Readmissions

An academic standing at the end of 2019 of ‘not eligible to continue’ (RENN) means that you are not permitted to renew your registration in 2020 as you have not met the minimum academic requirements to do so.

An academic standing at the end of 2019 of ‘eligible to continue if SUPP/DE passed’ (SUPP) means that your readmission to UCT in 2020 depends on the outcome of your supplementary/deferred examinations. You must appeal before your supplementary/deferred examination results are released at the end of January. If you do not appeal by the deadline and you later fail your supplementary or deferred examinations, you will not be allowed to submit a late appeal.

Each Faculty has a Readmission Appeal Committee (RAC). The RAC meets to consider appeals from students who have failed to meet the re-registration requirements but are appealing for readmission. Your appeal goes to ONE faculty RAC only. This need not be the faculty where you were registered in 2019.

This is the process you must follow if you wish to appeal the Faculty Examination Committee's decision to deny you re-registration in 2020:

Please note that the RAC is the only body that can hear your appeal and its decision will be final. No second or further appeal to a higher body is possible. As such, you must include all evidence of circumstances that would justify your readmission in your appeal. Such evidence would include, for example:

• medical/death certificates
• sworn affidavits
• travel itineraries and tickets.

If these are not available by 6 January 2020, submit the appeal and indicate in the checklist what is to follow.

• The Readmission Appeal Process

  Step 1: Read this information sheet carefully.

  Step 2: Complete the correct appeal form (make sure that you have completed the checklist at the end of this information sheet). Please note that undergraduate and postgraduate students have separate forms. Do not use old forms.

  Please make sure that before you submit your appeal that you make and keep a copy of your appeal form and any supporting documentation.

  Save your appeal form and all supporting documentation as a SINGLE PDF file.

  Step 3: Upload your appeal on PeopleSoft Self Service using the RAC Service Request by the deadline date and time:

  Monday 6 January 2020 by 12h00

  Your appeal form and supporting documents that has been saved as a SINGLE PDF file can only be submitted via PeoleSoft Self Service. Go to the Readmission Appeal Service Request upload for instructions on how to submit.

  Step 4: The Student Records Office will send your appeal to the Faculty RAC to which you have appealed. Please do not include your UCT and matric results in your application.

  Step 5: The RAC will consider your appeal.

  Step 6: The RAC will write to you to inform you of their decision (for further information about this, please read the section titled ‘Appeal Results’).

  Step 7: We strongly urge you to start making plans for what you will do in 2020 if your appeal fails and you are denied readmission to UCT. Please do not wait until you know the outcome of your appeal to start planning for 2020 as you may be too late to gain entrance into another institution.

• Reasons for Appeal

  As mentioned above, it is important that you provide as much context and supporting information as possible to get a full picture of why you struggled academically through the year. Supporting reasons may be, for example: accommodation problems, your financial position, any emotional problems you may have had, any ill health, or family difficulties.

  When the RAC evaluates appeals, members of the committee read the full appeal and are guided in their considerations by three specific questions. These are set out below.  You are advised to draft your appeal in a way that provides information to the RAC accordingly.  

  (a) Were there significant events or circumstances, probably mostly beyond the control of the student, which impacted adversely on the student’s academic performance and explain the poor academic performance and were these circumstances well beyond the events or circumstances which happen to most students from time to time?

  (b) Is there evidence (letters, documents, etc.) to confirm the events or circumstances, and a clear description of how they affected the student, and does the timing of the events correlate with the poor performance?

  (c) Is there evidence that the difficulties have been dealt with, or are being dealt with, or that there are plans in place, so that there is a good chance that the poor performance will not simply repeat itself this year.

  In addition, the committee looks carefully at the academic record, to try to evaluate whether, despite your academic record, there may be evidence of progress in key courses which might indicate a potential to complete the degree.

  If you intend appealing to a different faculty to where you were previously registered, you should refer to the relevant Faculty website and electronic Faculty handbooks: to find out what programmes they offer. If you choose to apply to a different Faculty, you must provide a motivation as to why you should be considered for entry into that Faculty.

