University of the Free StateUFS

The University of the Free State, known as UFS, is a public university whose history goes back to 1904, when it opened in Bloemfontein as Grey University College. Its faculty rule books state that its qualifications are registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and the Department of Higher Education and Training, its admissions policy requires qualifications to be accredited by the Council on Higher Education, and its Business School names the same council as its accrediting body.

Most teaching happens in person across three campuses in the Free State. Two are in Bloemfontein: the main Bloemfontein Campus in Park West and South Campus on Oliver Tambo Street. The third is the Qwaqwa Campus in Phuthaditjhaba, in the Eastern Free State. An Open Distance Learning unit and online short courses reach students who cannot attend a campus. The university says it serves close to 40 000 students.

Academic work sits in seven faculties: Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Health Sciences, The Humanities, Law, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Theology and Religion. The UFS Business School runs its own management qualifications and executive education. Qualifications run from higher certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas through bachelor's and honours degrees to postgraduate certificates and diplomas, master's degrees and doctorates. Extended degree programmes and a University Access Programme give a bridging route to learners who do not yet meet mainstream entry requirements, and short learning programmes are offered mainly through the Business School.

Undergraduate entry is based on the National Senior Certificate, with an admission point score that varies by programme and is set out in the undergraduate prospectus. Applications for the 2027 academic year opened on 1 April 2026 through the university's online portal, and 30 September 2026 is the final day to apply. Several selection programmes, including some in the health sciences, nursing, social work and architecture, closed earlier in the year.

For funding, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme covers most undergraduate study, but it does not fund the University Access Programme, and at higher certificate level it only covers certificates offered at South Campus. The university also runs its own bursary office, postgraduate students may apply for National Research Foundation bursaries, and an external study loan option is referenced on its student finance pages.