There are a total of 26 Universities in South Africa and every year, thousands of new students make applications to enter these institutions. Before students can start the journey at university, they will need to register for the 2023 academic year.
Here are the university registration dates for 2023:
Sol Plaatje University
Registration for the 2023 academic year takes place on these dates:
First-time students: 6-17 February
Residence arrival and registration for first-year residence students: 3-5 February 2
Returning students: 23-17 February
Residence arrival and registration for returning students: 18-19 February
University of the Western Cape
Online registration for the first semester is already open and will close on 10 February. First-year and first-time students will need to register by 3 February.
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Online and on-campus registration for first-year CPUT students will open on Monday, 30 January.
Returning students (returning undergraduate studies including advanced diploma, postgraduate diploma programmes) will be able to register online or on-campus between 16 January and 3 February.
Registration for returning postgraduate students will be open from 16 January to 3 March.
Stellenbosch University
Registration dates for SU vary depending on the faculty you are registering for. Here are the general registration dates:
- 3 January 2023: Online and on-campus registration for returning undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences opens
- 16 January 2023: Online registration for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students opens
- 25 January 2023: Start of online registration for newcomer first-year students
- 6 – 7 February 2023: On-campus registration (NARGA) of newcomer first-years on Stellenbosch campus
- 7 – 9 February 2023: On-campus registration for senior students on Stellenbosch campus
Registration will close on 9 February for all students, excluding Master's and Doctorate students
Click here to find your faculty registration schedule.
Rhodes University
Students will be able to register online from 17 January and can register on ROSS from 23 January.
Mangosuthu University of Technology
Registration for all students takes place between 30 January and 10 February.
Vaal University of Technology
VUT students will be able to register on the following dates:
First-year students who have received full admission: 16-20 January
Senior students: 18 January
First-year students (matric learners awaiting final results): 25-30 January
Durban University of Technology
First-year undergraduate students can register from 23 January - 03 February.
New and returning undergraduate students can register from 16 January - 3 February.
Dates for registration for full research postgraduate students (Master's and Doctorates):
New students: 16 January - 31 July
Returning students: 16 January - 3 February
Coursework Master's students can register from 16 January - 3 February.
Central University of Technology, Free State
Registration for all first-year and returning postgraduate students will take place online from 25-27 January and on 30 January.
Registration for senior students (from second-year undergraduate including continuing and returning master's and doctoral students) opens on these dates:
Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and IT: 1 February
Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences: 2 February
Faculty of Management Sciences: 3 February
Faculty of Humanities: 6 February
Registration for all students will close on 10 February.
University of Johannesburg
Only online registration for UJ students will be allowed and takes place on the following dates:
Returning students: 16 January - 10 February
First-year undergraduate students: 20 January - 10 February
University of Pretoria
Online registration opened for students on 15 December 2022. New first-year students will be able to register from 24 January.
Tshwane University of Technology
TUT students can register on-campus from 20 January - 10 February and online from 20 January - 17 February.
Nelson Mandela University
Registration for all students opened on 11 January.
North West University
Online registration for first-year students takes place from 23 January - 10 February.
Online registration for senior students takes place from 30 January - 10 February.
Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Registration for all returning students opened on 9 January and closes on 20 January.
University of The Free State
First-year students: 6-17 February
Senior students: 30 January - 17 February
Postgraduate students: 30 January - 17 February (unless stated otherwise by your faculty)
University of the Witwatersrand
Online registration takes place from 3 January - 20 February. You can find the exact dates for your faculty here.
Sefako Makgatho University
Students are encouraged to attend an orientation programme on 2-3 February, but no official registration dates have been released. Students who have been accepted will be contacted by the university and informed of further steps.
University of Fort Hare
New and returning students will be able to register at both the Alice and EL campuses from 30 January.
University of Zululand
First-year students will need to register online from 30 January to 3 February.
University of Mpumalanga
UMP students will be required to register online only. Online registration for new students takes place between 6-10 February. Registration will be completed on a 'first-come-first-serve' basis, so acceptance into a programme will not guarantee enrolment.
University of Limpopo
UL registration will take place solely online. First-entering students will need to register between 26 January and 3 February. The deadline for late registration is 10 February.
*Not all universities are listed in this article, as some information was unavailable.
