North-West University officially welcomed First-Year students across their three campuses to the NWU family on Saturday, February 8.

For the first week, students embraced every moment, making friends, meeting lecturers and exploring the facilities. This is the start of an unforgettable journey filled with new friendships, a vibrant student life, exciting opportunities, and endless possibilities.

After an unforgettable welcoming event, they came together for picnics and a talent extravaganza across the Potchefstroom, Vanderbijlpark, and Mahikeng campuses.

“Today marks the beginning of your incredible journey, and I am deeply honoured to welcome you to this great institution that has produced many giants who are now making a difference in South Africa and abroad. Let me extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of you. Getting here was no small feat. It took determination, resilience, and hard work. You have navigated exams, processes, and life’s many challenges to earn your place at NWU, and for that, you should be immensely proud,” Professor Bismark Tyobeka, Vice-chancellor at NWU said at the event.

The 2024 matric pass rate stands at an impressive 87.3%, showing a steady improvement in the quality of education. Of the 740 876 learners who wrote the exams, 644 562 passed, and 348 212 achieved a Bachelor’s pass, qualifying them for university admission. However, the country’s 26 public universities only have 202 000 spaces available for first-year students, leaving over 114 000 Bachelor’s pass students unable to pursue tertiary education at public universities.

“At NWU, we received 390 000 applications, of which more than 276 000 were successfully submitted. Altogether 71 600 of these applicants had an APS score of 30 or higher, reflecting the calibre of students we attract. A further breakdown of applications shows that distance learning received 40 000 applications, and 4 980 were accepted. For Undergraduate contact learning 208 000 applications were received, and 24 812 offers were made. For Postgraduate programmes 20 107 applications were received, and 7 352 were accepted. Our enrolment plan allows for over 11 754 contact first-years and 1 183 distance students, giving us close to 13 000 first-year students for the 2025 academic year. By February 7, 11 615 of our contact and distance first-year students had fully registered,” Tyobeka went on to say.

“Congratulations on securing your place at NWU. You are now part of a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community committed to excellence. Please embrace our motto: “It all starts here.” This is not just a saying; it is a promise. It speaks to the limitless possibilities ahead—the friendships you will forge, the knowledge you will gain, and the person you will become.”