Established in 1904, the University of the Free State (UFS) is one of the oldest and most respected higher institutions of learning in South Africa. In July 2022, the UFS commenced an online application for the 2022/2023 session. Prospective students are required to apply online with the necessary documents needed for the application process.
Also, once the application is accessed, eligible students can easily check their admission status to know the progress of the application process. That said, here are the steps involved in the online application at the University of the Free State, as well as the UFS status check procedures.
How Do I Apply For the University of the Free State?
Application to study at the University of the Free State is completed online. The online application is quick and easy as it has an easy and modern design. Interestingly, the UFS portal is mobile-and tablet-friendly. Hence, to complete the University of Free State online application form, students are required to have uninterrupted access to a mobile phone/tablet and an active email address.
The application form must be completed properly. As a result, one has to proceed through all the steps before submitting. The steps involved include:
STEP 1: Visit the UFS website – https://apply.ufs.ac.za/
STEP 2: Click on “New Application” and go through the verification process.
STEP 3: Enter your personal information followed by contact information.
STEP 4: Select your study choices and ensure you apply for two study options.
STEP 5: Upload the requested documents.
STEP 6: Sign the UFS agreement.
STEP 7: Submit the completed application form.
How Much is the Application Fee at UFS?
Unlike many other universities in South Africa, the University of Free State does not have any stipulated fee attached to the online application process. The application to study at the esteemed university is free. However, prospective students should ensure that they have all the requirements for the online application ready in order to be eligible for admission into the school.
UFS Online Application Upload Documents
At the University of the Free State, all prospective students are required to apply online. During the application process, students will be requested to upload some documents needed for the application to be accepted. Upon successful submission of the online application, you will receive an automated electronic confirmation that your application has been received by the University of Free State.
However, you have to ensure that your uploaded documents are in PDF or JPEG format while applying for undergraduate studies.
The uploaded documents needed by prospective undergraduate students are as follows:
- South African identity document for South African citizens
- Passport (this is applicable to international students)
- Parent’s identity document or passport if you are younger than 18
- Academic records for those who are/were students at another institution of higher learning
- National Senior Certificate (NSC) if you have already matriculated
- Grade 12 June results along with your school’s stamp as soon as it is readily available
- School stamped copies of final Grade 11 (for applicants currently in Grade 12)
- USAF accreditation from the examination board for South African Universities for applicants who did not complete NSC/SC/IEB
Note: Applicants can apply for foreign conditional exemption, mature age conditional exemption, or conditional exemption at the USAF website―mb.usaf.ac.za.
University of Free State Admission Requirements
As the online application to study at any University Access Programme (UAP) for the 2023 session started in July 2022, the University of the Free State has made it clear that all programmes have limited space available. As a result, students are encouraged to apply before the closing dates for the respective programmes offered by the higher institution and equally meet the minimum requirements to avoid disappointment.
Those who omit to properly complete their details on the application form are liable to lose the chance of getting admitted or won’t be able to register with the University of the Free State as their details will not be captured onto the UFS databases. Hence, it is important for applicants to fill out the online form in full and also meet the minimum admission requirements for their chosen programme of study.
UFS Minimum Admission Requirements:
- A prospective student must pass Mathematics on Level 2 (20 percent), or Mathematics Literacy on Level 5 (60 percent), to qualify for commerce-route programmes
- You must have a National Senior Certificate (NSC) or National Certificate: Vocational (NCV) with an endorsement that allows one to study certificate/diploma programmes or Degree programmes (Bachelor’s degree), or an equivalent qualification
- An Admission Point (AP) of 18
- You must pass English Home Language on a minimum of Level 3 (40 percent)
- To qualify for the University Access Programme (UAP), an applicant must also pass at least four school subjects on Level 3 (40-49 percent), excluding Life Orientation.
It’s noteworthy that meeting the minimum admission requirements at the University of the Free State does not guarantee admission. This is a result of the university having limited space available for each programme. Nevertheless, when applying for UFS Access Programmes, take note of the following:
- You will only get admitted with your final Grade 12, NSC, or IEB results
- Please provide evidence if you are upgrading. For example, a letter supporting the upgrade can be uploaded
- If you have upgraded, then you have to provide the combined National Senior Certificate results
- The University Access Programmes are in high demand. Thus, UFS can only offer admission to a limited number of students
- N4/5/6 and NCV Level 4 students must provide the FINAL certificate as a statement of results from colleges won’t be accepted
- Please, endeavor to apply for two study options as applying for more than two options will result in the outcome of your application getting delayed
University of the Free State Application Status Check Procedures
After successfully submitting your online application, final selection and admission to the University of the Free State are dependent on the availability of space, academic results, and other admission requirements where applicable. However, one can easily check for his or her admission status on the UFS portal to find out the outcome of the application process.
The steps involved in tracking the University of the Free State application status are as follows:
STEP I: Open any internet browser and enter www.ufs.ac.za in the URL.
STEP II: On the active page of the University of the Free State website, click on the “Students” tab to navigate to KovsieLife.
STEP III: Then, on the active KovsieLife webpage, click on the “Student Self Service” tab.
STEP IV: After clicking on “Student Self Service”, you will be navigated to the Oracle PeopleSoft system.
STEP V: After being navigated to the Oracle PeopleSoft System, you will carry out the following actions:
- Enter your student number in the User ID text box
- Type in your password in the Password text box, and
- Click on “Sign in” once you have entered your student number and password
STEP VI: The system will navigate you to the “Student Services Center” once you have successfully logged in to Oracle PeopleSoft.
