Tuks launches campaign to free graduates trapped in historic debt

The University of Pretoria (UP) is giving a second chance to its students who have completed their studies but were unable to receive their degrees because of outstanding historical debt.

This is as the institution launches a campaign to help them settle their debts.

The Degrees Delivered campaign is a three-year fundraising drive aiming to raise R50m between 2026 and 2028 to help qualifying graduates settle outstanding debt and unlock access to employment, professional registration and further studies.

According to the institution, student debt at UP alone now exceeds R1bn, which they said keeps increasing as the years go by.

SA’s universities were carrying about R24bn in unpaid student fees by the end of 2024, a figure presented to the parliamentary committee on higher education on May 27.

Of the R24bn, around R15.3bn is deemed irrecoverable, which is 64% of the total.

Director of Institutional Advancement at the institution, Rikus Delport, said the campaign was borne out of the growing burden of student debt facing universities across SA.

“The biggest reason was that we realised there has been a huge increase in student debt over many years, and it just keeps growing.

“We realised we needed to do something about it and find ways to assist and support students, especially those who have successfully completed their studies but are unable to pay the outstanding fees,” he said.

He said the university deliberately set a fundraising target it believes is achievable, while acknowledging the campaign would not solve the entire problem overnight.

“It won’t immediately solve the problem, no. But we had to set ourselves a realistic and achievable target over a three-year period. If we raise more than R50m, that would be fantastic because it would allow us to help many more students,” he said.

“This isn’t the only initiative we have to assist students with debt, but the Degrees Delivered campaign specifically focuses on students who have completed their studies but still owe money, preventing them from obtaining their degree certificates.”

Delport said the university is initially prioritising undergraduate students.

“We are primarily focusing on undergraduate students who have completed their studies. Although postgraduate students also have outstanding debt, we’ve decided to prioritise undergraduates because we want them to enter the job market as quickly as possible without the burden of historical debt,” he said.

“These are graduates who have completed their qualifications but currently don’t have employment and are still looking for work.”

The campaign has already received a boost through the university’s Comrades Marathon fundraising initiative, which raised more than R100,000, while corporate donors have pledged about R9m.

Delport encouraged members of the public who wish to support the initiative to donate through the university’s website.

Under the “Donate Now” section, there’s a button that takes donors through a simple online process. People can also scan the QR code and complete the donation form that way.

While acknowledging the scale of the debt crisis, Delport stressed that the campaign forms part of a broader strategy to help students rebuild their futures.

“I wouldn’t call it a last resort. It’s part of a broader effort to help students. We’re exploring every possible avenue. Students can also enter into repayment agreements with the university or other financial institutions, allowing them to pay off their debt over time.

“This campaign is simply one of several initiatives aimed at helping students settle their debt and access opportunities,” he said.

Sowetan