University of South Africa [UNISA]
Reviews and Complaints

I sent an online application around October 2019, .I got confirmation for my application via sms and that was the only communication I ever got. I tried calling them their phones are not answered they don't respond any of my emails. When I log into Unisa Self Track applications it's says " Awaiting outstanding documents or results" I paid the required application fee and uploaded my documents as their procedure. I'm disappointed with the service

The professor does not respond to emails on time. When he decides to responds his emails are rude and abstract yet they are supposed to be guiding us, what does it mean when you have a supervisor who rights comments like "you dont know what you are talking about", "I am a busy person do not write things that do not make sense, you are wasting my time and your time", "you have no interest in what you are doing" "you dont care about your work", "you have copied and pasted" they have software to check if the information has been plagiarized why coming to a conclusion like that when they have not even checked it. When i check it myself there is 2% plagiarism but the professor makes such a bold comment. We are paying to learn and they are supposed to be guiding us with constructive comments

We have tried to contacting UNISA on the following numbers:
012 429 4299
012 441 5780
012 352 4111
012 429 2441
08 000 1870
However, none of these phones have been answered (35 unanswered calls).
My mother is unable to register due to UNISA apparently taking *1 week* to process a payment. This was the information received from a very unhelpful consultant at the Potchefstroom UNISA branch, after she refused to accept an electronic proof of payment, and claimed that UNISA only works per fax! My mother had to print her proof of payment at Jetline Potchefstrom (drive all the way back to UNISA) so that this consultant could fax it to the finance department (mind you that the proof of payment was emailed to this department on the day of payment, as stipulated on the payment advice documentation). Since this is UNISA's shortcoming, why didn't the consultant make a hard copy? How on earth does one of the biggest educational institutions in SA only work on fax (fist of all)? Also why instruct students to email proof of payments if UNISA 'apparently' only works on fax? Thirdly, does UNISA consultants get paid to answer the telephones and assist students, because the service is absolutely terrible! Lastly, how is it possible to take 1 week for a finance department to note the payment made to your student account?This is truly unacceptable and highly disappointing from such a large educational institution!

Dear Ms Deleted

I applied for a master's program but I forgot to upload departmental questionnaire form. On the 15th November 2019, I received an email from UNISA requesting me to upload the departmental questionnaire form. I uploaded it on the 17th November 2019. On the 12 December 2019 I received two emails, one was requesting me to upload a CV and a research content, a minute later I received an email informing me that my a has been declined because I didn't upload the departmental questionnaire form.

I wanted to find out what happened because I uploaded it. I was told that indeed I had uploaded it but it was not completed. My question is is why I was not told from the 17 November until 12 December to rectify.

Kind Regards
Ndlovu T
Student no:[protected]

M.Ed

MEDFOLF/101

I have handed in an assignment on 24 July 2019. I have not yet received it back. I need it to complete my POE which is due today.

Lecturer informed me it was handed to Assignment dept on 5 Nov only.
The assignment dept sent me an email putting the blame back on the academic side.

I have sent so many emails to all the relevant people, including Ombudsman but to no avail. The ombudsman dept just forward complain to assignment dept who did nothing. I have all the emails it is just to many to upload. The School of Education has not responded at all.

I am a paying student who has the right to get feedback from my assignment to enable me to correct any work before I hand in the POE. Since the assignment was not forwarded to me I can not hand in the POE that is due today.

I need to obtain my assignment 2 and then get an extension to hand in my POE.

Kindly assist as it feels like I am just being ignored.

Good day,

During exams it is a hard time for students, I do not need anyone shouting at me for sitting in the wrong place. What happened to "excuse me mam, what are you writing? You are not supposed to be there"

Invigilators in Polokwane are not professional, I do not appreciate being addressed unprofessionally, Yes I was sitted where I was not supposed to however that issue could have been handled professinally.

