University of the Free State UFS Qwaqwa Campus
University of the Free State UFS Qwaqwa Campus – Check below:
Situated in the scenic sandstone mountains of Phuthaditjhaba in the Eastern Free State, our Qwaqwa Campus attracts students from across the continent, with the majority from the Eastern Free State and western KwaZulu-Natal.
This campus offers programmes in the Faculties of the Humanities, Education, Economic and Management Sciences, as well as Natural and Agricultural Sciences, with postgraduate teaching in various centres of excellence. Our main consideration is that the learning programmes, research, academic interventions, and community service-learning opportunities are socially and educationally responsive to the region. The on-campus research hubs produce valuable knowledge, much of which has a local focus.
With the influx of postgraduate students from around the globe, the Qwaqwa Campus is probably the fastest-growing rural campus in South Africa. To address the recent growth spurt, existing buildings were renovated, the infrastructure updated, and new buildings added. The huge investment in infrastructure makes it one of the best-equipped rural campuses, with a spacious layout, modern lecture theatres, and comfortable residences.
Various male, female, and day residences accommodate students’ living, learning, and social needs, with floodlit stadia, athletic tracks, and netball and basketball courts catering for sports talent and aspirations.
The Qwaqwa Campus is a vibrant education hub at the base of the scenic sandstone mountains of Phuthaditjhaba in the Eastern Free State. While we play an important role in the provisioning of higher education in a rural environment, we also employ many locals and take the lead in the socio-economic development of the area.
Before being fully incorporated as a campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) on 1 January 2003, the campus was a satellite campus of the former University of the North (now University of Limpopo), some 700 km away. Back then, it was referred to as the University of Qwaqwa or Uniqwa, and offered programmes to 282 students (in 1982) in the disciplines of the Arts, Economics, Education, and Theology.
Stimulating growth, job creation, and entrepreneurship in the region is our main aim in the creation of a demand-driven academic ethos, while skills and community-development programmes are also offered on the campus. Our research agenda focus on identifying the best possible strategies for creating jobs in impoverished rural areas and understanding how best to stimulate economic growth in these contexts.
Our students and staff reflect the involvement and commitment of the UFS to provide access to higher education in rural South Africa, offering certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to students in various study fields.
We are proud to have an international complement of highly qualified and skilled academic and support staff that are serious about providing a high quality of education to around 6 800 students.
University of the Free State UFS Qwaqwa Campus Contact
University of the Free State UFS Qwaqwa Campus Courses