UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE

UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE

Established in 1904, the University of the Free State (UFS) is one of the oldest higher education institutions in South Africa. It produces sought-after graduates across seven faculties (Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Health Sciences, the Humanities, Law, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Theology and Religion) on three campuses (two in Bloemfontein and one in Qwaqwa in the Eastern Free State).

The UFS creates opportunities and growth through leading learning and teaching, focused research, and impactful engagement with society. Students are holistically supported to achieve some of the highest success rates in the country and they are therefore highly employable. The UFS produces research with industry, social impact, and real-world application. Its culture promotes equity, ubuntu, and accountability. Challenges and issues are addressed as they emerge and are dealt with openly in a way that promotes social justice and human rights.

Never in the past 117 years of its existence has the character of the UFS been tested during 2020 and 2021. During this time, many of the staff and students’ lives were irrevocably affected by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the higher education sector experienced extensive changes, UFS staff and students managed to display innovation, sound leadership, and resilience in meeting the institution’s strategic goals despite severe challenges. For the UFS, it has been a time characterised by growth, development, reflection, and opportunity.

Bloemfontein Campus The Bloemfontein Campus is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State and the judicial capital of the country. Situated in central South Africa, it is the oldest and biggest of the three campuses.

Undergraduate and postgraduate studies in all seven faculties are presented on this campus.

VISIBILITY AND IMPACT

The UFS has remained prominent and has continued to assist the communities it serves with accurate scientific information and making an impact – not only in the spheres of knowledge creation and application, but also contributing towards higher education in general, stimulating the development of new innovative teaching and learning concepts.

EFFECTIVE DIGITAL TEACHING AND LEARNING

Improving the success and well-being of students remains an all-important goal. The holistic support offered to students consistently sets the UFS apart as a higher education institution. The year 2020 saw innovative developments of new and existing strategies, resulting in positive indications of sustained student success. During 2021, the university is building on the successes achieved and has continued supporting students through its blended learning and teaching model, which incorporates both online and face-to-face interactions. Support ranges from tutor services and language development, to counselling services and peer mentor initiatives.

The overall institutional success rate improved by 5% from 2019 to 2020, with some faculties showing increases of between 9% and 11%. The UFS has made significant progress with success rates over the past ten years, with the general success rate improving by 13% between 2010 and 2020, while the achievement gap between white and African students halved from 16% in 2010 to 8% in 2020.

MULTILINGUAL LEARNING

The UFS remains committed to multilingualism and to enabling a language-rich environment to ensure that language is not a barrier to equity of access, opportunity, and success in academic programmes or to the UFS administration. An important step towards this is the establishment of the Academy for Multilingualism. Among its functions is to facilitate multilingual glossaries, abstract translations, and voice-overs for lessons and tutorials – putting the UFS at the forefront of multilingual learning and teaching.

The UFS is a research-led, student-centred, and regionally engaged university that contributes to development and social justice through the production of globally competitive graduates and knowledge. Staff and students continue to realise the university’s vision of being a research-led institution by increasing the contribution to local, regional, and global knowledge. In 2020, the total number of research outputs increased by 220 units from the outputs produced in 2019, and the quality thereof improved. The number of National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers increased from 171 in 2019 to 193 in 2020, with an improvement in the NRF rating categories.

The UFS currently has two A1 ratings, one A2 rating, and a successful P-rating by the National ResearchFoundation (NRF). A total of 33% of the rated individuals are female and 19% are black – a significant increase from the 8% of NRF-rated black academics in 2016. In line with its research strategy, the UFS has increased its number of SARChI chairs to six.

Qwaqwa Campus

The vibrant Qwaqwa Campus in the picturesque Eastern Free State serves a rapidly growing number of rural students from the immediate area and surrounding provinces.

The campus, incorporated on 1 January 2003, also has a number of international students completing their studies in the beautiful surroundings at the foot of the majestic Drakensberg.

COMMERCIALISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Contributing to the university’s commercialisation activities, is the newly developed Agribusiness Park hosting several start-up companies, including a brewery, cheese factory, and plant-growth stimulator production operation. These stimulate entrepreneurial activities and provide hands-on training opportunities for students.

SPACES AND PLACES

A number of construction and spatial development projects have been initiated or resumed with the aim of ensuring that spaces on the three campuses promote a socially just institution that celebrates freedom of expression and provides a sense of solidarity and belonging for all. One such project that has made great progress is the revitalisation of the library infrastructure on all three campuses.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP

The UFS strives to continuously demonstrate its social responsibility through an engaged scholarship strategy, which aims to position and apply the knowledge produced in and through teaching, learning and research, in order to advance citizenship and service for the public good. During2020 and throughout this year, the UFS continued to foster its 150 longstanding partnerships with a wide array of stakeholders. An innovative re-engagement strategy was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting the university's strategic mandate to be a caring, responsive, and engaged university. Academic staff and students have used this platform to engage with their community partners, offering support, advice, and assistance during a period of great need.

Staff and students forged ahead and, instead of retreating and ‘waiting out the storm’ of the pandemic, proactively reached out to make a difference in the communities they serve. This was done by grabbing hold of opportunities that presented themselves amid the turmoil and uncertainty, and by finding innovative ways to meet its goals despite the challenges.

South CampusThe South Campus provides alternative access to higher education for promising students who did not obtain the required marks in their final school examinations. Several programmes are in place that offers students the opportunity to access higher education. Through these programmes, students can ultimately enter the mainstream curriculum after completing the preparation courses.

Contact Us:

Bloemfontein Campus: +27 51 401 9111Qwaqwa Campus: +27 58 718 5000South Campus: +27 51 401 9111

info@ufs.ac.za

https://www.ufs.ac.za/