Sad and disappointed Student

Dear Unisa,

It brings me great sadness to write this complaint. But I find myself without a choice. Beginning of the year of my Honors studies, I submitted an assignment - I understand that instead of submitting the full download of the assignment from Turnit, I submitted a report on the submission of the assignment. When I went to see the lecturer to explain... I feel how she conducted herself was quite cruel for a lack of a better word - Dr. Hanekom is not a good example of what an educator should be. Her spirit is quite cold in fact. I decided to stay focused on the next assignment, my marks did not improve - apparently most students did not do well in that assignment - she wrote a two page breakdown of where students went wrong - I took that breakdown serious and when I wrote my next assignment I made sure I took notes of those points. But yet again I did not improve like in my other assignment. I have to believe that there is something wrong, I am willing to put mirror to myself...but as a lecturer Dr. Hanekom is not after enriching and educating students- she is after corrected, structuring and ensuring rule are followed and when they are not, she is ready to punish. The spirit of a teacher or educator is to facilitate learning through fluidity, an educator should be firm but offer loving guidance. Dr. Hanekom does not exhibit any of this.

Dear sir/madam

I Thompho Francinah Tshivhase student no [protected] hereby stating that since i regitered on the 17 july 2019 i did not received my study material.

Now i am worried how am i going to make it on my exam without reading because i am due to my exam in the next two weeks to come.

i will be happy if my complaint concidered.

yours faithfully
T.F. Tshivhase

My registration was confirmed on the 1st of August 2019 but my study material has not yet been delivered to me by Katlego logistics and yet I am now 2 weeks away from my exams. I have been calling and emailing the courier company but Noone has been helpful.
This is a big inconvenience to me as some of the textbooks which I paid extra for are not available on the my unisa site.
I need UNISA to contact Katlego and demand them to release my study material and compensate me for the inconvenience. For next semester please subcontract a better courier company and drop this Katlego holdings

I registered with the UNISA ( University of South Africa) for a six month module with the university. I was couriered by study material without any problem. However the the department of Politics decided to change the assignment submission dates without informing anyone. As a result they deemed that I have not submitted my assginments and thus can not write my final exam. I paid for this course and now due to an error that was made by the universtity, I find myself in a position where I am unable to write my exams. To make this worse the lecturer for this course Zandisiwe Radebe, refuses to acknowledge the error made by the university and refuses to mark my assignments. I have no where to go, the department heads are not helping at all.

I sent my application for admission to study at Unisa on the 28th of August 2019.
I received my student number which is [protected].
On the 4th of September I sent my Proof of payment for the Admission Fee of R 110 to susdepid@unisa.ac. za.
It is now the 27th of September and I have not received any feedback with regards to my registration? according to the website registration to study beginning of next year closes today.
I have tried to phone Unisa numerous times but none of the numbers work. No on replies to emails and it is extremely frustrating.
I don't even know if it is worth studying though Unisa if this is the kind of service you provide to people.

My name is Natasha Swart, student number-[protected], and I received my BPT1501 Assignment 1 mark today, 7 September 2019, and I got 5%.

Some of the other students in my group got 15% and lower and apparently other students in the group got 70% and above for the same task, but they did not even participate in the discussion. The only way you can receive marks is by participating in the discussion, as the assignment name is "Discussion Forum".

I would like an explain to why some students received 70% and above and other students, like myself, received 5%.

Hereby, I request a response, because I am not accepting a 5%.

UNISA is a very BIG institution for me to be holding on the line for more than forty minutes and for emails not to be answered. There never anyone answering calls or emails, for the past three days I've been trying to get through to UNISA via email and call but never a response.

I didnt receive any study material yet and missed my assignment deadline. I sent emails, called them and no one replies and pick up phones.

May you please help. I am unable to access MyUnisa website, according to the system, the validation failed. Reset the password many times without success. I sent a mail to the myunisahelp adress, only received an automated reply. Have been trying to reach the call centre since Monday without success. I hold on until I got cut off. It is extremely frustrating .

