The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Accounting Sciences class of 2018 has achieved a pass rate of 97.1%, clinching first position in South Africa when considering the combined pass rate of the January and June 2019 Initial Test of Competence (ITC) exams of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). 

UP has, for the third year in a row (since 2017), achieved the first position in South Africa when combining the results of the January and June ITC examinations of this prestigious professional examination. Since 2013 (the start of the June ITC exams), UP has maintained an average pass rate of 97.9% for all combined ITC results, making it the country’s number one crown holder for the combined ITC results over time. 

In January this year the Chartered Accountancy Programme of UP achieved excellent results following SAICA’s January 2019 ITC, making UP the best performer of all universities in South Africa, with a pass rate of 94.1%.

Professor Johan Oberholster, Deputy Dean of Teaching and Learning and CA Programme Coordinator in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, said: “We believe UP’s consistency and success in achieving these results is attributed to our innovative teaching methods, our excellent lecturers walking the extra mile, as well as our students’ talent and commitment. We commend our lecturers and PDG students for their efforts in making these remarkable results possible.”

UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe said: “We are delighted with these results as this demonstrates once again why we are one of the top universities in Africa and a leading university in the world.  UP strives to produce high-quality graduates and that is one of the reasons we have such a high employability rate and why employers rate our students highly. Within six months of completing their studies, approximately 93% of UP students find a job or continue with their studies.”

Prof Kupe added: “At UP we strongly believe in academic excellence and in the quality of our teaching and learning methods. UP students have access to our work readiness and entrepreneurship training that equip them for life beyond university.”