What qualifications do I need before I can register at Unisa?

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1 decide to start off with an academically oriented degree. Theoretical or academic approach o Preparation for professional occupations o Emphasis on basic scientific methods and theoretical knowledge o Research orientation o Bachelor s degree (3-4 years) o Honours degree (1-2 years) o Master s degree (2 years) o Doctoral degree (3 years) Technological or vocational approach o Training for a specific career o Practice-orientated training o Close liaison with industry o National Certificate (1 year) o National Higher Certificate (2 years) o National Diploma (3 years) o BTech degree (1-2 years) o MTech degree (1-2 years) o DTech degree (2-3 years) B What qualifications do I need before I can register at Unisa? Type of qualification Senior Certificate with an endorsement Senior Certificate without an endorsement and you are younger than 23 years Senior Certificate without an endorsement and you are older than 23 Action required You have been exempted from the matriculation requirement and may proceed with your enrolment. Please note that some qualifications may have additional requirements (eg Mathematics for the BCompt and BSc degrees) Former Unisa qualifications: Enrol for the Access Programme. Choose a programme that suits the degree you are interested in (please see the Access Information Booklet). Former TSA qualifications: You may proceed with your enrolment. Please note that some qualifications may have additional requirements (eg Mathematics for the NDip: Engineering) Apply for conditional exemption (cost in 2005 is R220). You should have turned 23 years before or in the year you intend to start your studies at Unisa. You should have passed four Grade 12/ Standard 10 subjects with at least an E symbol (40%). At least three subjects should have been passed in one sitting and at least one subject should have been passed on Higher Grade page 56 Unisa: Your career choice

2 Type of qualification You are older than 23 years, by the first day of the relevant registration cycle, and you are younger than 45 years and do not have a Senior Certificate. You may apply for provisional registration if you have passed one of the official languages on a lower grade, or if you have a Standard 8 or 9 / Grade 10 or 11 certificate (non-practical), a Standard10/ Grade 12 (practical) or a certificate with more than two subjects on the lower grade You are older than 23 years, but younger than 45 years and do not have a Senior Certificate You are older than 45 years and do not have a Senior Certificate I do not think I qualify is this the end of my dream to study? Action required a) Apply for provisional registration (regarding a qualification offered by the former TSA). Your application must include the following: o minimum initial payment o a completed registration form for the academic year o certified proof of the highest standard passed o a letter from you employer stating the nature of your work and your work experience (at least three years of relevant work experience) o a certified copy of the first page of your identity document as proof that you were at least 23 years old on the first day of the relevant registration cycle Complete the one-year ABET or Local Government Certificate plus the Higher Diploma in ABET. Then apply for a certificate of conditional exemption Apply for conditional exemption (cost in 2005 is R220). You should have turned 45 before or in the year you intend to start your studies at Unisa If you are unsure whether you qualify or not, please contact the University s Access and Matriculation Exemption Office at (012) or ame@unisa.ac.za. The University also has a number of certificate programmes that could accommodate your needs if you do not meet any of the abovementioned requirements Frequently asked questions about Unisa page 57

3 What happens if I am a foreign student? If I am a foreign student, or a South African citizen living in a foreign country can I study through Unisa? Unisa welcomes students from all over the world. Dedicated staff create a comfortable environment for international students who are seeking an excellent education If you have completed a foreign qualification you should contact the Admissions Office (phone or fax or admissions@unisa.ac.za) to find out whether you qualify for admission. Prospective international students (for a first Bachelor s degree) have to satisfy all the requirements for a full matriculation exemption certificate or qualify for a conditional exemption. If you would like to check the requirements, please visit the Matriculation Board s website at Admission on the grounds of a foreign qualification To check the requirements according to the country of origin go to the following web page: htm The telephone number is: / 2847 or fax: Postal address: The Matriculation Board, PO Box 3854, Tshwane, 0001, South Africa Please note: If you have a post-school qualification, you should contact the relevant College at Unisa to find out which documents to submit and which procedures to follow Language of tuition International students for all programmes are required to have an acceptable level of competence in writing, reading, speaking and understanding English. If not, applicants should contact the Department of English, to find out how to improve their reading and writing skills, at web site or phone: ESP modules (English for Specific Purposes) are for students who want to take fully accredited first-level modules in English, but who do not necessarily wish to focus on literary study. These modules target the specific academic language needs of students at university Students overseas, and/ or in remote or isolated areas Students studying from locations overseas, particularly those in developing countries, and those in remote and isolated areas, are advised to ensure that workable arrangements are in place for receipt of mailings from the University and for submission of assignments. However, unreliable postal systems and various customs regulations may impose extra costs and problems. Allowances should be made for possible delays. All learning materials are sent by airmail, or students have access to on-line materials on Students Online at ac.za/ page 58 Unisa: Your career choice