My wife and I moved to Ireland. She requested that her exam centre be in Dublin as per your exam centres. Yet they have now registered her to write exams at her usual exam centre in South Africa. I have with no avail tried to sort this out. Can you assist me in this matter please. We cannot fly back to South Africa for these exams and I feel that UNISA has to sort this out. I have tried calling and have emailed them on numerous occasions, yet I don't even get the slightest bit of response from them. I would understand if it was the first time for this to happen. Everything has been paid for in full and the registration for her exam location was done in time. Why the ignorant attitude from them?

Good day

How am I expected to submit assignments for 5 modules on the 6th and a week later second assignments when I only was able to get access to my modules on the 20th of August.

The extension is non existent and I'm highly disappointed in unisa
Delay in results. Delay in registrations. Assignment submission asap.

This is ridiculous to say the least

i have emailed unisa on numerous occasions requesting the balance of modules that needs to be completed to graduate. my email was responded to almost 1 month later.
in that time i drove to the Unisa Florida campus to get my query resolved.

i have emailed again to reinstate 2 of my modules so that i can get my exam results . to date i have not received any resolution. it is now 3 weeks later and still nothing. i need to register for the next semester still.

Unisa's resolution time is nothing short of pathetic and we pay these high tuition fees and have to struggle to get service.

My name Is Nombuyiselo Patience Mndela and been registered with UNISA in 2009, but due to financial constraints I had to quit my studies. Was studying Marketing with student number [protected] .

By Gods grace I got a family member who is willing to sponsor for my studies.. IN January I failed to register because I was told that I am already late and should return in May of which I did .

To my surprise I found Durban branch so incompetent that they were unable to assist me because I had told them that I want to change to another course . They sent me back and forth for 5 working days and I spend R220 for transport from Umzimkulu to Durban. At last I was told to register online.

I was unsuccessful with the registration and I did not know why, up until I decided to go to Johannesburg at Florida branch..
I was very disappointed when they told me that at the Durban branch they gave me wrong information and also my student number was blocked and they unblocked it for me.

When I wanted to register I was told that all registrations are closed. I am now so disappointed and devastated that a whole year will be wasted and might not get this chance again.

So I plead with you to please register me for June semester in Public Administration and Management.
I am willing to take 6 modules semester .

My email address : patience.[protected]@yahoo.com and contact is [protected].

Yours sincerely
Patience Mndela

Dear UNISA,

[protected]-Student Number
My daughter chose her subject, paid the fees and then gets a response on the 11th February 2019 saying her subjects are not accepted. She then selects new subjects and is told that she has not met the deadline. Bear in mind that she has sent in the fees and her selection in January 2019 before the deadline date and she in her final year of Psychology. I have tried to call almost every number on the list and nothing. I have written and sent email to all concerned including the registrars offices and no response. Tell us what to do!

[protected] - Student Number

My next daughter in her 2nd year of law is awaiting her exam venue for May/June 2019 to be written in Spain. The venue and details were due to arrive with her study material but there is nothing there.

We have emigrated and my daughters are registered as International students. We have paid a huge amount to UNISA being international students but to get no response and fees being paid and then being advised otherwise. Process is to claim a refund which takes up to 15 working days.

Please UNISA respond or call! This is urgent

I am failing access mylife UNISA account my Name is Tongai Mushandu Student number [protected].Please help, i have send several emails but no reply is coming. This mylife email is not user friendly. Below is the message i get when i try to reset my password;
Get back into your account
We're sorry
You cannot reset your password at this time because necessary information is missing from your account. There is no further action you can take to resolve this situation. Please contact your admin and ask them to reset your password for you. After you have access to your account again, you can learn how register the necessary information by following the steps in the article Register for self-service password reset.

If you'd like, we can contact an administrator in your organization to reset your password for you.

Additional details: SSPR_0014: Additional security info is needed to reset your password. To proceed, contact your admin and ask them to reset your password. After you have access to your account you can register additional security info at https://aka.ms/ssprsetup. Your admin can add additional security info to your account by following the steps in Set and read authentication data for Password Reset.