eish1_eng_firstyears

See video below.

Share in the expectations and excitement of the 2020 first years as they took their first steps on our campuses.

The amphitheatre on the campus in Potchefstroom is packed during the reception of the first years.

Hundreds of parents and students attend the reception of first-year students on the campus in Mahikeng.

Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and campus operations in Vanderbijlpark, addresses the first years and their parents during the reception of the first-year students in Potchefstroom.

Prof Daryl Balia, deputy vice-chancellor for IT and campus operations in Potchefstroom, at the reception ceremony in Potchefstroom.

Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa, deputy vice-chancellor for community engagement and campus operations in Mahikeng, shares in the fun while mascot Mafika hugs some of the speakers during the first-year reception in Mahikeng.

Parents and first years listen intently to the speeches during the reception in the Big Lapa on the campus in Vanderbijlpark.

Prof Dan Kgwadi, principal and vice-chancellor, welcomes the first years on the campus in Vanderbijlpark, while an interpreter interprets his speech into Sign Language.

Prof Andrew Robinson, deputy dean for strategy and business development in the Faculty of Health Sciences, addresses an audience during the reception on the campus in Mahikeng.

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Principal and vice-chancellor Prof Dan Kgwadi addresses the students and their parents during the reception of the first-year students in Potchefstroom.

The principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Dan Kgwadi, welcomed the newcomers on all three campuses. He praised their parents for their involvement and assured them that the campus management would act in loco parentis (take on the role of parents while the students are in the NWU’s care).

He said everyone is committed to the academic success of the NWU and therefore the academic performance of every student is a priority for the campus community. He warmly invited the parents to attend their children’s graduation in three years’ time.

This year there are *3 713 first-year students on the campus in Mahikeng, *4 903 on the campus in Potchefstroom and *1 686 on the campus in Vanderbijlpark. Each of the eight faculties accepted their maximum numbers.

Women are again in the majority, with around 58% of the first years being female. Of the total number of first-year students, 67% are black, 28% white, 4% coloured and 1% Indian.

* As at 17 February 2020

If ever there was an indication of the status that a degree from the NWU commands, it is the more than 100 000 applications the university received from prospective first-year students for the 2020 academic year. Only a tenth of these applications could be accepted, working out at *10 302 first-year students.

Welcome,
first years!