​Stellenbosch University (SU) will be continuing its discussions on student fees with different groups within the student community. A group of students occupied the JS Gericke Library through the night on Tuesday. The group blocked access to the library on Wednesday morning, and Ms Tonia Overmeyer, Student Dean at SU engaged with the group in the course of the day. There was limited access to some library services, but library staff continued with their usual duties. A small group again stayed overnight on Wednesday, and tried to prevent other students from entering the library on Thursday morning. The library was reopened by 10:30 after the group decided to end the sit-in and left the building.  

Since May this year SU has been discussing student fees with students via various committees, the Students' Representative Council, faculties and in university residences, as well as via email with the campus community. A webpage on student fees and an email address were created for feedback and comment: [email protected]

SU acknowledges the right of student to protest, provided that the academic project is not disrupted, the safety of staff and students are not threatened and university property is not damaged.

In SU's submission to the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education on 6 September 2016 Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, emphasized that SU was of the opinion that fee-free higher education currently was not feasible due to the slow economic growth rate in the country, increasing demands on government resources and decades of funding backlogs. Studies have also shown that in the developing world fee-free higher education has tended to benefit the upper-middle-class and very affluent sectors of the population rather than the poor. South African universities are not mandated to take decisions on fee-free higher education.  Higher education institutions depend on tuition fees as one of its sources of income, and decisions in this regard cannot be taken without an increase in state subsidy to replace tuition fees.   

SU supports the sectoral proposal of a minimum increase of 8% in annual income for 2017 if universities are to maintain current levels of academic quality and financial sustainability. This income could come from a variety of sources, including state subsidy, student (tuition) fees and a complex array of other private sources of funding.

However, Stellenbosch University acknowledges that South Africa has an unequal society comprising of an affluent and upper middle class that can afford university education and a large component of lower middle class and poor students who cannot pay their way. Therefore, Stellenbosch University supports and follows a differentiated approach: increase in tuition and accommodation fees that are mitigated through financial support to academically deserving poor students related to the combined annual household income. The level of financial support is determined according to a sliding scale based on the combined annual household income.

SU's own bursaries are aligned with increases in tuition and accommodation fees. The institution supports students with bursaries and loans that amount to more than 50% of the annual income from student's tuition fees. In 2015 SU allocated an amount of R402,8 million to bursaries from research contracts and own funds. Of this amount, R115 million was allocated from the main budget. In the same year 38% of all undergraduate students, and 70% of undergraduate black, coloured and Indian students received bursaries. This level of student support is not sustainable without an annual increase in income. Stellenbosch University administered a total of R658,7 million in bursaries in 2015, including the above amounts and NSFAS funding.