Ultimate Review Of The University Of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
The University of the Witwatersrand, founded in 1922, is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the metropolitan setting of Johannesburg (population range of 1,000,000-5,000,000 residents), Gauteng. WITS which is officially recognized by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, is a big co-educational South African higher education institution.
The University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) provides courses and programs that lead to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in a variety of fields of study.
This 98-year-old South African Institution offers a stringent admission criterion that is based on entrance examinations as well as students’ previous academic records and ratings. This South African Institution organization is exceedingly selective, with an admission rate ranging from 20-40%.
International students are encouraged to apply for admission. WITS also provides students with academic and non-academic facilities and services such as a library, housing, sports facilities, financial aid and/or scholarships, study abroad and exchange programs, and administrative services.
The University of the Witwatersrand is a South African research-intensive public higher education institution that competes globally while acting locally.
In this article, Expaat will in-depthly review the various core parts of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, as well as its admission requirements and acceptance rate.
Campuses of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
The university is separated into five academic campuses, with East Campus serving as the major administrative campus. West Campus is located across the De Villiers Graaff Motorway. The two are linked by the Amic Deck, a brick-paved promenade that spans the motorway.
East and West Campus functionally form a single campus, bounded to the North by Empire Road, to the East by Jan Smuts Avenue, to the South by Jorrissen Street and Enoch Sontonga Road, and to the West by Annet Road.
The ancient East Campus is largely home to the Science and Humanities faculties, as well as the University Council, Senate, and management. The faculties of Engineering and the Built Environment, as well as Commerce, Law, and Management, are located on West Campus.
East Campus has four residences: Men’s Res (male), Sunnyside Res (female), International House (mixed), and Jubilee Hall (female). Barnato and David Webster Halls, as well as West Campus Village, are located on West Campus (all mixed).
The University of the Witwatersrand offers three other academic locations in Parktown. Wits Education Campus (WEC) is home to the Wits School of Education, which is part of the Faculty of Humanities. WEC has three female homes, Girton, Medhurst, and Reith Hall, which form the Highfield cluster. Wits Medical Campus, located east of WEC (across York Road), is the administrative and academic hub of the Faculty of Health Sciences.
The Wits Management Campus, which includes the Wits Business School, is located west of WEC (across Victoria Avenue). Ernest Oppenheimer Hall (male resident) and Parktown Village (mixed housing) are located on the Wits Management Campus.
There are non-academic centres that are referred to as campuses by the institution. Graduate Lodge, Campus Lodge, South Court, and Braamfontein Centre are all mixed-gender residences in the Braamfontein city region. There is also the Wits Junction (mixed) and Knockando Halls of Residence in Parktown, as well as the mixed Esselen Street Residence in Hillbrow.
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Sport collaborates closely with the student-elected Wits Sports Council to plan and deliver services and programs to students, staff, and alumni, as well as to provide a dynamic sporting culture at Wits. It gives the university community the opportunity to play in a variety of sports codes at the level of their choice while also contributing to Wits’ sporting achievement. It aims to persuade the entire Wits community that health, fitness, and physical activity are a way of life.
Programs, Courses, and Schools at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, offers a diverse range of internationally renowned undergraduate and postgraduate programs and degrees. The University comprises five colleges that cover science, commerce, law, management, engineering, health sciences, and humanities, as well as 33 schools that provide over 3000 courses.
Libraries
Being a renowned university, of course, it is expected to have a state-of-the-art library. The Wartenweiler Library is located on East Campus’s Library Lawns on the South-eastern side. The William Cullen Library is located on East Campus, on the Northwestern edge of the Library Lawns.
The University of the Witwatersrand Library Service is made up of two main libraries on East Campus, the Warteinweiler and William Cullen libraries, and twelve branch libraries.
The Wartenweiler Library primarily serves the Humanities Faculty. It also houses the departments of Library Administration, Library Computer Services, and Technical Services, as well as the Short Loan collection, Reference collection, Inter-library Loans department, Multimedia Library, Education and Training department, and Electronic Classroom.
The Africana collection, which specializes in social, political, and economic history, is housed in the William Cullen Library. It also houses the collection of Early and Fine Printed Books, which includes the Incunabula (books printed before 1501). Finally, it includes a collection of Government Publications as well as publications in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Achievements and USP of the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg
For its noteworthy tech-savvy and imaginative community, the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg is transforming Braamfontein into a young, dynamic area. It is still attracting brilliant students from all over the country.
Throughput rates are increasing throughout all faculties, and its professional programs are still being approved by the appropriate external agencies. Apart from the required internal and external audits and review systems, this is one indicator of Wits’ quality.
University of the Witwatersrand Rankings
Wits is also ranked in the top 406 universities in the world, according to three international rankings. 97% of Wits graduates find work within six months of finishing their education.
| #406 of 14,160 | In the World |
| #2 of 1,103 | In Africa |
| #2 of 26 | In South Africa |
| #1 of 2 | In Johannesburg |
| #7 of 1,023 | For Archaeology |
| Top100 | For 20 other topics |
The University Student Enrollment By Gender
Female students make up 54.64% of WITS students, while male students make up the remaining 45.34%. Many female students study in the Humanities, Health Sciences, Commerce, and Law Faculties. Male students outnumber female students in the Science, Engineering, and Built Environment Faculties.
