Northwest University (NWU) is one of the best government-owned tertiary institutions in South Africa. According to the South African universities ranking, the university is among the top ten best universities in South Africa in cutting-edge research and contribution to academic knowledge. The university only has three main campuses, all located in the Northwest province of South Africa. These three campuses are Potchefstroom, Mafikeng, and Vanderbijlpark, all located in South Africa. The University’s headquarters, i.e., where all the administrative offices are built, are all located in Potchefstroom.
When the northwest University undergoes a merger, it was rated as the largest and biggest university in South Africa. In addition to this feat, it is also the only tertiary institution in South Africa’s learning citadel. The second-highest number of students (both part-time and full-time) after the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. The Universities that the South Africa government merged to form northwest University are Potchefstroom University for Christian and the University of Northwest (also known as the University of Bophuthatswana. The Potchefstroom University for Christians already has a campus in Vanderbijlpark before the merger.
How to apply
North-West University is a citadel of learning that always encourages students from diverse backgrounds to apply to various departments. The university encourages both paper and online applications. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university has strongly encouraged prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students to apply online as soon as possible for the 2021 academic session. There are five steps you must follow to register online at Nother West University.
Step 1
- Go to the online application platform on the www.nwu.co.za. It is advisable to use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome for easy access to this page.
- Click on the new registration application.
- Click on creating a new student number, and make sure you fill in all the fields appropriately.
- It is significant to note that just because you now have a student number, that does not mean you are now a registered student or you are done with the application process. Remind that applications not complete will not be processed by the Northwest university Graduation office.
Step 2
- log in.
- After receiving your student number, the next step is to create a PIN number and log into your student account.
Step 3
- What department or faculty do you want to study in.
- Fill all the fields appropriately.
- Apply a ‘calendar link’ (this can be found on your student account) to determine your department requirement and the curricula. There are also cogent pieces of information in NWU yearbooks, such as Mafikeng, Potchefstroom, and Vanderbijlpark.
Step 4
- Upload application documents.
- In order for the university to process your applications, the applicants need to upload the following documents:
- Matric Certificate or, in some cases, Grade 11 or Grade 12 marks if the matric result is not available yet.
- A copy of your South Africa ID and International passport.
- Proof of application fee payment (Application fee is R150).
- They must upload their relevant results for prospective international applicants, a copy of their international passports, and proof of payment.
Step 5
- Submission of application.
- The applicants must ensure that the application forms have been properly filled and the required documents are submitted before submitting.
Prospective students need to contact the admission office to obtain application forms by calling 0183892525. The applicants can go online to the university website and download the application form, or the prospective student can email the admission office directly at mcadmissions@nwu.ac.za. There is also the option of online applications. Any enquiries or inquiries related to the online application can be directed to keshni.scholtz@nwu.ac.za or call this phone number 0183892272. The application deadline for NWU application is usually September of every year; for example, the application deadline for the 2021 academic year was on 30th September 2020.
For prospective international students from outside of South Africa, especially for postgraduate studies (MSc or PhD). It is important to evaluate their foreign certificate using SAQA. SAQA is also known as the South Africa Qualifications Authority. The South African government formed this academic evalu ation body to access and evaluate foreign qualifications of foreigners intending to study or work in South Africa. Foreign applicants need to evaluate their academic certificates using SAQA. SAQA will determine the NQF level their certificates fall into, which will make it easier for northwest University to easily have an adequate assessment of the foreign applicant’s certificate.
International applicants should also note that it is important to apply early for admission to have ample time to apply for a study visa and avoid any visa delays or misinterpretation. For PhD applicants, you must secure a potential supervisor ready to supervise your research work before applying for admission. This also applies to international students applying for MSc, although searching for a supervisor is not mandatory but advisable in some departments. In terms of funding for postgraduate applicants, the University strongly advised that postgraduate applicants search for external funding or, in some rare cases talked to their supervisor about getting funding from them. There is internal funding for postgraduate studies in the universities, but it might not be enough due to many student’s applications. The South African Government made various funding arrangements, such as NRF, CSIR, and Provincial bursaries. Still, there is no guarantee of International students securing such funding due to the high volume of applicants.
Courses Offered
The university comprises eight departments of higher education and training (DHET) accredited faculties. These faculties have all been rated as one of the best in the country in terms of academic excellence and research.
The faculty of economic and management sciences
This faculty consists of six (6) departments. They are:
Accounting Sciences.
Department of Business and Governance.
Department of Economic Sciences.
Industrial psychology and human resources management.
Management Sciences.
Department of tourism.
Faculty of Education
Over the years, this faculty has stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best faculties of education in the country. The faculty comprises of:
- Language education department.
- Psycho-social education.
- Department of professional studies.
- Mathematics, Science and Technology education.
Faculty of Engineering
- Under this faculty, we have the:
- Department of Chemical Engineering.
- EEC also known as Electrical Electronic and Computer Engineering.
- Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.
- Industrial Engineering.
Faculty of Health Sciences
This faculty consists of notable departments like;
Nursing.
Pharmacy.
Physiology
Faculty of Humanities
This faculty consists of six departments, they are.
- Music.
- Philosophy.
- Social Sciences.
- Government Education.
- Languages and Studies on Communication.
Faculty of Law
This faculty comprises only three departments, such as:
- Mercantile Law.
- Public Law.
- Private Law.
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
This faculty has one of the highest numbers of departments at Northwest University. These departments are Chemical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, and indigenous knowledge systems.
Faculty of Theology
Finally, we have the faculty of technology, and this is a part of the newest faculty that is still expanding. In the meantime, it has only two departments. These departments are Christian ministry and leadership and ancient language and text studies. It is important to note that as of 2016, the North-West university has a total number of students are up to 73,000, and it has been foreseen that the university population might pass the 100,000 marks by 2024. The chancellor of the university is Anna Mokgokong, and the Vice-chancellor since 2014 is Dan Kgwadi.
One of the university’s academic breakthroughs occurred in 2018 when the northwest University Potchefstroom campus came up with a usable global model that can be used to control a species of worm called Fall armyworm pest. This prototype developed is efficient in predicting the spread of the worm population. The important thing to note about Northwest university is that each main campus has different faculties. All the University faculties are not on the same campus. For instance, at the Mahikeng campus, we have the faculty of law, agriculture, education, commerce, science, and technology. Northwest University is also one of the South African universities that really invest in sporting activities such as rugby, hockey, cricket, netball, football, bodybuilding, dance, and chess. And the university also installed modern-day sporting faculties to support these sporting activities. Notable alumni of the university are:
Gerhard Mostert: He is a South Africa rugby star who started his career with springboks and stade francais.
Warren whitely: He was a South African rugby player who plays a part in his illustrious career in springboks and lions. He played eight men and was a captain of the springbok team once upon a time ago.
Northwest University is considered a South African university that brings together students all over the world. After the merger of the universities that formed Northwest university, the merger has been referred to as one of the most successful mergers due to the graduation rate and knowledge that has been impacted on students so far. Northwest University is widely acknowledged for its dynamic and cutting-edge modern facilities without losing focus on its African roots and heritage.