Postgraduate FAQs
What does registration entail?
- Assisted and online registration takes place during January (first semester intake) and July (second semester intake) of each year.
- If a supervisor is available and an application is approved, the applicant registers by signing and handing in the registration form.
How are fees structured?
- Candidates are billed in their first year of studies. Every subsequent year they would only be required to pay the basic registration fee for that year (depending on financial clearance).
- International students are required to pay their full registration and tuition fees prior to registration.
- For more detailed information you may request a fee quotation by emailing your request to studaccounts@uwc.ac.za
- The Council of the University of the Western Cape reserves the right to implement the official fees for the year and has the right to amend, without prior notice, the fees to be paid to the University.
Registration in successive years?
- For the duration of his/her studies a student must register each year by the stipulated date and pay the prescribed registration fees.
- Students are required to register every year by the stipulated date until completion of their degree.
- No process can be administered if a student is unregistered for the year.
How many enrolments are allocated for each programme?
- For Masters – a candidate is granted a three-year enrolment with a minimum of one year.
- For Doctorate – a candidate is granted a five-year enrolment with a minimum of two years.
- Extension may be granted in exceptional cases on submission of an application by the student and a recommendation from the Supervisor concerned.
How do I promote to the next year (Progress Report)?
- Every successive year, promotion shall be subject to the submission of a progress report as stipulated in the General Calendar. Further registration can be refused at any stage on ground of unsatisfactory progress.
- Progress reports can be retrieved from the student portal via the student portal. Faculty Office will assist in this regard. This is only applicable to students with titles that have been registered.
Intention to submit?
- A student who aims to graduate in a particular series of graduation ceremonies must notify his/her Supervisor in writing that he/she intends to submit his/her thesis for assessment. The dates when notification should be given are stipulated in the University Calendar.
- The intention to submit form can be retrieved via the student portal. Faculty Office will assist in this regard.
Why do we need an intention to submit?
- The Intention to Submit process is usually taken in consultation with your supervisor who needs to be satisfied that you have fulfilled the necessary requirements before submitting your final thesis. It indicates to Faculty Office that examiners, who will be assessing your thesis/paper, need to be processed.
How many examiners are appointed for assessment?
- Two examiners are appointed to mark a master’s thesis/paper.
- Three external examiners are appointed to mark a doctorate thesis.
How do I submit my thesis?
- Candidates are required to submit the electronic thesis/research paper directly to Faculty Office.
- Your supervisor is then directly contacted for quality checks before the thesis is sent for assessment by Student Administration.
When will I graduate?
- The University has three specific graduation ceremonies in the academic year (April, August and December)
- Examiners generally take six to eight weeks before submitting their feedback to the University.
- Graduation placement is subject to the combined feedback from examiners, supervisor/s and Faculty to Senate.