The University of Johannesburg has received nearly 75 000 applications for approximately 10 500 first-year undergraduate spaces for 2014.
The University of Witwatersrand (Wits) can accommodate 5 500 first-year undergraduate students but receives approximately 35 000 first-year applications annually.
According to Wits vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Adam Habib, only one in seven pupils will go on to study at a higher education institution.
He acknowledged the capacity challenges facing the higher education system, saying “We need diversification of the system, new universities, FET colleges and others; we need to expand the capacity of higher education.”
Marissa Rollnick, professor at Wits School of Science Education said that the substantial increase in the number of matriculants who qualify for university admittance could create challenges for those wanting to study further – even if they meet the criteria.
She said even though university requirements are higher than the matric pass requirements, more students were meeting and surpassing these requirements for university admittance, making it more difficult for students to gain university entry.
Jill Alder, professor at Wits School of Maths Education said the calibre of incoming first-year students could not be determined by the pass rate or number of matriculants who obtained a bachelors.
She said only once information outlining matriculants’ marks and where they fit in the distribution of the overall matric results became available, would universities be better equipped to comment.
However, Rollnick said that bearing in mind the difference in scope of the school curriculum and the university syllabus, first-year students “are always in for a rude awakening”.
