QUALITY ABOVE ALL ELSE

UP has evolved progressively over more than a century of its existence: from starting out as the Pretoria branch of the Transvaal University College in 1908 to becoming a future-focussed global African university today.

In many ways, the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-2021 forced us to reimagine UP at a more rapid pace. It has enabled us to become leaders in hybrid teaching and learning that innovatively combines contact and online modes. UP’s hybrid flipped-learning model, Teach and Learn: THE UP WAY, resonates well with remote teaching and learning. The model requires extensive non-classroom-based activities by both lecturers and students. Flipped-learning methods ensure that students arrive prepared, complete pre-class assessments, engage in class, and consolidate their knowledge after class (and into their future).

Hybrid learning models were also used to enhance teaching and learning for postgraduates. The importance of hands-on, experiential learning led to innovations such as virtual field trips and virtual laboratories.

We are already the traditional university with the largest number of contact students and our future-fit approach – which prepares graduates for the new world of work – sees these numbers growing each year.

Supporting successful students

We are resolute in our intended outcome of producing quality graduates who can contribute to South Africa’s knowledge economy. Our integrated approach covers the full student life cycle and supports students physically, mentally and emotionally from the second they step onto the campus. This has, we believe, contributed to our ongoing high examination pass rate. In 2021, 93% of full-time undergraduates passed their exams.

#ChooseUP Day is held annually in September to introduce UP, its staff, campuses and student services to grade 12 learners who have received conditional admission offers to their matric/school-leaving results.

FLY@UP provides students with support and actionable options to succeed in their studies and graduate in minimum time. FLY stands for the Finish Line is Yours.

FLYHigher@UP supports the throughput of postgraduate students and helps them complete their studies in the minimum time.

Social learning spaces mimic realworld work and social environments, which encourage interaction and cross-disciplinary problem-solving. This enhances accessibility and promotes successful student learning, which is one of our critical goals.

Connected campuses – Wi-Fi coverage extends to around 400 lecture venues across all campuses. When not on campus, students can access academic content without incurring any data costs through UP Connect, a unique portal developed by UP.

Our reputation for producing quality graduates gains traction through our over 300 000 alumni, many of whom are luminaries in the business, social, political, sporting and cultural arenas, making a positive difference worldwide. We keep in contact with them via UP’s Alumni App, which has been ranked as the fastest-growing alumni platform in the world. The LeadUP webinars and podcast series brings leading UP alumni, academics and experts into national, African and global conversations.

Supported by quality staff

The visibility of our lead researchers is demonstrated in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database, where UP is rated among the top 1% globally in 13 of the 22 fields.

The 2022 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject further rates UP as the best university in South Africa to study Veterinary Science, Accounting and Finance, Economics and Econometrics, Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering. A significant achievement is being ranked Number 33 in the world for Mineral and Mining Engineering.

97% of currently employed graduates found work within six months of completing their studies.1

93% Full-time undergraduates who passed their exams

312 827 Number of UP alumni in 118 countries

First university in South Africa to use Bb Ally software to make digital courses more accessible to all students

Rated highly by employers* 190th in the world for Employer Reputation

Top 100 in the world and first in SA for:**
Zoology (#32)
Veterinary Science (#65)
Economics (#82)

Top 200 in the world for:**
Infectious diseases (#131) Agriculture (#134) Language, Communication and Culture (#154) Law and Legal Studies (#199)

Among the Top 50 universities in the world for
The subject of Mineral and Mining Engineering (#33)³
Business Schools (Gordon Institute of Business #43)⁴
SDG 15: Life on Land (#30)⁵
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth (#44)⁵

Achieving world recognition

These breakthroughs, and many more, demonstrate the quality of our research and the calibre of our academics, but also prove that we produce research that matters and is able to transform lives and communities.

While these advances are a reward in themselves, they have also contributed towards strengthening the University’s position in the world rankings. The 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings placed UP among the top 150 institutions in the world, and first in South Africa for SDG 9 and SDG 15. It is UP’s best performance thus far in this ranking system. A further notable accomplishment is UP’s Mineral and Mining Engineering ranking in the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject, in which it was ranked at position 33 worldwide.

The University continued to enlarge its research footprint and is now rated among the top 1% of universities globally in 13 of the 22 ESI knowledge fields (up from 10 in 2020).

Innovation and commercialisation remain an important part of research outcomes and 2021 saw 16 new inventions disclosed (2020: 10) and 24 international patents filed (2020: 21). UP had the highest number of patents recognised in its 2020 submission to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), proving that our research can make a meaningful contribution to South Africa, Africa and the world. 

Building capacity, connection, reputation

International collaboration enables universities to make significant research and innovation leaps by sharing and building on each other’s areas of expertise. It also elevates all of our teaching and learning, and research facilities to a new level.

Despite restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, UP continued to develop partnerships with prominent institutions and networks across the world, thanks in part to a robust IT infrastructure and fast-tracked digital expertise that enabled us to teach and collaborate across the continents with the use of online platforms and video calling in real-time. This was imperative as the University collaborates with over 3 000 institutions across the globe and has some 223 international institution-wide partnerships across 70 countries and six continents.

This affirms our leadership and commitment to build capacity in Africa and to accelerate and scale impact for achieving the African Union’s Agenda 2063, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. These relationships will be further expanded with the appointment of a Senate Committee for Internationalisation and Global Engagement Strategy to guide and support future collaborations.