chenjerai Hove (born 1956) is a Zimbabwean poet, novelist and essayist. ... Sindiwe Magona (born 1943) is a South African writer. ... Kaiser Daliwonga Matanzima (June 15, 1915 - June 15, 2003) was a former leader of the then-bantustan of Transkei in South Africa; He led Transkei to self-government in 1964 and to an internationally unrecognised indepedence in October, 1976. ... Tsiame Kenneth Mopeli was the former Chief Minister of the South African bantustan of QwaQwa. ... Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African lawyer, trade union leader, activist, politician and businessman. ... Mosima Gabriel Sexwale (born March 5, 1953), commonly known as Tokyo Sexwale, is a South African businessman and former politician, anti-apartheid activist, and political prisoner. ... Danny Jordaan (1951 _ ) is a South African sports administrator as well as a former lecturer, politician and anti_apartheid activist. ... Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada (sometimes nicknamed Kathy) (21 August 1929 - ) is a South African politician and was an anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. ... Bulelani T Ngcuka (2 May 1954 - ) was the first national Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa, and is the husband of Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. ... Mamphela Aletta Ramphele (28 December 1947 - ) is a South African academic, businesswoman and medical doctor and was an anti-apartheid activist. ...

See also

• List of universities in South Africa

In 2004 South Africa started reforming its higher education system, merging and incorporating small universities into larger institutions, and renaming all higher education institutions university (previously there had been several types of higher education institution). ...

External links

• The University of South Africa website
• Google Map of Unisa