  You can find the most recent versions of the handbooks here:

  http://www.students.uct.ac.za/students/study/handbooks/current

• Help and Advice

  If you need help completing the form, or need advice on changing programmes or Faculties, please contact the relevant curriculum advisors below. Be aware that people may be unavailable due to public and other holidays.

  Faculty	Contact Person	E-mail address
  COM	A/Prof Tessa Minter	Tessa.Minter@uct.ac.za
  EBE	A/Prof Pieter Levecque	Pieter.Levecque@uct.ac.za
  FHS	A/Prof Gonda Perez	Gonda.Perez@uct.ac.za
  HUM	Dr Jessica Tiffin	Jessica.Tiffin@uct.ac.za
  LAW	Ms Mathabo Baase	Mathabo.Baase@uct.ac.za
  SCI	A/Prof David Gammon	David.Gammon@uct.ac.za

  For additional support or advice you should contact:

  Who to contact	Telephone	E-mail
  Careers Services: (Careers advice)	021 650 2497/8	careers.service@uct.ac.za
  Student Wellness Centre: (Psychological support)	021 650 1017/20	Lerushda.Cheddie@uct.ac.za

• Appeal Results

  The Faculty will send you written confirmation of your RAC outcome. In addition, you can check PeopleSoft on the following dates to see the outcome of your appeal:

  Faculty	If you do NOT have January exams	If you DO HAVE January exams
  COM; EBE; HUM; LAW & SCI	Friday 17 January 2020	Monday 3 February 2020
  FHS	Friday 10 January 2020	Monday 3 February 2020

   

• RAC Servicing officers

  Faculty	Contact Person	E-mail address
  COM	Isa Mkoka	Isa.Mkoka@uct.ac.za
  EBE	Zaeem Najaar	Zaeem.Najaar@uct.ac.za
  FHS	Carmen Cloete	Carmen.Cloete@uct.ac.za
  HUM	Charlton Esterhuizen	ce.esterhuizen@uct.ac.za
  LAW	Kelly van der Vent	Kelly.vandervent@uct.ac.za
  SCI	Amy Rooks-Smith	Amy.Rooks-smith@uct.ac.za

   

• Questions about submitting your form on PeopleSoft

  Should you have any technical issues with the PeopleSoft system, please email Student Systems Support at sss-helpdesk@uct.ac.za or phone 021 650 5227/4720.

   

  If you are unable to access the internet to submit your appeal on PeopleSoft please contact the Student Records Office on 021 650 3595. Do not wait until you return to campus to inform us that you did not have internet.

• Final date for appeals

  Monday 6 January 2020 by 12h00

   

  The RAC may decline to consider applications submitted late.

   

• Checklist

  This checklist is to aid you in the completion of your appeal form.

  • Have you completed your appeal form?
  • (Undergraduate only) If you are applying to another faculty, did you motivate your request to transfer?
  • If you ticked that you are appealing to another faculty, have you contacted the Faculty Office concerned? Has supporting documentation (if relevant and/or including a motivation) been attached?
  • If you are appealing to transfer to another qualification have you checked that you would meet the current entrance requirements of that qualification? If not, the RAC cannot make an admissions decision.
  • Is your appeal clearly written and does it include all relevant evidence to support the reason(s) for your poor performance? Remember that all information submitted to the RAC remains confidential, and withholding vital information will jeopardise your appeal.
  • (Undergraduate only) If you are appealing/applying to the Humanities and/or Commerce Faculties, have you included a completed curriculum plan?
  • Have you combined your appeal form and supporting documents into a SINGLE PDF file and submitted your appeal on PeopleSoft?

  Please Note: In cases where you are unable to include certain supporting documentation with your initial appeal submission, kindly upload the additional documentation via PeopleSoft Self Service by creating a NEW Service Request. Click here for the instructions which are available via Vula.