This year has brought an extraordinary global crisis to our doorstep. Thank you for supporting the University and our students and for providing the care they need to achieve the best that they can on their academic journey.

Closing of University campuses

We made the call to close our campuses earlier than the national lockdown to save the lives of our most valuable asset – our staff and students. We’re in a unique space in that expertise from the past is passed down to our future generation, and we needed to safeguard all of those in our care.

Our academic programme will continue online. The University of Pretoria has been a frontrunner in online education, and we have been doing so for more than 20 years. During this time, our expertise in the field has stood us in good stead and put us ahead of many institutions, both locally and globally in our ability to immediately respond to the challenges we face.

The need for Internet-enabled devices and connectivity

One of the challenges is to provide our students in need with Internet-enabled devices and connectivity. All South African telecommunications companies have agreed to provide access to academic content through the UP Connect Portal without the user incurring any data costs.

UP Solidarity Fund to support students in dire need

The University’s senior management has launched the UP Solidarity Fund, which will be used to buy laptops and to support students in dire need. In pursuit of the principle of sustainability, the laptops will be on loan to students and for use by other students in the future.

Donate to the UP Solidarity Fund

If you want to donate to the fund, please click here and remember to use “Solidarity Fund” as your reference. It will go a long way toward supporting our students and ensuring that no one is at a disadvantage.

Please contact Hernan Finkel ([email protected]) for more information.