FIRST YEARS

WELCOME 6. Book Lists

Some lecturers do list prescribed texts for the subjects they teach. Students wishing to access the book list may visit
TO https://www.wits.ac.za/students/academic-matters/comprehensive-book-list/

WITS 7. Academic Year

UNIVERSITY! The academic year at the University of the Witwatersrand runs from to November.

IMPORTANT NEED TO KNOW TERM DATES 20 5

19 Tuesday 30 January 8

It is not by mistake that you find yourself here. You worked hard for it. You are one of 60 bright young minds deserving to be a FIRST TEACHING BLOCK Monday 10 – Wednesday 26 March (32 Days)
Witsie, out of the more than 80 000 applications we received for 2025.
Mid-term Vacation/Study/Research Break Thursday 27 March – Sunday 06 (11 Days)
CONGRATULATIONS!
SECOND TEACHING BLOCK 07 – Tuesday 27 May 33 Days)
We can only encourage you to work hard – continuously, and you will no doubt, succeed. And do not hesitate to make use of the
academic and other support services available on campus.
We outline herein where you could turn to for support as you commence this part of your life’s journey. Study Break Wednesday 28 May – Friday 30 May (3 Days)

Examinations Monday 02 June – Monday 30 J (20 Days)

Winter Vacation/Study/Research Break Tuesday 01 ly – Monday 21 20 Days)

1. Day to day communication with the Faculty Office and other University offices THIRDTEACHINGBLOCK Tuesday 22 – Friday 5 September (34 Days)
Not much correspondence will be in paper form. Communication from the University will be sent to your specific Universi-
ty-generated MY-WITS email account. You may access this email from www.wits.ac.za/mywits/. It is your responsibility to ensure Mid-term Vacation/Study/Research Break Saturday 6 September – Sunday 14 September (09 Days)
that you access the site, set up your inbox and if need be, divert to your personal email. For assistance on setting up this facility,
contact the ICT helpdesk on 011 717 1717 or email [email protected]. You can also visit www.wits.ac.za/mywits/
FOURTH TEACHING BLOCK Monday 15 September – Tuesday 8 (31 Days)
Always quote your student number on emails to any office, for ease of access to your information or record.
Study Break Wednesday 9 – Sunday 02 November (5 Days)
2. Contact Information: Address, Telephone and Emergency Contacts
You are encouraged to regularly check and maintain your personal information via the Student Self-Service portal -
https://self-service.wits.ac.za. The onus is upon you to ensure that your personal contact information is always up to date to Examinations Monday 03 November – Friday 28 (20 Days)
ensure that all University communication, including posted correspondence, reaches you. Please check your student e-mail
address regularly for important correspondence. If for some reason you are unable to amend or correct your details through Summer Vacation/Study/Research Break Saturday 29
the Self Service Portal, please seek assistance from your Faculty Office. Please note:

3. Student Support Services

Wits offer a range of student services and facilities, including those for students with disabilities, a student health and wellness
Link: https://www.wits.ac.za/students/academic-matters/term-dates/2025-term-dates/
service, and a career development service, amongst others. If not sure how to access these services, please contact the office
of the Dean of Student Affairs on 011 717 9168. The office, SH039, is located on the ground floor of Solomon Mahlangu House.
We provide contact details of other offices on the last page of this newsletter.

FIRST
4. Request for Biographic Data
As part of developing a better understanding of the financial,
educational and social needs of our students, the University is
collecting biographic information from all first-year under-

od luck
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graduate students. Please note that completing this section of
the registration process is compulsory. The information
obtained from this questionnaire will assist the University in

WITH YOUR
offering relevant and responsive support to its students. It will
be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

YEARS
STUDIES! 5. Rules and Syllabus and Fees Booklets
Please familiarise yourself with the rules pertaining to your
degree programme and ensure that you know the specific
closing dates by which fees should be paid. The Faculty Rules
and Syllabuses and Fees booklets are available on the follow-
ing website https://www.wits.ac.za/students/. Please ensure
Student Enrolment Centre your course registrations are correct because chang-
es/amendments are not allowed after published dates. You
www.wits.ac.za are not allowed to attend classes for courses in which you are IMPORTANT NEED TO KNOW
not registered.

