University of South Africa

University of South Africa

Former names	University of the Cape of Good Hope
Type	Public open distance learning
Established	26 June 1873
Chancellor	Thabo Mbeki
Principal & Vice-Chancellor	Prof. Mandla Makhanya
Administrative staff	5,854 (2013)
Students	355 240 (2013)
Location	Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Website	www.unisa.ac.za

The University of South Africa is the largest university on the African continent and attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. The university has over 300,000 students, including African and international students in 130 countries worldwide, making it one of the world's mega universities.

Unisa is a dedicated open distance education institution. Open distance learning (ODL) entails a student-centred approach that gives students flexibility and choice over what, when, where, and how they learn, and provides them with extensive student support.

As a comprehensive university, Unisa offers both vocational and academic programmes, many of which have received international accreditation, as well as an extensive geographical footprint, giving their students recognition and employability in many countries the world over.

Founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, the University of South Africa (or Unisa as it is commonly known) spent most of its early history as an examining agency for Oxford and Cambridge universities and as an incubator from which most other universities in South Africa are descended. In 1946, it was given a new role as a distance education university and today it offers certificate, diploma and degree courses up to doctoral level.

In January 2004, Unisa merged with Technikon Southern Africa (formerly known as Technikon SA) and incorporated the distance education component of Vista University. The combined institution retained the name University of South Africa, unlike other merged institutions, which underwent name changes. It is now organised by college and by school; see below.

Unisa's Muckleneuk Campus is located in Pretoria and is a major landmark of the capital city. It was in 1972 that Unisa moved into its new home on Muckleneuk Ridge having vacated the old quarters in central Pretoria. The complex of buildings was designed by Bryan Sandrock Architects in the 1960s and expresses an international style characterised by monumental proportions and engineering feats like the cantilevered structures. The most striking feature is the long projection from the brow of the hill, supported by a giant steel girder resting on a massive column.