4 Visiting South Africa International students who wish to visit South Africa or to attend their graduation ceremonies may find the following websites helpful (eg, information about visas and general information about South Africa): o o o Can I get credit for courses I have done at other institutions? Will my life experience and courses I did at my company be recognised? Applying at Student Administration for credits (courses/modules passed at other tertiary institutions) If you have completed formal courses at another accredited university or technikon, you can apply for exemptions from courses/subjects/ modules. If you have completed in-service training, have worked for many years and have learnt through experience, you can apply for recognition of prior learning. Recognition of prior learning For more information, please contact: About former Unisa qualifications contact the Office for Experiential Learning: phone: / 6094; Fax: ; rpl@unisa.ac.za. Postal address: PO Box 392, ORT 7-16, UNISA, 0003 About former TSA qualifications contact the Accreditation and Recognition Centre at (011) /2835/2517/3937 Can I register for subjects that I did not study at school? (And any other questions that may bother you) Yes. Many students take subjects that are completely new to them What should I do if I want to withdraw from my course? Please note that cancelling modules/ courses will have financial implications Remember that the degree/diploma and the related subjects/ modules that you choose are related to a career choice. You are not limited by the subjects that you did at school. If you are interested in a qualification, check its admission requirements. Sometimes Mathematics is required (eg for the BSc degree), but a bridging course in Mathematics (MAT011-K) is offered If at any time you think that you need to drop your course, you should contact a student counsellor at the main campus or at your nearest regional campus. Often students drop courses, because they have not allowed themselves enough time to study, or because their circumstances change, or because they have academic difficulties. You might have feelings of guilt, doubt, isolation, anxiety and failure. Because you have these feelings, you may not want to contact a counsellor but please do contact us. You may discover that you find the solution to your problem when you share it with someone who listens to you. Make sure that you know the closing dates for cancellation of courses so that you can minimise financial costs Frequently asked questions about Unisa page 59

5 It is difficult to know what the future holds. You have passed some courses but your circumstances have changed and you may need to take a break from your studies. You are free to do so, whenever you wish. You will not lose your chance to register as a student again when you are ready to continue with your studies. Can I take a break from studies for a year or two? There are many good reasons why Unisa students may want to take a break for example a student may have a baby, may change jobs, or may move to another town or country. You can start your studies again later when you are ready. Only the years that you have been registered at Unisa are counted as years of study. Remember that you will retain the credits you have passed, unless the course has changed dramatically in the meantime. Please check with Student Administration Where can I get more information about Unisa? Printed University Calendar The Calendar is available free of charge from any of the Unisa offices, or write to the Registrar (Academic); P O Box 392, Unisa, 0003 to request it You will need the part of the Calendar that relates to your area of interest, for example part 6 of the Calendar if you are interested in legal qualifications. This part will then indicate which legal qualifications are offered at Unisa, as well as admission requirements and structure for the different qualifications. Part 2 of the Calendar gives information on the content of all modules and papers offered by Unisa. The information is listed alphabetically, for easy reference Information about Unisa is contained in the complete Calendar published annually. The Calendar consists of several parts: Part 1: General information and rules Part 2: Subjects and syllabuses Part 3: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Part 4: College of Economic and Management Sciences Part 5: College of Human Sciences Part 6: College of Law Part 7: College of Science, Engineering and Technology Part 8: VUDEC/UNISA page 60 Unisa: Your career choice

6 The Unisa website has sections for prospective students and current students. Unisa website Prospective students can find out more about what distance education entails, get assistance on career choice issues, and access complete information about all Unisa s qualifications from certificate to doctoral level. In addition, there are quick links to registration-related information such as assistance with registration, bursaries and loans, admission requirements and web registration. There are specific pages with important information for postgraduateand international students. You can download Unisa Calendars and information brochures for former Unisa and former TSA qualifications from the downloadable documents page. Information on all qualifications at Unisa can be personalised by making selections from the information available and saving it as one document in MAGView Reader format. You can then download your personalised brochure to your computer to access the information off-line. Current students have access to all the above information, as well as information on assignments, examinations and registration as Students Online or TSA COOL students. How is the Unisa academic year structured? Modules/Courses First semester modules (former Unisa qualifications) Second semester modules (former Unisa qualifications) Year modules (former Unisa qualifications) First cycle year courses (former TSA qualifications) Second cycle year courses (former TSA qualifications) Period Register: December-January Exams: May/June Register: December-January and June-July Exams: October/November Register: December-March Exams: October/November Register: December-March Exams: October/November Register: August-September Exams: May/June Frequently asked questions about Unisa page 61