Accommodation for January for deferred exams and mini-semesters

Dear students

On 6 November 2016 a campus announcement was sent out providing information about accommodation arrangements for January for deferred exams and mini-semesters. We are sharing this information again due to the number of queries we are receiving.

Students who will be sitting for deferred exams, or who are required to return for the mini-semester, will be allowed to stay in residence up to the maximum capacity that the residences can accommodate. Others will need to make off-campus arrangements. Students who are deferring their whole block of exams will be given preference in allocating space in residence for the deferred exam and pre-exam period.

Those who defer individual exams may not be able to be accommodated in the residences and if they can be, they will only be accommodated for a period from 24 hours before their first exam. However, students deferring individual exams who need earlier accommodation, may be considered upon providing motivation.

To apply for accommodation, please proceed to the Student Centre on PeopleSoft Self Service. If students do not have access to internet, staff in Student Housing will assist you to apply online when you arrive at UCT. Please note: students who have already applied online do not need to reapply.

Costs of accommodation

Students making use of residence accommodation in January up to the end of deferred exams will not be charged an accommodation fee.

Students who have been on financial aid in 2016, and/or are eligible for financial aid, will not be charged meal costs for the period for which they have permission to be in residence.

Students in self-catering residences or in off-campus accommodation will be allowed to eat in the catering residences at no charge if they were on financial aid in 2016, and/or are eligible for financial aid. For planning purposes, they will need to apply for access and will be allocated access to a specific dining hall and for a specific period. Apply here.

Students who do not fall within these categories* but are staying in residence will be charged for meal costs. These costs will be added to their fee account for the number of days they are in residence.

Further, it must be noted that there will be no NSFAS stipends in January or February, until the start of the next academic year, and in many cases external funders of bursaries will also not provide additional funds for this period.

Off-campus students seeking accommodation for the mini-semester, consolidation and deferred examination period

Students living in off-campus accommodation will be permitted to make application for on-campus accommodation. Please note that the application is not a guarantee that on-campus accommodation will be offered. The offer of accommodation is subject to bed space availability once the total number of on-campus students who have made application for accommodation has been confirmed.

Transport

The above categories of students* who will be coming back to complete either the mini-semester or deferred exams, will be assisted with a bus ticket to UCT and a return ticket home after exams.

To access this travel assistance, students should apply by emailing a request to travelassist@uct.ac.za. They will be sent a link to the travel assistance form to complete online. A ticket will be sent to them by email. For the homebound ticket, students will follow the same process and must apply at least five days before their final exam.
 

Financially needy students*

To be clear, the below category is what is considered as financially needy and will be given assistance in the manner described above.

* Any student who is financially stressed, even if they are not on financial aid, or whose bursary will not cover their additional costs for January, or who are on GAP funding and cannot afford the additional costs resulting from deferred exams, may make an application for transport, meal assistance and free accommodation in a residence. Each application will be assessed on merit. Please write to the appeals committee at FinancialAid@uct.ac.za if you need financial assistance and are not on NSFAS.