Education Minister Buti Manamela’s proclamation of the Policy for Recognition of South African Higher Education Institutional Types has been hailed by local private higher education institutions as a landmark decision that will reshape South Africa’s higher education landscape.
Gazetted on Friday, 17 October, the groundbreaking policy aims to address historical inequalities whilst providing students with diverse educational pathways.
Historic regulatory shift ends decades of inequality
The policy establishes a transparent framework that applies equally to public and private institutions, ending decades of regulatory inequality that prevented private institutions from using the university designation regardless of their academic excellence.
“For the first time in South Africa’s democratic history, private universities can rightfully be called universities,” says Dr Linda Meyer, managing director of IIE Rosebank College.
“By conferring the right to use the title ‘university’, the government sends a clear message that it values excellence… It acknowledges that quality education transcends ownership boundaries and is a public good delivered by both public and private entities committed to advancing society.”
Three-tier system creates clear institutional pathways
As published in Government Gazette No. 53515, the policy under the Higher Education Act creates three distinct institutional types: Higher Education Colleges, University Colleges, and Universities, applicable equally to both public and private institutions.
- Higher Education Colleges will focus primarily on undergraduate education and skills development, specialising in professional programmes within specific fields. These institutions must ensure at least 80% of their qualifications align with the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework, offering everything from Higher Certificates through to Bachelor’s degrees.
- University Colleges represent an intermediate category, designed as stepping stones that can develop into full universities over time. These institutions will offer a broader range of programmes than Higher Education Colleges, with at least 85% of qualifications on the higher education framework. Newly established public university colleges will have up to nine years to fully develop their offerings.
- Universities remain the pinnacle of the system, required to offer qualifications from levels 5 to 10 on the National Qualifications Framework. They must demonstrate substantial research output, community engagement, and international academic activities, with at least 5% of enrolments at postgraduate level.
The Department of Higher Education and Training, working with the Council on Higher Education (CHE), will establish a transparent application process for private institutions seeking university or university college recognition. The policy also establishes detailed governance requirements for each institutional type.
Reform addresses critical capacity shortfall
The reform comes at a crucial time when demand for higher education significantly exceeds public sector capacity. Private higher education institutions currently serve 22% of the national higher education market, providing essential access to students who might otherwise be excluded from tertiary education.
Dr Stan du Plessis, CEO of STADIO, says the private sector has an increasingly important role in higher education.
“Accordingly, we welcome the publication of the policy that will allow the recognition of private universities and university colleges, and we are confident that we will be recognised as a university once we are able to complete the application process.”
Industry welcomes symbolic turning point
Education experts view the policy as a symbolic turning point in South Africa’s higher education narrative, affirming government confidence in the private sector and fostering a regulatory environment that rewards excellence and accountability.
Liana van Rooy, registrar of Akademia, says many private institutions already have undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of exceptional quality.
“We will now be able to receive recognition for our already established contribution to university life in South Africa, which is wonderful.”
She adds that for private institutions such as Akademia, it brings the added benefit that their students will soon be able to say they are studying at a fully fledged university, whereas they now have to say they attend a higher education institution.
Concerns over implementation burden
Van Rooy says what raises concern, however, is that the policy stipulates that all private institutions will initially be considered as private higher education colleges, regardless of their already established academic history.
“This means that all private institutions – which already have accredited qualifications, postgraduate programmes and active research capacity – will first have to go through a new and likely lengthy process before formal university status is considered. It recognises the need for diversity in higher education but still places an unbalanced burden on private institutions that already meet high academic standards.”
Whilst the policy, effective from its publication date, sets out new criteria for recognition in principle, it is not yet clear how these requirements will be applied or assessed, or what timeframe will be associated with them.
Du Plessis says STADIO understands that the accompanying regulation for this policy will be available for public consultation in a few months. “We will participate constructively to help implement this important policy.”
Van Rooy says Akademia will engage with great seriousness in the conversation about how this policy will be applied fairly, consistently and in the interests of students and quality.
The policy was promulgated following consultation with the Council on Higher Education and aligns with the Constitution.
The criteria will be reviewed every five years to ensure they remain responsive to developments in the higher education landscape.
