North-West UniversityNWU

North-West University, known as the NWU, is a South African public university. It came into being on 1 January 2004, when the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of the North-West were merged, and the staff and students of Vista University's Sebokeng Campus were brought in as well. The university says it works with the Council on Higher Education on the accreditation of its academic programmes and falls under that council's quality assurance framework.

Teaching happens on three campuses spread over two provinces. Two of them are in North West: Potchefstroom, and Mahikeng, which sits in Mmabatho. The third is in Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng. Each campus has its own strengths. Mahikeng is known for animal health and the agricultural sciences, Potchefstroom for nuclear engineering, and Vanderbijlpark for economic sciences and information technology. Students who cannot attend classes on a campus can study through the university's distance learning unit. Depending on the programme, distance learners either work from printed material or study online.

The work of the university is organised into eight faculties: Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Law, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Theology. Undergraduate options include diplomas and bachelor's degrees, and some degrees are also offered as extended programmes. Postgraduate study runs from honours degrees and postgraduate diplomas through to master's and doctoral degrees. Teachers who are already working can add advanced certificates and advanced diplomas, and the NWU Business School runs short learning programmes.

Applications are made online and each applicant may apply once per academic year, choosing up to two study options. Applicants need a personal email address, a digital copy of their identity document, and their final Grade 11 or Grade 12 results. Undergraduate programmes use an Admission Point Score (APS), and the published minimums differ from one programme to the next. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee a place, because the university selects students for programmes with limited space. For the 2027 academic year, selection programmes closed on 30 June 2026, and other programmes and residence applications closed on 31 August 2026. South African applicants pay an administration fee of R150, and international applicants pay R600.

On funding, the university points out that NSFAS runs separately from the NWU. Students apply for NWU bursaries through the student portal once they have been accepted.