10 TEACHING & LEARNING Enrolment & Student Profiles In 2024 the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture had a total headcount enrolment of 1,594 students. Of these, 1,243 (78%) were undergraduate and 351 (22%) postgraduate. The student body was predominantly Black African (73%), followed by White (15%), Indian (6%) and Coloured (6%) students. Women constituted the majority of students, representing 53% of undergraduates and 66% of postgraduate enrolments. Approximately 75% of students were enrolled in undergraduate degree programmes, with a further 21% registered in undergraduate diplomas and certificates and 4% in advanced diplomas. Within the postgraduate cohort, 50% were enrolled in postgraduate qualifications below master’s level, 38% in master’s degrees, and 12% in doctoral programmes (a marginal increase of 2% compared to the previous year). Graduates In 2025 the faculty produced a total of 575 graduates, comprising 61% undergraduate and 39% postgraduate qualifications. Student access, and support for students The faculty’s average success rate improved to 90.9% in 2024. However, the overall dropout rate increased to 15.1%, up from 10.7% the previous year. This rise is largely attributable to changes in the 2025 admission process, in which selection was based primarily on APS score. While this approach broadened access, it resulted in the admission of a cohort of students whose academic profiles met the minimum requirements but whose interests and aptitudes were not always aligned with the specific vocational and technical demands of our programmes. As a result, a higher-than-usual proportion of students disengaged during the course of the year. To address this, the faculty is revising its admission regulations from 2027 to introduce additional assessment measures that better evaluate programme fit and motivation, while avoiding a return to the previous portfolio-based system, which had proven inconsistent and potentially exclusionary. These refinements are intended to balance access with appropriate placement, thereby improving retention without compromising equity. The undergraduate graduation rate improved to 28.1% (up from 26.6% in 2024), while postgraduate graduation rates remained stable at 36.1% (36.2% in 2024). UJenius and High-Achieving Students Following the change in enrolment processes, the number of first-year students with an APS of 35 or higher increased by 131%, rising from 70 in 2024 to 162. Correspondingly, the number of Orange Carpet first-year students increased from 34 to 66, while UJenius senior students grew from 41 to 48. These figures indicate a strengthening academic profile among incoming cohorts.
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