Although they have completed the requirements for their qualifications, more than 6,000 students still cannot graduate because of outstanding fees. Unisa is now turning to alumni, businesses, donors and other partners to help remove this final obstacle.
The university’s annual Convocation Fundraising Gala Dinner, scheduled for 23 September 2026, forms part of a broader student success initiative aimed at raising funds to settle qualifying students’ historical debt and help them access the qualifications they have worked towards.
According to Professor Boitumelo Senokoane, Executive Director : Institutional Advancement at Unisa, the initiative is intended to bring the university community and its external stakeholders together around a common goal of supporting student success.
“There are currently over 6 000 students who still need to graduate. They have finalised their qualifications but are unable to graduate because they still owe the university fees,” said Senokoane.
It is estimated that approximately R47 million would be required to assist all qualifying students affected by historical debt. The Unisa Foundation is seeking to mobilise this funding through donations, partnerships and philanthropic support.
The fundraising campaign builds on the success of the inaugural Convocation Fundraising Gala Dinner, which raised approximately R4.8 million and has so far helped more than 550 students.
The initiative focuses on students who have completed their qualifications but are unable to graduate because of historical debt.
Senokoane said the bursary intervention will be targeted at qualifying Unisa students who are South African citizens and have met the academic requirements for their qualifications but remain financially blocked from graduating.
The funding will be used specifically to settle outstanding debt that prevents graduation but will not cover new registrations, additional modules or prescribed books. It will be provided as a once-off intervention for each qualifying student.
The allocation model will prioritise students with the greatest financial need. Seventy percent of the available funds will be directed towards students with outstanding debt of R10 000 or less, while the remaining 30% will support qualifying students with higher outstanding balances.
The gala dinner is part of a wider effort by Unisa and its partners to address financial barriers to academic progression.
Senokoane said third-stream income generated through donors and partnerships has enabled the university to support students who would otherwise struggle to continue their studies or graduate.
“Some students register for their studies but cannot progress to their next level because they cannot pay further. Others have finalised their qualifications but remain in the system and cannot graduate,” he said.
The Unisa Foundation’s partnership with the Feenix Trust, for example, has supported 368 Unisa students since its inception in 2017, contributing more than R2.6 million towards student funding.
Senokoane said that between 2024 and mid-2026, UNISA and its partner funds disbursed a combined R52.62 million in student debt relief and bursary support, directly assisting 7,989 students across the university’s colleges. The programme drew on seven distinct funding sources, ranging from the university’s own UNISA Shop initiative to external partners such as the various corporate funders, SETAs, Unisa Golf Days and Convocation Fund drives. In addition, Unisa’s Board of Trustees approved R15 million between 2023 and 2025 to assist students facing debt challenges and funding disruptions linked to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). For 2026, the Unisa Foundation Board of Trustees has committed to match the funding received from the convocation up to a maximum of R5 000 000.
The Convocation Fundraising Gala Dinner seeks to expand this support by creating another platform through which alumni, businesses and other stakeholders can contribute directly to student success.
Unisa Convocation President Justice Dabampe said the initiative reflects the institution’s commitment to ensuring that financial circumstances do not determine whether students can complete their academic journeys.
“The message of ‘no student left behind’ resonates very well with our commitment of ensuring that students should only worry about passing and never about funds to finish their qualification,” said Dabampe.
He said financial exclusion can affect students even after they have completed their academic requirements.
“When students are financially blocked, they are unable to get their results; they are not able to focus properly on their studies, which at times leads to them failing. Student success is reliant on them not having financial barriers.”
Dabampe said Convocation has a responsibility to help mobilise resources to address these barriers, particularly through third-stream income.
“Convocation plays a critical role in ensuring that student success is not a myth. Part of our responsibility is to raise third-stream income which can in turn be used for settling student debt and supporting students through bursaries.”
Senokoane said alumni can play an important role as ambassadors for the campaign, while corporate partners can provide financial support to help students complete their studies.
For Dabampe, contributions do not have to be large to have an impact. “Student debt is a monster which will be defeated through donations as little as R20 per month,” he said.
He urged alumni, businesses and members of the public to support the campaign, saying the impact of helping students extends far beyond individual graduates.
“Future employers are still stuck in the system, future scientists are still stuck in the system, future Presidents, future CEOs are still stuck in the system,” said Dabampe.
The Convocation President said the ultimate goal is to ensure that financial exclusion does not prevent students from reaching graduation and contributing to society.
“For the students who have already completed their academic journeys, the initiative is about more than settling an outstanding balance. It is about enabling them to finally receive the qualification they have earned and take the next step into their careers and communities”, concluded Dabampe.