Tide of new UJ applicants abates

2011-01-12 14:12

Johannesburg - The tide of new applicants flocking to the University of Johannesburg hoping to secure a place in the first year class of 2011 had abated on Wednesday.

UJ Registrar Marie Muller said there a number of students queuing at the university had decreased.

On Monday, around 30 000 late applicants turned up at the university, causing heavy traffic jams around the Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park.

This continued on Tuesday.

Muller said around two thirds of the late applicants were likely to be rejected due to limited space at the institution.

"The flood for late applications could be attributed to the number of National Senior Certificate holders in Gauteng that obtained University admission in the 2010 NSC exams.

"We are also experiencing that learners who were turned away on Monday and Tuesday because of non compliance with the admission criteria, are re-joining the queue again. Even those that have submitted an application form, arrive in the queues again because they are desperate for an answer."

Most were first-time applicants. Some had applied with their grade 11 results in 2010, were rejected, but fared better in their matric exams and were trying to get in on the strength of those results.

Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said the congestion around the university had lessened as there were not as many students queuing.
 

- SAPA