Stellenbosch University has defended its 2026 admissions process after a public dispute over a rejected application sparked allegations of unfair treatment and concerns about whether coloured students were being disproportionately affected.
The university said it received about 106,000 undergraduate applications for the 2026 academic year but could only accommodate just over 6,000 students across all faculties.
High demand puts pressure on admissions
Within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), more than 40,000 applications were received for just 1,100 first-year places, highlighting intense competition for limited spots.
The controversy gained traction after Vanessa Le Roux, founder of Parents for Equal Education South Africa (PEESA), publicly shared correspondence alleging her niece had been unfairly denied admission.
Le Roux claimed the situation pointed to marginalisation, particularly affecting coloured students, and said she had been contacted by other parents with similar concerns.
Concerns raised over communication and thresholds
Correspondence seen by media outlets showed parents questioning admission thresholds, timing of rejection notices, clarity around conditional offers and residence placements.
Some parents also questioned why applicants who met minimum requirements were not reconsidered after final matric results were released.
Le Roux escalated the matter to the Department of Higher Education and Training and members of Parliament.
University says policy was applied correctly
In response, SU said admissions decisions are governed by a Senate-approved policy and enrolment targets agreed with the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Applicants who met Grade 11 thresholds received conditional offers, with the university saying the mainstream admissions threshold for applicants from designated groups was around a 67% average for prescribed subjects.
Those below the threshold were considered for the Extended Curriculum Programme within a narrow band.
The university said applicants who did not receive conditional offers could not be reconsidered based solely on final matric results due to the volume of applications exceeding available places.
Demographic data shared
SU said race may be considered as one factor for redress and transformation, with applicants invited to self-classify voluntarily.
Within FASS, about 57.6% of first-year students are Black (broadly defined), while 5.6% are international students, mostly from other African countries.
Across the university, accepted offers for 2026 include:
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Black African: 3,531
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White: 3,578
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Coloured: 1,236
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Indian: 252
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Asian: 23
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International: 611
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Unknown: 236
The university said the data does not support claims that non-white applicants are being disproportionately rejected.
Broader national higher education pressure
The situation reflects wider national pressure on university capacity, with public institutions able to offer roughly 235,000 first-year places for 2026 — fewer than the number of qualifying learners.
SU said unsuccessful applicants may reapply for the 2027 intake when applications open later this year, although admission is not guaranteed.
The university reiterated that it remains committed to applying admissions processes consistently and transparently in line with national policy.
University admissions debates are a pressure cooker where demographics, capacity limits, transformation policy, and raw human expectation collide — a reminder that selection systems aren’t just administrative machinery but social mirrors reflecting deeper national tensions around opportunity and fairness.
