The University of Kwazulu-Natal has a total of five different campuses across Kwazulu-Natal. The University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN) was formed when the University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal merged. The University of Durban-Westville was founded in the 1960s, and the University of Natal was founded in 1910. These two universities merged on the 1st of January 2004 to form UKZN.
The five campuses are Westville Campus, Howard College, Medical School, Edgewood, and Pietermaritzburg. Westville Campus is located approximately 8km from Durban CBD and is the main campus. Howard College is located in Berea and overlooks Durban harbour. Medical School is located in Glenwood and is also home to the Doris Duke Medical Research Institute. Edgewood is located in Pinewood, around 20 minutes from Durban. Pietermaritzburg is located in the Natal Midlands, about an hour from Durban.
Applying to UKZN
Your UKZN Application can be done in a few different ways. This is dependent on whether you’re a first-time applicant or if you’re applying as a postgraduate.
Undergraduates:
If you are an undergraduate, you will need to do one of the following to apply:
1. Download an application form
2. Contact the UKZN on 031 260 2212/7877 or 033 260 5212 to request the forms
3. Email enquiries@ukzn.ac.za to request forms.
Applying:
1. Indicate your programme choices on the first page of the forms, and make sure the programme name is written in full.
2. If you have registered before, add your student number on the first page.
3. Indicate if you want to apply for financial assistance.
4. Indicate if you want to apply for accommodation.
5. Include your application fee of R200 (R400 for late applications) or your proof of payment.
6. Submit your application forms with the necessary documents to the address on the front cover.
First-Time Applicants:
If you are a first-time applicant to UKZN, you will need to apply via CAO. To get the application form, you will need to do one of the following:
1. Apply through the website https://www.cao.ac.za/
2. Contact the Central Applications Office (CAO) on 031 268 4444.
3. Download the forms off https://www.cao.ac.za/
4. Email enquiries@ukzn.ac.za
5. The application fee is R250 for on-time applications or R470 for late applications.
Postgraduates:
For postgraduate applications, you will need to apply via one of the following ways:
1. Download and complete an application form.
2. Contact the UKZN Applications Office on 031 260 2212/7877 or 033 260 5212 to request the form.
3. Email enquiries@ukzn.ac.za
Applying:
1. Indicate your existing student number at the top of the page.
2. Indicate your choice of programmes on the first page.
3. Indicate if you want to apply for accommodation.
4. The application fee is R200, but if you are an existing student, then you won’t need to pay this. If you have not attended UKZN for two or more semesters, then you will need to pay the fee.
5. Current students need to complete a different form.
Application Requirements
The UKZN Requirements for applying to study there are as follows:
1. Certified copy of their ID or Passport.
2. Certified copy of their Matric Certificate or applicable school-leaving document.
3. If you are an International student, proof from Universities South Africa that you qualify for admission.
4. If you attended another university, certified copies of your academic record or your degree are required.
5. If you are from a non-English speaking country, then proof of English proficiency is required.
6. SAQA evaluations if your previous degree was obtained outside of South Africa.
7. If you are applying for a Masters Degree or PhD, then a research proposal or a proposed title of dissertation or thesis is required.
8. If you are an international applicant, then a study visa is required.
Application Dates
Applications for undergraduate studies for Semester 1 close on the 31st of July, Medicine studies closes on the 30th of September and all other programmes. Semester 2 applications close on the 30th of April.
The closing application dates for postgraduate studies vary between colleges, so you will need to contact them to find out when applications close.
UKZN Registration
To register for your studies at UKZN, you need to go to https://registration.ukzn.ac.za/. This website contains comprehensive information on how to register, as well as fees and other important information.
About halfway down the page, there are links to each faculty. Each link contains information such as registration dates, orientation information, information on the staff in that faculty, and lots more. The links are as follows:
Agriculture, Engineering and Science: https://caes.ukzn.ac.za/registration/
Health Sciences: https://chs.ukzn.ac.za/registration/
Humanities: https://coh.ukzn.ac.za/registration-information/
Law and Management Studies: https://clms.ukzn.ac.za/registration/
Below these links, there is a section that says, “Follow these steps to register online”. This link will take you to a document that guides you through registration. These are the steps you need to take:
- Once you have logged in, click on UKZN Web Registration.
- After you have read through the ‘Rules and Regulations, click Accept.
- Once this has been done, click on the ‘Address Validation’ link and check your details and update anything that needs to be updated.
- Click on the link that says ‘Contact Details’, and check your information. Make sure that your email address and cell phone number are correct.
- Click on the link that says ‘New Registration’. If there are more than one qualification showing, you will have to choose the appropriate one.
- Make sure the qualification you chose is correct, and choose your majors if necessary.
- Fill in your employment status, and click ‘Save and Continue.
- The next step is to choose your modules. Remember the rules for the modules, and keep in mind how many credits you need per year. If you select the incorrect modules, the system will show that there’s an error.
- Select timetables for each module that you’ve chosen, making sure that you don’t choose the same timetables for modules in the same semester.
- Once you are happy with your choices, click on ‘Save and Continue’, or ‘Previous’ to go back to the previous page, or ‘Restart Process’ to go back to the qualification screen and to start over.
- If you have a credit error, or you are a ‘Red, Orange or Purple’ student, you will need to request approval. If you are a ‘Green’ student, and you have no errors, you can move to the next step.
- If you need to request approval, click on ‘Request Approval’. You will be able to include comments that could help you gain approval.
- Once you have submitted, you will get a message saying that your message has been sent, and you can now log off and wait to receive an email with the status of your request. If your request is rejected, then log in again and use the ‘New Registration Link’ to change your module.
- Once your request is approved or if you are a ‘Green’ student, you will be taken to a new screen where you will need to upload your documents.
- There will be a list of documents on the screen. Look through the list and upload your required documents in PDF format.
- Once your documents have uploaded, you can log out and wait to hear back from the University as to whether your documents have been accepted or not.
- The next screen will show you the Registration Costs. Click on ‘Accept Registration’.
- Your registration will be accepted, and you will receive a message stating this. You will be able to print a Proof of Registration and the Summary of Costs.
Conclusion
The application and registration process for UKZN is laid out extremely well. With separate websites for each department, it really is as user friendly as possible. The website has a chatbot and multiple other ways to contact them, so should you get stuck, it’ll be easy enough to get hold of somebody who will assist you with the process.