WELCOME TO WITS
8. STUDENT SERVICES
Contact Details/
Department What they do where they are found
Sunday, 26 January 2025
27 January 07 2025, Wits Student Call Centre Address all general student - related queries www.wits.ac.za/askwits

Central Accommodation Responsible for all residences, meals, Ground Floor,

Office recreational facilities and programmes Solomon Mahlangu House,
for improved academic performance East Campus, 011 717 9172/3/4
Refer to the link for more information: https://www.wits.ac.za/
and holistic student development within
students/first-year-experience/gateway-to-success/ a residential environment

Fees Office Handles all fee-related matters, e.g. Ground Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House,
tuition fees and residence fees East Campus, 011 717 1531

Financial Aid and Scholarships Provides information on student funding, Ground Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House,
Office (FASO) scholarships, and awards for undergra- East Campus, 011 717 1070
We encourage you to report anything which makes you feel uncomfortable. Please duate and postgraduate students

contact the Wits Integrity Hotline on 082 938 4559 or email [email protected]
Counselling and Careers CCDU provides career services, therapy West Campus, 011 717 9131
Development Unit (CCDU) services, HIV/AIDS education and
9. Can’t Find Your Way? support Graduate Employment

Wits has various campuses spread over mainly Braamfontein and Parktown. If you know the building you would like to
get to, please make use of the website to find your way: https://www.wits.ac.za/maps/parktown-campus/ Development and Leadership Unit (DLU) Student-centered unit offering holistic 1st Floor, The Matrix,
opportunities that expose students to East Campus, 011 717 9218
https://www.wits.ac.za/maps/braamfontein-campus/ information, ideas, and worldviews

10. Want to AmendCourses or De-register from Wits? Campus Health and Wellness Centre Offers convenient, accessible, caring Lower Ground Floor, The Matrix,
(CHWC) and cost-effective health services to the East Campus, 011 717 9111
If you want to amend courses within your degree, please do so in writing by completing the relevant form at your Wits Community
Faculty Office within the first two weeks of term.
Sports Administration Provides staff and students the Sturrock Park, West Campus,
opportunity to take part in various sports 011 717 9409/9414
To de-register from Wits, please make sure you alert your Faculty in writing, by no later than the third week of March.
on an elite or recreational level
Cancellation Forms are available from Faculty Offices. If you do not officially cancel your registration, you will remain
liable for the payment of fees. If in University accommodation, cancellation should be done through the
Accommodation Officer at the residence. Parking Office In charge of all aspects of parking and Ground Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House,
orderly admission of vehicles onto the East Campus, 011 717 1881-4
different campuses
11. Take Your Safety Seriously!
Safety issues are everybody’s concern. Wits students, at one point or another, venture into Braamfontein and other Library Services Wits has 11 libraries on different campuses No central contact point
parts of Johannesburg. Given the concentration of the student population around Braamfontein, students are
known to move around with expensive cellphones, laptops and at times vehicles, rogue elements in society are also Disability Rights Unit (DRU) Assists students with disability to ensure 1st Floor, East Wing,
accessibility – physical, technological Solomon Mahlangu House,
occupying the same spaces. Students are encouraged to move in groups. Other tips include: and social 011 717 9151

• Catch a University bus to move to and from campus; www.wits.ac.za/students/wits-bus-service/. If the bus service Student Representative Council (SRC) Addresses queries, concerns and The Matrix, 011 717 9258
complaints of Wits students
has stopped operating, seek assistance from the Wits Protection Services Division to escort you from one place to
another even, on campus. Call 45 minutes before the time you intend leaving campus – Protection Services contact
International Students Office (ISO) Complement Faculty and academic Ground Floor, Solomon Mahlangu House,
details are at the back of your student card. departments to international students, 011 717 1054
• Keep your phone and other valuables out of sight – headphones will alert criminals to a valuable gadget on you! e.g. Matriculation exemption, study visa

• Bags or property on a car seat are tempting to a thief; pack away from view, preferably in a boot.
Protection Services Responsible for safety and security issues Main Campus
on all Wits Campuses 011 717 4444 and 011 717 6666,
Medical School 011 717 2222
12. Lost your student card?
Wits Citizen Community Outreach Provides students with opportunities to Lower Ground Floor, The Matrix,
Please report a lost student card to Protection Services immediately so that the card may be blocked, in case it ends (WCCO) enhance their learning and civic 011 717 9255
up in the wrong hands. If not reported, and therefore access not blocked, a criminal may end up committing a responsibility, while addressing
community needs
serious crime on campus having gained access using your card.

Gender Equity Office Sexual harassment advisory office 20th Floor, University Corner,
The Lost and Found Office, located on the ground floor in Solomon Mahlangu House, (with access gained through East Campus, 011 717 9790
a passage between the Post Office and TSS office), receives items lost on campus. Please check for any of your
lost items – pencil cases, keys, student cards, watches, laptops, etc., handed over to that office as it is worth your Kudu Bucks Terminals Load up with cash to use in dining halls, Around Campus – on the concourse in
while to check with them if your belongings go missing. libraries, print stations, etc. Solomon Mahlangu House outside the
Cashier’s booth, and also just outside the
Matrix on the ground floor – as examples.