The University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Enrolment and Student Administration (DESA) officially reopened the Student Service Centre (SSC) on 12 May 2022 following months of renovations.

Upon their return to campus, many students and staff members were astonished to learn of the temporary closure of the SSC. This was because DESA staff had to move to the Graduate Centre to continue providing support to students while the SCC’s foyer was being renovated

“The foyer’s look, feel and functionality were outdated,” said Deputy Director of DESA Elmarie Liebenberg. “The project to upgrade the foyer started in 2016, but due to many delays, such as financial contracts and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn’t proceed. We are now very excited about the new space.”

The SSC supports students throughout their academic lifecycle, from prospective students to alumni. Services are provided for all the University’s clients and staff members by consolidating all general front-office, client-facing processes. The services offered to students include user support for registration and online applications, processing payments and managing student accounts, providing access cards and parking discs, and financial aid services.

The newly renovated space includes improved developments such as the printing of student cards and photographs for student cards. Less intake of cash also meant that the old workstations no longer fitted their purpose. “We will no longer use pull-up banners as a background for students and staff pictures,” said Itu Sefolo, UP Facilities Management project manager. “We designed comfortable seats with photographic backgrounds, and installed new lighting and modern counters.”

“Creating world-class facilities and new approaches is one of the desired outcomes of UP’s 2025 strategic plan,” Director of Student Affairs Dr Matete Madiba said. “This upgrade of the SSC sets us on the right path. We are confident that it will inspire new approaches to service delivery, and that both current and prospective UP students will benefit from it.”

The SSC is open for students and staff from Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.