STEP VII: Click “View Application” to track your UFS application status on the active Student Services Center page.
UFS Application Statuses and Their Explanations
1. ADMT
- Description: Admitted
- Explanation: The application has been accessed, and the student is issued a study offer letter to be admitted to an academic programme.
2. DENY
- Description: Admission denied
- Explanation: A student’s application has been accessed, and based on the results received, he or she does not meet the requirements to be admitted to the chosen programme of study at UFS.
3. WAIT
- Description: Waitlist
- Explanation: Application accessed and admission offer is pending subject to the availability of space.
4. DEIN
- Description: Study offer accepted
- Explanation: Application accessed, and student accepted the study offer
5. APPL
- Description: Application
- Explanation: Application received and still to be accessed according to the admission requirements
6. COND
- Description: Conditional admission
- Explanation: Application accessed, and the student has been accepted into the programme on the condition that he or she will improve his or her results in order to meet the minimum requirements depending on space availability
7. MATR
- Description: Prepared for registration
- Explanation: Applicant to be term activated for enrolment/registration
8. WAPP
- Description: Applicant withdrawal
- Explanation: Applicant withdrew from consideration for admission or enrolment in a class
9. RECN
- Description: Reconsider
- Explanation: The application was accessed, and the applicant does not qualify due to the current results. Nonetheless, the application can be re-accessed when the applicant provides improved results (i.e, Grade 12 mid-year or final Grade 12).
10. WADM
- Description: Administrative withdrawal
- Explanation: An academic programme has been withdrawn from consideration for admission or enrolment. This can be attributed to the following reasons:
- The programme has reached its capacity (full)
- The student didn’t enroll for the relevant year of admission
- The student is no longer eligible to enroll due to not meeting the UFS progression rules
- Duplicate application
- The student has changed a programme choice
- Data captured incorrectly
11. DDEF
- Description: Deferred decision
- Explanation: Application accessed but deferred for a decision regarding admit or deny
12. DDEF/SEDE
- Description: Deferred decision/Selection
13. DDEF/NODO
- Description: Deferred decision/No qualification documents – applicants with post-school qualifications who have failed to upload their academic records along with the application form
14. DDEF/EVAL
- Description: Deferred decision/Evaluation
15. DDEF/INTL
- Description: Deferred decision/International
16. DDEF/INTE
- Description: Deferred decision/Internal academic record exists
17. DDEF/EXTE
- Description: Deferred decision/External academic record exists
18. DDEF/NRES
- Description: Deferred decision/No results; applicants with Grade 12 who have rejected or failed to upload their school results
What’s Involved in the University of the Free State Admission Process?
At the University of the Free State, the admission process can sometimes be very complicated. It can, however, be made easy by following the steps listed below:
STEP I: Complete the electronic application properly. The online application is the preferred method used at UFS. Hence, the application can’t be submitted manually.
STEP II: After completing the application, you will receive an acknowledgment of your application through email within five working days. This is why applicants are advised to enter the correct contact details.
STEP III: You will receive another email with your student number and login details. Your student number is your username. And ensure not to lose your password, as your login details are vital for tracking your application status on the University of the Free State portal.
STEP IV: Finally, you will receive communication from the university with the status of your application within 30 days of submitting the application. The status of your application is mainly based on the submitted results that have been evaluated.
NOTE: Applicants with Grade 11 or equivalent results will be conditionally admitted subject to meeting all the minimum admission requirements for the chosen programme of study. Nevertheless, conditional admission does not apply to all the selection programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Also, applicants’ final admission to the programme of their choice is dependent on their final Grade 12 results. Immediately after the students’ final Grade 12 results have been released by the Department of Education, they will be notified of the university’s admission decision.
Application and Admissions of International Students at The University of the Free State
Before applying to study at the University of the Free State, all international undergraduate students must apply for matriculation exemption through Universities South Africa (USAF). The process should be completed before the student can commence with the online application. In exceptional circumstances, the letter of exemption from USAF must be submitted the latest before registration.
Other requirements include:
- A non-refundable annual administrative fee is charged on all international student accounts.
- As required by the South African Immigration Act, you must be a member of a medical aid registered in terms of all the South African Medical Scheme Act.
- You must have a valid study visa endorsed for study at the University of the Free State before you enter SA for studies.
- You must have an adequate command of the English Language as English is the principal medium of instruction at UFS.
- Ensure you have sufficient financial funds for your studies. UFS does not offer financial support such as bursaries and loans to international students.
- Students from outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) pay international fees.
- First payment is required before you can register as a student of the University of the Free State.
As it is the responsibility of the international students to apply for a study visa at the South African embassy, high commission, consulate, or trade mission in their diverse country of residence, below are the current requirements to be submitted to the South African embassy/consulate in order to obtain a study visa:
- Evidence of payment of the stipulated administrative fee
- Letter of offer from USF stating the duration of the degree
- A passport valid for not less than 30 days after intended studies
- Confirmation and proof of payment for a South African medical aid through a medical scheme registered with the South African Council for Medical Schemes
- A police clearance certificate for the past twelve months or longer since the age of eighteen
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate, if relevant
- Proof of sufficient funds to cover the tuition fees and maintenance
- Letter of undertaking from the university – this letter is issued by the Office for International Affairs
- Details regarding arranged accommodation while in South Africa
- Medical and radiological reports (less than 6 months old)
- Relevant certificates if married, divorced, separated, or widowed
