(AGENPARL) - Roma, 17 Febbraio 2026 - (AGENPARL) – Tue 17 February 2026 MEDIA RELEASE FROM WITS UNIVERSITY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
17 February 2026
Wits SRC Calls for Investment into the Wits SRC Access Fund
The Wits SRC Access Fund has been established to assist academically talented students who may have to interrupt or abandon their studies due to financial constraints, especially those in the missing middle.
Many of these students fall within the “missing middle” – those who do not qualify for NSFAS funding and whose families are unable to afford the full cost of tuition, accommodation and living expenses. The rising costs of higher education, combined with broader economic pressures, have widened this funding gap and placed academically talented students at risk.
The Wits SRC, working with the University’s Management, has strengthened interventions such as the Wits Registration Assistance Fund (which has committed R20 million to assist with registration and accommodation fees) and the Wits SRC Access Fund which assists academically deserving students facing short-term financial exclusion. To date, more than R3.6 million has been disbursed through the SRC Access Fund, supporting just under 300 students, but the demand for support continues to exceed available resources.
The University’s management supports the SRC Access Fund Campaign along with several other initiatives in place to enable access. The University will match on a rand for rand basis, all funding raised by the SRC as part of its campaign.
Call to Action
The Wits SRC calls on higher education stakeholders, alumni, development partners and corporate South Africa to support the Wits SRC Access Fund and other structured funding mechanisms. Corporate contributions (bursaries, scholarships, endowments, and strategic partnerships) can directly enable academically talented students to complete their studies and transition successfully into the workforce.
Investing in education is not only a social responsibility; it is a strategic investment in South Africa’s future leadership pipeline, skills base, and economic resilience.
Issued by Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of Wits University.
ENDS
For media enquiries:
Tiisang Monatisa
University of the Witwatersrand
Communication Officer