Unisa has allocated R176.3m to support indigent students, says Vice-Chancellor

The University of South Africa (Unisa) allocated  R176.3m in direct and donor-supported funding to indigent and financially vulnerable students in 2025, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Puleng LenkaBula announced during the university’s official closing ceremony held in Pretoria on Friday.

Addressing staff, students, council members, and invited guests, the vice-chancellor received a resounding applause when she provided the university's financial commitment to student support reflects the institution’s mandate as a public university serving the needs of South Africa, the continent and the global South.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the university provided R176.3 million in direct financial support to 6 004 students during the year. This funding formed part of Unisa’s expanded student support interventions aimed at assisting indigent students who would otherwise be unable to continue or complete their studies.

In addition to direct institutional funding, the vice-chancellor highlighted the role of the Unisa Foundation and donor partners in supporting students facing financial exclusion. Through a combination of fundraising initiatives and institutional contributions, a further R17.1 million was mobilised to assist students who had completed their qualifications or were left with fewer than five outstanding modules but lacked the financial means to graduate.

She noted that R2.4 million was raised at the inaugural Convocation Gala Dinner, with the Unisa Foundation providing matching funds of R2.4 million. This was supplemented by an additional R12.3 million allocation from the Foundation. In total, the funding supported at least 3 044 students, enabling them to graduate or complete their qualifications.

“These interventions are not acts of charity, but expressions of our institutional responsibility,” the Vice-Chancellor said, emphasising that access to education must not be determined by a student’s socio-economic circumstances.

The Vice-Chancellor added that the university’s efforts complemented broader national funding mechanisms, including the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), while also addressing gaps caused by delays or funding shortfalls. In 2025, Unisa supported 201 262 funded students overall, including 188 702 NSFAS beneficiaries, and provided R62 million in bridging finance to cushion students affected by NSFAS delays.

The funding commitments were announced as part of a wide-ranging address reflecting on Unisa’s performance and progress over the past academic year and the Vice-Chancellor’s five-year term. The university maintained a student headcount of more than 373 000, conferred over 66 000 qualifications in 2025, and recorded strong growth in research output and global rankings.

The Vice-Chancellor concluded that Unisa’s investment in indigent students is central to its identity as an African university committed to social justice and transformation.

“Education remains the most powerful instrument for restoring dignity, expanding opportunity and shaping futures in the service of humanity,” she said.

The Closing Ceremony marked the formal end of the 2025 academic year and set the tone for the university’s priorities as it prepares for 2026. 

The ceremony closed with a jovial performance by DJ Lamiezy, celebrated South African poet Mzwakhe Mbuli who had written a poem about Unisa, Gospel legends Willian Sejake, Gift Ledimo and Sabatha Masoka, who are previous members of Joyous Celebration.