New Concessions Empower Postgraduate Students to Pursue Their Studies in 2025

The University of Fort Hare (UFH) has announced a set of concessions aimed at making postgraduate (PG) education more accessible for students in the academic year 2025.

Last week, several financial concessions have been introduced to support postgraduate students as they register for the upcoming academic year.  This in responses to challenges posed by financial constraints and historical debt, which have previously prevented some students from registering.

New postgraduate applicants are encouraged to also take note while existing students are encouraged to review their eligibility, and consider applying and / or registering for postgraduate qualifications.  Debt thresholds are not applicable to students who have outstanding debts at other higher education institutions.

To ensure that more postgraduate students and applicants have the opportunity to start or continue their studies without financial barriers, the University’s Management Executive Committee (MEC) approved the following concessions:

Multiple Bursary Awards

Postgraduate students can now receive more than one bursary to meet their financial needs. As long as the conditions set by external funders are met, the total value of bursaries awarded will not exceed the following amounts:

Debt Threshold Flexibility

For South African postgraduate students, a new debt threshold of R50,000 has been set. Students with debts exceeding this amount will have the opportunity to reduce their balance to R50,000 or lower, making them eligible for registration. Debt thresholds are not applicable to students who have outstanding debts at other higher education institutions.

70% Passing Criteria Concession

In recognition of the hard work of postgraduate students, those who have achieved a 70% passing mark will be allowed to register, even if their debt levels are above the usual threshold stated above.  This applies to existing UFH students.

These financial concessions are a one-time measure for the 2025 academic year, aimed at supporting student access to education.

The MEC’s decision reflects the University’s ongoing commitment to its students and to ensuring a strong foundation for their academic and professional futures.