STADIO Holdings reports strong enrolment growth amid economic challenges

STADIO Holdings, the JSE-listed private higher education group, saw double-digit growth across the board in 2024 amid sluggish economic conditions, and it lifted its dividend by 51% to 15.1 cents a share.

- EDWARD WEST

Student enrolments exceeded 50 000 students in the year, increasing to 50 039 at December 2024, on track to achieve the 2017 JSE prelisting statement target of 56 000 students by 2026. The group now believes that it can reach 80 000 students by 2030.

CEO Chris Vorster said in an interview that the higher dividend arose mainly due to good cash collections in 2024, which increased by 29%, and the fact that the bulk of the spending for the construction of the Durbanville campus, which is under construction, had been paid.

He said that while they did not yet have exact numbers, initial indications were also that the group is expected to experience another year of strong enrolment growth.

STADIO provides access to higher education through three institutions - STADIO Higher Education, Milpark Education, and AFDA, which offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in both contact and distance learning modes of delivery.