University of South Africa [UNISA]
Reviews and Complaints

Some of the complains i have are as follows:
1.Exams and Assignments marked late/no mark - need year mark in time

.Lecturers cannot be contacted. Some are never at their office and don't respond to emails. If asked a question, they tell you to refer to your study guide or even delete our emails without reading them.

Some assignment marks do not make sense.

Still disappointed with the lack of positive feedback. All I get is "Not ready yet." For crying out loud, 2 months is already gone, so basically you can't tell me how long it will take, maybe 1 year? Ridiculous!

I received a letter stating that if I don't pay the balance of my fees before 30 September, I must pay a further R110 I love how Unisa loves to make quick money. How's this proposal? If Unisa fails to give my remark results before 28 September at 16h00 then Unisa promises to refund me the total cost of the module. Would you agree?

I need feedback on my remark ASAP.

The R110 I will not pay if I don't receive my remark result by 16h00 28 September.

Please reply ASAP with feedback, before I decide to attach this email and create a new complaint across different social media.

I think my patience is really been tested and all I need is this module to complete. The module I registered for I can convert it to a NDP should I pass with the remark.

Please reply soon

A. Maharaj

My name is Aashil, Student No: [protected] & I wrote MNW301-G in May 2011 and got 45%. I applied for a remark and paid in full for the remark on the 13 July

2011. UNISA very quickly processed the payment so I would assume that the money went for actually remarking my script. I wish my script would be remarked so promptly as the money was taken.

Despite my numerous emails with no response, I'm left with no option but try to get Unisa's attention. I need this 1 module to complete my qualification but trying to get feedback is like impossible. I think its ridiculous that it takes so long just to get a remark result, and being a final year module I'm sure there can't be so many compared to first year modules.

When we write exams in May and Nov we get our results in a month and there's so many scripts. Why is remarking a script taking so long? After all we even paying R260 so the service should be a lot better.

Very disappointed and frustrated!

Mr A Maharaj

Unisa simply has a don't care attitude.

I'm frustrated and disgusted with the lack of empathy shown by Unisa. I have fully paid my fees so why the delay? Unisa adds additional amounts if we students are late with payments.
So how should Unisa be punished? Maybe a full refund for this module?

This has caused me so much inconvenience so maybe I should claim damages. I even registered for another module as backup which I was going to cancel and lose R500 should the remark is successful.

I would of got R260 back for remark so I would of lost R240 and I would of graduated but now I paid the full amount.

Please advise me as to what must I do. I don't have abundance of money just to throw away for no fault of my own.

How do I get my results? Remark was fully paid for on 13 July. What was my R260 used for? Unacceptable.
How do I claim damages? And how do I publish these Emails in the press?

Please advise me!

Thanking you
Mr A Maharaj

UNISA is taking forever to process my refund and no one is even contacting me to tell me what's going on. How long does it take exactly to process a R1000.00 refund. It's been a month now and still nothig has been done about it. I think the contact center was a much more effective method of communication than emailing.

Very frustrated!

I paid for tutorial classes yesterday at 09:59:46 via online banking from my FNB account. Around 13:30pm I went to UINSA Johannesburg branch to submit my application form and proof of payment so that I can get a a student card. When I got there there was a long queue and I had to stand on that queue for approximately 1 and half **ur. Being heavily pregnant that was not on at all, when i finally g ot my chance to be ***isted I was told that I need to come back the following day as the funds hasn't yet cleared. I didn't mind going back there, I went this morning at 8:20 and still I was told that my money hasn't cleared yet and I need to come back later, I don't understand **w one can be so stupid not to know that a transfer from another bank can take up to 72 **urs. I am not in a position to go back there after 12:00 and stand on the long queue with my big tummy and be told that my money is not yet clear, today is the last date and I don't work for myself. I work for a company and I cannot afford to take 2 **urs lunch just to s**w my face at UNISA to be told that my funds are not yet clear. I had proof of payment and I was still told that my funds need to clear first. I went back again today around 2pm and I am still told that my money is not reflecting and they can't help me. The guy kept on giving me excuses but no solution. It's too bad that the money had already gone off my account and I will not be able to attend classes. I know its only R100 but I worked my butt off to get that money. The guy who was supposed to assist me at UNISA just told me to go downstairs and swipe for another R100 as the one I paid is not reflecting. Where the hell should i get another R100 from. When i told this guy i'm going to lay a complaint, he told me I can go ahead. I don't care about the classes anymore as today was the due date and I can't attend without a student card, If this people cannot take my proof of payment and give me a student card to attend classes they might as well refund me my money. I worked very hard for that money.

Registered for the first time on 14/07/2011. No correspondence received yet, and waiting on student number to make payment in order to complete registration and receive study material.
Has spend a whole afternoon on the phone, trying to phone any available department. The call centre's calls are going through, but instead of someone picking up, I can hear private conversations on the other side, without anyone even paying notice to the caller (ME) on the other side.
DISGUSTING SERVICE! I have spend hours on the phone, without any results.

I have been emailing Unisa regarding that fact that no one seems to have failed ECS1601, I studied really hard for the subject and got 34% and they gave me a supplemantary which is not right as you only qualifty for a supplementary exam if you get 40-49% for a subject. I work for a Auditing firm and a few people wrote the exam and most got below 40% but still go t a supplemantary and one student got 38.5% and unisa gave her 1.5% how does this work? When emailing UNISA I was told " The issue regarding the granting of the supplementary exam will be addressed by the Department of Student Assessment" but when asking what the duties of the Department of Student assessment was and how long this would take no one replied to my emails. I dont even qualify for a remark as you need 35% to qualify, I dont see why UNISA cant give me 1% so I can have a rewrite.

In 2006, i enrolled for a short course in practical bookkeeping... at UNISA.

