NWU REGISTRATION: A RECURRING HEADACHE

Abygail Smit 

@Abysmit06 

 

With every new year at the North-West University (NWU), it seems that a new challenge emerges. This year, the main concerns revolve around registration, MySIS, and eFundi.

 

Students have been voicing frustration over ongoing registration issues, raising questions about whether the NWU registration and online systems are capable of supporting the large number of students and staff members attending the university. Some students have reported that their modules are not reflected on their eFundi accounts, while others have said that their modules disappeared when they attempted to correct their registration.

 

Other students have experienced financial-related challenges since registration started. International students, for example, were reportedly required to pay for the full annual year when registering in February, leading to rising dissatisfaction among households and students.

 

On 2 February, the NWU released a statement addressing some concerns: “These problems are a result of bugs in the new system, which our technical team has been working tirelessly to resolve. We acknowledge and appreciate that these problems are a stain on our admission, registration, and other related systems and processes. They have caused tremendous frustration and anxiety to our very important stakeholder groups – students and staff.”

 

To add to the difficulties, scammers and fraudsters have been hard at work trying to take advantage of students for money. These individuals claim that students have to pay money to apply to study at the NWU, which is false. The NWU only requires a registration fee, not an application fee. Unfortunately, not all applicants have the resources to be aware of this, leading to confusion and financial loss for some students.

 

The NWU has worked hard to provide clear steps on how to register for returning and new students, but the sheer number of people at the university has made it difficult for the system to function effectively, which has led to bugs that cannot always be fixed overnight. The NWU has also released a PDF for international students containing eight steps on how to register correctly. According to this PDF, the NWU is subject to audits and inspections conducted by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Immigration Offices.

 

The document also explains that international students can only proceed with International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) registration once the NWU receives official directives from the DHA. Furthermore, the PDF advises that affected students should wait for formal communication from the university. “Do not rely on information shared via social media or unofficial sources, as this may be inaccurate or misleading.”

 

According to the latest update from the university on 20 February, there were still students struggling with confirmation of financial clearance-related matters. Specific faculties, such as the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and the Faculty of Education, have received final admission offers for their programmes, but the registration period had to be extended yet again.

 

The added stress of registration issues, financial problems, and system errors has weighed heavily on affected students and NWU personnel, straining their resources and delaying class attendance.

 

We hope that these issues are resolved quickly and, most importantly, permanently. The NWU is a professional institution and cannot host these issues every year. With clear instructions and guidelines, the NWU has taken the first step in addressing some of these challenges. Now it is time for the system and eFundi issues to be resolved.

 

 

Edited by Isabel Burgers