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No space for thousands as universities hit capacity wall
The Star
|January 16, 2026
SOUTH Africa's public universities will once again be unable to accommodate all qualifying matriculants in 2026, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has warned, citing persistent leadership instability and financial constraints that threaten a smooth start to the academic year.
Speaking at a media briefing ahead of the new academic cycle, committee chairperson Tebogo Letsie said public universities have capacity for approximately 235 000 first-year students, while more than 245 000 candidates obtained bachelor-level passes in the 2025 National Senior Certificate examinations.
“The number of candidates passing matric is higher than the opportunities available in these types of institutions,” Letsie said, attributing the shortfall to limited government subsidies and funding pressures affecting the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
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