A public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa is known as the University of Fort Hare (Universiteit van Fort Hare in Afrikaans).
From 1916 to 1959, it served as a major center for higher education for Africans, providing a Western-style education to pupils from throughout sub-Saharan Africa and establishing an African elite. Alumni from Fort Hare have participated in a variety of following independence movements and governments in newly independent African nations.
About the University of Fort Hare
The institution was incorporated into the apartheid system in 1959, however, it is currently a part of the public higher education system in South Africa following the end of apartheid. Well-known individuals including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Robert Sobukwe, Oliver Tambo, and others attended this university as students.
Fort Hare was first a British fort during the 19th-century conflicts between British settlers and the Xhosa. There are remains of the fort’s ruins and graves of some of the British soldiers who perished there while on duty today.
The Lovedale Missionary Institute was constructed close to Fort Hare in the 1830s. One of its missionary founders, James Stewart, proposed in 1878 that a facility be established for the higher education of black pupils. He did not survive to see his plan implemented, though, when Fort Hare was founded in 1916 and Alexander Kerr became its first principal. Its first black employee who taught in both Latin and African languages was D.D.T. Jabavu. Fees were nominal and extensively subsidized, in keeping with the organization’s Christian ideals. For those in need, there were also several scholarships available.
Before Fort Hare became a university in its own right, it had a long history of affiliations. Formerly connected to the University of South Africa, it was known as the South African Native College or Fort Hare Native College. Associating with Rhodes University, it then changed its name to the University College of Fort Hare.
Higher education in South Africa was rigidly divided along racial lines after apartheid was implemented; before that, black students attended classes alongside Indian, colored, and a few white students. After the Promotion of Bantu Self Government Act was passed in 1959, the school was nationalized, separated along racial and tribal lines, and teaching in African languages rather than English was encouraged. The school had been a member of the Bantu educational system since 1953. In 1970, Fort Hare became a black university in its own right, under stringent state control.
From 1916 through 1959, it was a major center for black Africans’ higher education. It produced a black African elite by providing students from all around sub-Saharan Africa with a Western-style academic education. Alumni of Fort Hare participated in numerous later independence movements and governments in newly independent African nations. Kenneth Kaunda, Seretse Khama, Yusuf Lule, Julius Nyerere, Robert Mugabe, and Joshua Nkomo were among the students at Fort Hare who went on to head their nations.
Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, and Oliver Tambo of the African National Congress, Mangosuthu Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Robert Sobukwe of the Pan Africanist Congress, and Desmond Tutu were among the prominent opponents of the apartheid regime who attended. Due to a disagreement with a college administrator, Mandela, who attended for nearly two years in the 1940s to study Latin and physics, left the school. “For young black South Africans like myself, it was Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard and Yale, all rolled into one,” he later said in his book.
Oliver Tambo was appointed chancellor of the institution in 1991, following the end of apartheid. The Order of the Baobab in Gold was given to the University of Fort Hare in 2005 in recognition of its “exceptional contribution to Black academic training and leadership development on the African continent.”
Faculty and Departments At the University of Fort Hare
FACULTY OF LAW
- MERCANTILE LAW
- ADJECTIVAL LAW
- LEGAL AID CLINIC
FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE
- HUMAN MOVEMENT
- NURSING SCIENCE
- REHABILITATIVE STUDIES
- NATURAL SCIENCES
- PUBLIC HEALTH
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES
- African Languages
- Afrikaans
- Communication
- Criminology
- English
- Fine Art
- History
- Human Settlement
- Library and Information Science
- Music
- Philosophy
- Political Science and International Relations
- Psychology
- Social Work & Social Development
- Sociology & Anthropology
- Theology
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
- Early Childhood Development Centre of Excellence (ECD)
- Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development (NMI)
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT & COMMERCE
- ACCOUNTING
- ECONOMICS
- DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
- BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
- INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY
- INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Faculty Of Science & Agriculture
- Agronomy
- Agricultural Economics and Extension
- Biochemistry
- Engineering
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Geographic Information Systems
- Geography and Environmental Science
- Geology
- Livestock and Pasture Science
- Mathematics
- Microbiology
- Statistics
- Physics
- ZOOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY
FAQS about the University of Fort Hare
Q. How many Students Does the University of Fort Hare admit per year?
A. The university anticipates enrolling roughly 16 500 students, of whom 3500 are FTENs.
Q. Is the University of Fort Hare a Federal or State School?
A. It is a public university.
Q. What is the cut-off point for the University of Fort Hare?
A. Check the university’s website to find out.
Q. What is the University of Fort Hare’s Official Website?
Q. Is the University of Fort Hare a good school?
A. Yes! It is one of the top public universities in Alice, South Africa. It is thoughtful when it comes to your choice of study and how you can obtain help with academic difficulties, and it is fairly good academically.
Q. Are there hostels at the University of Fort Hare?
A. Yes! At Alice, there are 33 residence halls, some of which are grouped. Although each residence is different, they all support greatness. Each area has staff and student leaders who live and work there, coordinating services and initiatives that result in happy people.
Q. When is the admission form coming out for the University of Fort Hare?
A. The University 2024 Admissions has not begun yet, however, it is expected to open in June for the 2024 Academic Year available online.
Q. Who founded the University of Fort Hare?
A. The university was established with Alexander Kerr as its first principal.
Q. What are the requirements for the University of Fort Hare?
A. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Entry REQUIREMENTS FOR BACHELOR’S DEGREES
- Either a level 3 proficiency in English as a Home Language or a level 4 proficiency in English as a First Additional Language.
- Minimum Level 4 or greater in four of the designated 20-credit disciplines, excluding Life Orientation
Entry REQUIREMENTS FOR MATURE AGE APPLICANTS
- Candidates who have met the criteria in bullets 1 through 3 above and are of mature age (turning 23 during the year of registration) are eligible for admission to mainstream programs. They must submit an application to HESA for conditional exemption.
- For applicants who want to enroll in a degree program, four of their seven subjects must come from the approved list.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
An applicant must have a certain degree of proficiency in the English language. On the SG, a passing grade of at least an E symbol is considered sufficient. Moreover, a passing grade of at least an F on the HG English 1st language exam is regarded as acceptable.
a certificate of further education and training or matriculation exemption
A Matriculation endorsement or an equivalent is a prerequisite for studying for a degree.