UNISA offers specific exemption arrangements for each of its colleges, allowing students to transfer credits from previous studies, including those from other universities or equivalent institutions. These arrangements are particularly relevant for students who are registering for a new qualification or transferring from another university and seek credit or exemption transfer. Here’s a detailed look at the exemption arrangements for three of UNISA’s colleges:
College of Accounting Sciences
Exemption Periods:
- Auditing: 5 years
- Financial Accounting: 5 years
- Management Accounting: 5 years
- Taxation: 3 years
Conditions:
- Exemptions may be provisionally granted for students who have not completed required pre-requisites for modules applied for; however, these credits will not be loaded on the academic record until the pre-requisites are passed.
College of Economic and Management Sciences
Exemption Periods:
- Business Management, Decision Sciences, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain, Transport, Tourism & Logistics, Finance, Risk Management & Banking, Human Resources Management, Industrial & Organisational Psychology, Marketing & Retail Management, Operations Management, Public Administration & Management: 10 years
Conditions:
- Similar to the College of Accounting Sciences, exemptions may be provisionally granted for students lacking pre-requisites for specific modules, pending completion of these pre-requisites.
College of Law
Specific Arrangements:
- Credits and exemptions are specifically mentioned for students who have completed the Diploma: Legal Assistance at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), potentially exempting them from certain LLB modules.
- Exemptions for other modules offered by the College of Law are subject to the same period constraints as other colleges but require submission through the Recognition of Prior Learning Office for evaluation.
General Conditions for Exemptions Across Colleges:
- Exemptions are evaluated based on the relevance and alignment of previous studies with UNISA’s module requirements.
- A significant overlap in content between the module passed at the previous institution and the corresponding module at UNISA is necessary.
- Credits or exemptions for the signature module (SJD1501) will not be granted.
- Applications for exemptions are not approved if the information in the modules is outdated or the application period has lapsed.
- A maximum of 50% of credits from a completed qualification may be transferred, provided no more than 50% of the credits required for the new qualification are those transferred.
- Credits used for one qualification may not be reused for another.
Application Process:
- Applications for credit or exemption transfers must be made during UNISA’s registration period.
- Required documentation includes a completed online application form via myUnisa, official academic transcripts, syllabi, and, for foreign qualifications, a SAQA evaluation.
- The evaluation of exemptions can only proceed once a student is admitted and registered for a qualification at UNISA.
This structured approach by UNISA ensures that students can utilize their prior learning and achievements towards their current academic goals, provided they meet the specified criteria and conditions laid out by the university.