The University of Pretoria (UP) is celebrating five years of fully online education through its UPOnline offering, which continues to expand access to learning by allowing students to study from anywhere in the world.

What began in 2020 with two fully online postgraduate diplomas now includes a growing offering of fully online programmes, including the Higher Certificate in Sports Sciences—UP's first fully online undergraduate qualification with its first graduates set to cross the stage in September 2025.

The fully online Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management, hosted in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, were the first programmes to launch in 2020, offering working individuals the flexibility to study from anywhere. The Higher Certificate in Sports Sciences, introduced in 2023, is housed in the Department of Humanities Education in the Faculty of Education.

Flexible, fully online education

Over the past half-decade, thousands of students have enrolled in UPOnline's two-year fully online programmes, gaining qualifications while balancing work, family, and life. The impact has been significant: in 2024, a record 678 students from the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health graduated, alongside 178 graduates from the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management. To date, more than 10 000 students have enrolled in UPOnline programmes, with students enrolling from countries as far as China, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Portugal.

Prof Linda van Ryneveld, Director of Comprehensive Online Education Services (COES), the directorate responsible for the UPOnline offering, comments that fully online learning is no longer just a concept in motion: “It's a well-established and thriving part of UP with a track record of growth and success that speaks for itself. The numbers highlight the growing demand for quality online education – and UP's ability to meet it with excellence."

Looking ahead, COES is preparing to launch new UPOnline programmes in various fields, making UP’s quality education more accessible to those unable to study on campus.

Prof van Ryneveld states that the expansion underscores UP's commitment to offering flexible, future-focused education that meets the diverse needs of students and professions.

You can read more about COES and its UPOnline programmes here. 

Visit the UPOnline website here.