I payed the enrollment fees etc, and got my books.. perfect.

I never heard from them again with regards to a statement for the rest of the outstanding money and moved abroad and forgot about it. Then, 3 years ago i got a statement, paid it, and managed to get my results..

I've been trying and calling the Call Centre from abroad for a very long time now.. but cant manage to get someone to say if I can get my certificate or what else can i do since i did pay the outstanding amount of money.

Is there anyone that can advice me what to do? I cant get a job if i do not have the paper to prove i can do it...

Regards,

L Smit
student [protected]
[protected]@live.be

I just called the Unisa press office to get a name of a text book for my manager, to be told by Achona (who I must add, like most Unisa staff seems to have a major attitude), that I need to give them my email address so they can email me the name of the book as it is company policy that they cannot give out information over the phone. I can understand that they cannot give me personal informationk, but for crying out loud, a name of a book. I have never had such pathetic service from a Academic Institute.

The closing date for year module registration is end of March. Supplementary results get released between mid March and end March, but yet the addition of modules online closes end of Feb. This is completely illogical. Obviously students will want to register for more modules once they have received their supplementary results, and this is just unacceptable that we cannot do it before registration closing date. Unisa is supposed to provide us a service through MyUnisa, and this is just not happening.

I sent a complaint here on 19th February about having had no feedback on my registration for Hons Information Systems. I was assured my case was sent to the manager of the college and that is the last I heard from Unisa. How I wish they could give me an answer...even an answer that they dont wish to accept me as a continuing student would grant me such freedom. Surely this is totally unacceptable!

I emailed the education department from mid February about everyday to find out if I qualify for the PGCE. But I literally got NO reponse. I used THREE adresses that I got on the website and not ONE of them replied. How am I suppose to register in time if i do not even know i qualify for the course or yet not even get any reply from them. They **** even before I begun to study or even correspond with them.

I registered online for the 5 subjects I had to do for my first semester. Thinking everything was fine and waiting for my books to come I only receicved 1 subjects material. I went onto myUnisa and also saw that only 1 subject was showing there too. In contacting Unisa I was informed that 4 of my 5 subjects were second year subjects so therefore I could not do them. Unisa didnt have the decency to contact me and inform me about anything. They ACCEPTED MY PAYMENT for all 5 subjects but didnt bother letting me know of the mistake I made. So now I am only doing 1 subject for the semester and UNISA is sitting my the rest of my money.

My fiancé is studing her teaching degree through Unisa and this years registration has been a major problem. We registered her for 10 subjects this year and paid R5000 but she has not received any books or been registered yet for this year. Other people doing exactly the same subjects are already having to submit assignments but she has not even got her books! Unisa are very quick to take our money but extremely slow to deliver the goods! We paid in Jan and it is already March! We have phoned the call centre on many occations and after long waits on the line we are told that she has not been registered yet and there is a backlog and we must just be paitent. This is unacceptable Unisa! Get your house in order and do not take our money upfront if you cannot deliver in time!

Like many others out there who have lodged complaints on websites like "Hello Peter", I am a seriously distressed Third - Year UNISA applicant.
I have completed two years of studies in the B.A. Health and Social Sciences with Specialization in Psychological Counseling course.
This year I received no registration material whatsoever from UNISA. Having struggled endlessly to reach anyone at Student Inquiries, I submitted a registration form to Student Affairs online, and have, to date, not received any confirmation thereof. I have also paid my full year's tuition fees, but couldn't find a single e-mail address on the University website to which I could forward my proof of payment. I have e-mailed every department. I'm really hoping that despite the fact that I also received no confirmation of my payment, my student number ([protected]) added as Reference will give someone the brainspark to act before my first assignments are due, or I will be taking legal action against the University.

I am in my 3rd year, psychology and communication science, studying correspondence via UNISA.

I registered in December for all my subjects and now it is the end of February and I still haven't received any of my books. I am almost half way through my first semester and I am still sitting without books. I got portfolio assignments and other essay assignments due in 10 days time, and I cannot do anything without the books and one lecturer won't give me an extension.

I have phoned 5 times about the books and each time they tell me they will put a matter of emergency on the delivery, but still nothing. Apparently the books were out of print, however everybody else in my class has their studying material.

I cannot pass the upcoming modules without these books, and I am at a learning disadvantage and UNISA is doing nothing about it.

As a current student with unisa in my 3rd year of studies i did a web registration on the 16th of Jan 2010 and made the payment due by credit card. I received an email to confirm receipt of payment. It is now the 23rd of Feb and still my registration has not been finalised and my first assignment is due the 1st of March. How is this fair treatment of time given to study for one's subjects? I want answers. I called the call centre twice already and they are unable to help! Unisa has my money and i am not being treated fairly to other sudents. What happens if the 1st of march comes and i still have not received my study material? Then i fail the subject? I really want Unisa to step up to the name they are trying to create of being the best correspondance university.

It seems like the only way to get a reaction from UNISA, is to complain. Now I'm a very easy going guy, who rarely complains about anything, but this is ridiculous! I have applied for a special examination because I had recieved my course material late (becuase of the postal strike...) I have 2 weeks left, to complete six more chapters, and then revise and study for an exam on the 30th of October.

I have followed the services and procedures as stated in the manual, and got the full red-tape run-around. I sent an e-mail to the exam dept stating my case, as Im under severe pressure to get the work done in time for my exam. I dont feel like I'm learning anything because I'm trying to get all the work done in time, so that I can actually write.

I am sick and tired of being kept in the dark about MY FUTURE! This is my life that they are messing with. They have no idea what I am going through with stressing for the exam. Now I cant even request the weeks' study leave that they said I should take, because I am umncertain about actually writing the exam.