Top-performing black students from rural and low quintile schools will take up 60% of health sciences faculty admissions, the University of the Witwatersrand said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The university had revised its admissions policy for all programmes in the faculty, spokeswoman Vivienne Rowland said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The remaining 40% of places would go to top performing candidates based on their academic merit, Rowland said.<\/p>\n
The 60% would be divided into three categories. Approximately 20% of the places would go to top performing rural pupils, another 20% to top performing pupils from quintile one and two schools, and the other 20% to top performing black and coloured pupils.<\/p>\n
South African public schools are divided into five quintiles, with the poorest schools being quintile one and the least poor quintile five.<\/p>\n
Those applying for the 2015 academic year would not be required to complete a biographical questionnaire (BQ).<\/p>\n
“Their matric results will carry a 50% weighting and the results of their national benchmark tests (NBTs) will make up the other 50%,” Rowland said.<\/p>\n
She said an online BQ, to be introduced in 2016, could change the weighting in later years.<\/p>\n
The revised policy was recommended by a task team commissioned by vice chancellor Adam Habib. It consists of members of the health sciences faculty, the Student Representative Council, other faculties, and the senior executive team.<\/p>\n
“Wits University is committed to being a demographically diverse and cosmopolitan world class institution furthering the constitutional vision of a democratic and non-racial South Africa.<\/p>\n
“We will continue to research and review admissions policies in line with the realisation of this goal,” Rowland said.<\/p>\n
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