Classes at the University of the Free State (UFS) came to a halt last week as students protested against the university’s decision to discontinue provisional registration from 2026, a move student leaders say will exclude poor and working-class students from higher education.
The university confirmed its council approved the decision on September 26, ending the long-standing system that allowed students to register and start studying while settling their fees later.
“Students will need to be fully registered once their fees or funding have been confirmed,” said UFS spokesperson Lacea Loader.
She added that the decision followed a review, which found “provisional registration is not an effective mechanism to support students with financial challenges”, with most students failing to meet payment agreements.
The university said it will introduce a “student-centred financial support strategy” that includes earlier bursary applications and targeted financial advising to help students secure funding before registration.
“The UFS remains committed to supporting students through building a fair, equitable and sustainable support system that promotes access, success and responsible financial management,” said Loader.
However, the university’s student representative council (SRC) has opposed the decision, calling it unjust and exclusionary.
“Provisional registration is an important safety net for poor students,” it said. “To remove it is to condemn thousands to exclusion, hunger and despair. It is to say that only the rich deserve education while the poor must wait outside the gates.”
The SRC described the decision as “anti-poor and anti-black,” saying it was made without proper consultation. “This type of undermining and infantilising of students is not only unjust and unethical; it is unprocedural. It ignores the important role we play in the functioning of the university.”
The council also linked the protests to the unfulfilled promises of transformation since the #FeesMustFall movement began a decade ago. “Many of the promises made in 2015 remain broken, while institutions undo the good that was achieved, making it harder every year for students to access their right to education.”
The SRC’s memorandum of demands, handed to management on October 8, called for:
- the reinstatement of provisional registration;
- the retention of the acknowledgment of debt system with a debt cap of R50,000; and
- returning students awaiting funding to register without paying upfront.
It also urged the university to stop using force and arrests against peaceful protesters.
Bloemfontein campus SRC president Ogorogile Moleme said despite meetings with management, “the university refused to budge”. The SRC will continue to fight until the decision is reversed.
Police were deployed to all three campuses — Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa and South — after memorandums of demand were submitted. Moleme confirmed 11 students were arrested on Thursday, with nine later released on free bail and two on R500 bail. Six more students were arrested early on Saturday morning and were expected to appear in court on Monday.
For students such as Nozibusiso Mtshali, the issue goes beyond policy; it affects livelihoods.
“My mother sacrifices daily so that I can study, pay rent and eat. Behind every tuition payment there’s a family suffering,” she said. “This is not just a policy; it’s a test of whether transformation at UFS is real or just on paper.”
Mtshali and many others say they will continue to speak out until the university restores provisional registration. “Until every student can register, learn and thrive without fear of exclusion, none of us are free.”
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