So, if you plan on applying to this great university always look out for the number of applicants before you as well as their gender, so you can have a rough sketch of your chances based on these criteria.
Acceptance Rate & Admissions Requirements
Undergraduate Admission Requirements:
Acceptance is subject to the department’s selection procedures. Applicants must complete a written and graphic exercise before being invited to an interview. The exercise, interview, and Wits APS score are all equally weighted in the application review.
There are no specific subject combinations required, but the following minimum admission conditions must be met:
A Wits APS of 34 or higher is required. Applicants with extraordinary marks on the admission exercise and interview may be considered with an APS 29-33 in specific situations. An applicant with an APS score of less than 29 will not be considered for admission.
A minimum of 50% in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) test in Mathematics. Mathematical Literacy isn’t recognized.
A minimum of 50% on the NSC exam in English (home language or first extra language).
Applicants from international education systems who do not finish NSC exams must meet Faculty exemption standards, following which an equivalent APS score and subject scores will be modelled in order to compare them to South African applicants.
Master’s and PhD applicants must meet the following requirements:
All BAS (Honours) degree applicants must have completed at least one year of practical experience following their undergraduate studies. Applicants must include evidence of their practical experience in the form of letters from companies, examples of finished work, a sketchbook, and a detailed resume/CV with their applications.
This does not have to be for a registered architect, but it could involve working at an architect’s office or on a construction site for a community organization or a government department. It is up to the student to plan their year away to contribute to their practical experience and exposure to architecture, which may involve travel, architectural tours, reading and sketching, computer design courses, and so on.
Learners are encouraged to do so in a way that includes a wide range of architectural activities and experiences, as well as keeping a record of their experiences.
Learners with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand who have a minimum of 70% average in the final year of study and 70% for design in the final year will be granted automatic admission into the BAS (Honours) after their year of practical experience but will be required to submit a portfolio of visual work.
For this to apply, all third-year courses must have been completed in the same academic year. Applicants with a BAS degree from the university who have obtained less than the aforementioned criteria will be required to perform a minimum of one year of practical work in the field of architecture after completing the BAS degree.
In addition;
In order to be considered for a place in the programme, applicants must submit a portfolio of visual work, a sketchbook from the practical year, and attend an interview with a selection panel from the School of Architecture & Planning.
To be considered for a place in the programme, applicants with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) degree (or equivalent) from another tertiary institution must submit a statement of purpose, a portfolio of visual work, a sketchbook from the practical year, and attend an interview with a selection panel from the School of Architecture & Planning.
Only students in their last year of study with a minimum of 60% average and 60% for design are eligible. International applicants must also have their qualifications examined by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to determine equivalence and eligibility for the degree.
To be considered for a place in the programme, applicants with a Bachelor of Technology (Applied Design) degree (or equivalent with an emphasis on design) must submit a statement of purpose, a portfolio of visual work, a sketchbook from the practical year, and attend an interview with a selection panel from the School of Architecture & Planning.
Only students in their last year of study with a minimum of 60% average and 60% for design are eligible to apply. International applicants will also be required to have their qualifications examined by SAQA to determine equivalence and eligibility for the degree.
Learners in the third year of a BAS degree (or equivalent) who are registered for that academic year to complete their BAS will not be allowed to apply for admission to the BAS (Honours) programme until they have completed a further year of practical experience.
Minimum IELTS score needed
A solid command of the English language is required for admission to South Africa’s leading universities. Students must complete IELTS with a minimum score of 7 in order to be admitted to the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
| Acceptance Rate | 25% |
| Admissions Requirements | Matriculation Certificate or certificate of exemption issued by the Matriculation Board |
| Academic Calendar | February to November (February – June; July-November) |
| Enrollment | 37,500 |
| Full-time employee | 5,000 |
| Student to staff ratio | 8:1 |
In summary, the acceptance rate of The University of the Witwatersrand is 25% as at the time of publishing this content.
Tuition Fee of The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
| Undergraduate | Graduate | |
| Local students | $3,750 | $3,750 |
| International students | $3,750 | $6,250 |
Please note: that this tuition fee is subject to change as time goes by. Visit The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg’s official website to always confirm the most recent tuition fee.
Notable Alumni of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg
Nelson Mandela (South African Ex-President), Nadine Gordimer (South African Writer), Johnny Clegg (Musician), and Patrick Soon-Shiong (CEO of NantHealth).
Wrapping Up
After calmly going through this detailed, ultimate review of The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg by Expaat, I trust you can ascertain that you now have a clearer understanding of lots of vital information as regards this university as well as admission requirements and acceptance rate. Keep coming back for more here on Expaat.com
