The University of Pretoria (UP) has taken the number one spot in the January 2020 Initial Test of Competence (ITC) , out of the 16 universities accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

This is according to the January 2020 ITC results released by SAICA on Friday afternoon. The ITC is a standard-setting technical exam and the first of the two qualifying exams written and passed by all chartered accountants.

UP achieved a 92% pass rate for all candidates compared to the national pass rate of 59% in this challenging professional exam. This pass rate places UP in the first position in South Africa by a substantial margin and the university also boasts having an 86% pass rate among African candidates, again leading in this area.

In addition, UP students also achieved the virtually impossible by taking a total of seven of the top ten positions out of the cohort of 3 657 candidates who wrote the exam. We wish to congratulate the following students in the top ten:

   - Andre van Staden (2nd)

   - Adrian Rathbone (3rd)

   - Andre Meyer (6th)

   - Christene Butters (7th)

   - Janalee Moyle (8th)

   - Sumaiya Jeewa (joint 9th)

   - Elizabeth Bell (joint 9th).

All these students also passed the exam with distinction.

The results are an excellent testimony to the commitment and talent of our students and the consistent hard work and dedication of the CA Programme Coordinator, Professor Johan Oberholster, the respective heads of the four financial sciences departments, Professor Madeleine Stiglingh, Professor Theuns Steyn, Professor John Hall and Professor Kato Plant and the entire CA Programme lecturing team.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tawana Kupe expressed his pride in the achievements of the UP cohort and academics. “The 2019 cohort of students of the Chartered Accountancy Programme have performed brilliantly in the ITC, maintaining our university’s leadership position in the field. I wish to congratulate them all, specifically the seven students who appeared in the top ten. These results are also a reflection of the dedication and passion of the CA Programme team, led by Professor Johan Oberholster, who worked hard to give these students a fighting chance when taking on this challenging exam. These results are a testament to the culture of excellence that prevails at UP, which is THE UP WAY. This means that our students are able to apply themselves because of their strong foundational knowledge. This has further implications in that we are contributing to an ever increasing number of professionals who have a positive impact on the world of work and the economy in general,” Prof Kupe said.

UP maintained its leadership position with the institution having been first in the country for the last three years when considering the combined ITC results of the January and June sittings and is well on its way to doing this for a fourth time with this set of January ITC results. The university has also managed to maintain an average first-time writer pass rate of 94% over the last 14 years.