Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) campuses opened this week, with academic and support staff gearing up for the start of an exciting new academic year.
Having successfully completed the bulk of the 2016 academic year, the University has worked hard to ensure that all is on track for welcoming this year’s intake and returning students.
The Fees Must Fall student protests that halted academic activity and some operations for the bulk of the second semester, leading to an extension of the 2016 academic year into 2017, have raised concern about the state of affairs and readiness for this year.
The University assures that all is being done to mitigate any challenges that may come with the new academic year, working hard behind the scenes to ensure that students return to a university ready to perform its core business – teaching and learning.
An integrated team has been set up to try deal with any and all issues pertaining to 2017 readiness, looking at issues of finance, accommodation and any other challenges highlighted by the calls for free higher education.
With all University campuses – including South Campus – open, academic and support staff are working towards kick starting the year with the second session of exams next week.
Important dates for 2017:
- 4 January: Residence opened for students returning for January exams
- 9 – 24 January: Second phase of examinations (including Nov/Dec re-examinations) starts.
- 20 January: Residences re-open for First Year students (PE & George)
- 16 January: Online registration opens for senior students
- 21 January: Welcoming ceremony for first-year students and parents
- 23 – 25 January: First-year registration
- 23 January – 3 February: First-year Success Programme
- 6 Feb: Lectures start for all students
- 9 – 17 February: Re-examinations, inclusive
Finance
NMMU supports efforts to ensure that no academically-deserving, financially needy students are prevented from accessing higher education.
In its bid to widen access and ensure no financial exclusion of academically deserving students, the University offers a range of methods to assist full-time students in funding their studies. These are based on financial need as well as academic and sporting achievements and come in the form of bursaries, merit awards, scholarships and study loans.
The University also provides financial assistance in collaboration with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for financially needy students.
Students were given an opportunity to apply for NSFAS funding until 30 November 2016, with the financial aid scheme recently announcing its dates for walk-in applications for this year. Those who missed the November deadline and those who will be making late applications to universities in January have an opportunity to apply for NSFAS funding between 9 and 20 January 2017.
Admissions
The Admissions office has been working around the clock to process the 112 000 applications received for this year.
Qualifying applicants have been provisionally accepted, pending the final National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results released this week.
The Admissions Office will open for inquiries on January 9 at a different venue to its offices in the Embizweni building to ensure that the admissions process is completed before the start of the 2017 academic year. Diverting foot traffic from Embizweni will allow the team time to efficiently work through the NSC results.
Registration
As the majority of NMMU students opted to write their exams in the November/December period, many will be able to start registering when online registration starts on January 16. Those who chose to write in January can register once their final results have been tallied and communicated to them in the last week of January. Late registration is set to close on March 31.
With classes starting on February 6, the University will make a concerted effort to ensure all students are registered by March 10.
Accommodation
Nelson Mandela Bay and George residences reopen for first year students on January 20 and returning students will start moving in once their registration is completed.
Residences were to open for students returning for the January exams on Friday, January 6, but students have been allowed to start moving in, provided they can prove that they are indeed writing exams from Monday.
Access testing
NMMU’s Centre for Access Assessment and Research (CAAR) has completed testing for 2016 and will reopen for testing on January 9 at its nine testing venues nationally. CAAR anticipates that at least a further 4000 students will require testing.
Alan Straton
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