Announcements

Further extension of the registration period

11 February 2026

Please be informed that the registration period for undergraduate students has been further extended until Friday, 20 February 2026. This is to accommodate all students who are still awaiting resolution of a variety of issues to ensure their registration status reflect as final. Registration for postgraduate students remains open until Tuesday, 31 March 2026. We urge (prospective) students to accept the final offers and finalise the applicable registration stages as a matter of urgency.
The extension will not apply to qualifications or programmes where targets have been met, in terms of the university’s enrolment plan as agreed with the Department of Higher Education and Training.

Arrangements have been made with faculties to ensure that students who have registered late can be accommodated, as classes have already commenced on 9 February.  

Prof. Hennie Goede
Registrar

 

Extension of the registration period 

5 February 2026

Please be informed that the registration period for undergraduate students has been extended until Friday, 13 February 2026. This is to accommodate all students who are still awaiting resolution of registration issues, including offer acceptance confirmation, bursaries, and other financial assistance. Registration for postgraduate students closes on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. We urge students to finalise registration from their side as a matter of urgency.

NWU remains committed to supporting students who wish to register, keeping in mind the agreed upon enrolment target with the Department of Higher Education and Training. Whenever space is available in certain faculties, registration for some programmes in these faculties will remain open to allow students who have already started the registration process to conclude the process and be fully registered NWU students. The Faculty of Law as well as certain other programmes at other faculties have already closed for first-year registration, as capacity has been reached. 

Prof. Hennie Goede
Registrar

Fraud alert/warning

5 February 2026

Scammers and fraudsters are hard at work during the registration period. They pose as officials of the North-West University (NWU) with the intention of taking advantage of innocent citizens  - prospective students and their parents/guardians – and robbing them of their hard-earned funds. 

Please note that the NWU does not charge any fees for application or admission, but only for registration. Registration can only be paid at the Student Finance Offices on our three campuses.  We urge all students and their parents to be cautious of anyone including NWU staff claiming that they can secure admission or accommodation placement in exchange for payment. All applications and registration are handled exclusively by the official NWU Admissions Office. 

Please report any suspicious activity or cases related to corruption, bribery and fraud via these platforms at the Whistle Blowers (Pty) Ltd:

Please remain vigilant

Issued:

NWU Corporate Relations and Marketing 

Progress: Registration at the NWU

2 February 2026

The 2026 registration period at the North-West University (NWU) is progressing satisfactorily despite a few problems experienced by some students. These problems are a result of bugs in the new system which our technical team have been working tirelessly to resolve. We acknowledge and appreciate that these problems are a stain in our admission, registration, and other related systems and processes. They have caused tremendous frustration and anxiety to our very important stakeholder groups – students and staff.  

We have a responsibility and accountability to ensure that all accepted applicants are able to register for the 2026 academic year. To this end, the University Management Committee, during its extraordinary meeting on Friday, 30 January 2026, resolved to implement a few interventions to facilitate student registration and a smooth start of the 2026 academic year. 

The interventions include inter alia.

  • Registration period: first-year and returning students who struggle with registration issues, will be assisted, even after the official deadline
  • Commencement of classes: We have put measures in place to ensure that all students who register late, will not lose any academic time 

Once again, we appreciate the volume of applications that our staff had to deal with during the application period. More than 428 000 applications had to be processed, and provisional offers or acceptance letters sent to prospective students based on their grade 11 or final grade 12 results. 

Registration started on Monday, 19 January, and to date close to 8 600 and nearly 32 000 returning students have been fully registered. On Saturday, 31 January, we officially welcomed first-year students at our three campuses in Mahikeng, Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark where the Orientation Programme has commenced as part of welcoming the students to their new home away from home. 

We reiterate that we acknowledge that some students are experiencing challenges in completing their registration. We are fully aware of these difficulties, and our dedicated staff are working around the clock to address system-related and operational constraints.

Senior and first-year students who are struggling to complete registration must use the resources listed below to ensure a smoother registration journey:

We encourage students to use these tools to address any queries they might have and to ensure a smooth start to their academic journey.

We appreciate the patience and cooperation of students, staff, and other stakeholders as we attend these problems.

First-year students who have received final offers but are unable to register, are encouraged to use the following channels for assistance: 

WhatsApp number: +27 (0) 60 070 2606
NWU Call Centre: 0860 169 698
Email: studies@nwu.ac.za
SMS Line: 31750

Once again, thank you for your patience and cooperation during this registration period. 

Best wishes for the 2026 academic year. 

Prof. Hennie Goede
Registrar

Updates on senior student marks finalisation

14 January 2026

The NWU appreciate and apologise for the frustration experienced by some students due to delays in the finalisation of marks and academic records.

The delay is caused by a combination of factors which are being addressed by SALA and SIS staff as well as academic staff as we speak, and we aim to conclude this process by next week, in time for registration which will commence as from 19 January 2026. 

Please see the latest updates on senior student marks finalisation.

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