Faculty of Education

Faculty regulations and information

The rules for the degrees published here are subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. 

The General Regulations (referred to as G.1-G.56) and General Rules apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of all students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations and rules as well as all faculty-specific and programme-specific regulations and information as stipulated in the online yearbook. Ignorance concerning these regulations will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

1. Selection
A selection procedure takes place prior to admission to:

  • all undergraduate programmes;
  • all postgraduate certificate programmes (PGCE and PGCHE); and
  • all BEd honours, master’s and doctoral programmes.

2.  Examinations

2.1 Examination admission and pass requirements
A subminimum of 40% is required for the year and/or semester mark for admission to the examination in each module. A student who obtains a final mark of 40 – 49% in a module qualifies for a supplementary examination. If a pass mark has been obtained in a module, but the required sub-minimum of 40% has not been obtained in the examination, the student will have to write a supplementary examination. A final mark of at least 50% is required to pass a module.

2.2 Examination periods
The examinations for first semester modules take place in May/June, while all other examinations (second semester and year modules) take place in October/November.

2.3 Ancillary examinations
After completion of an examination and before the examination results are published, the examiners may summon a student for an ancillary examination on particular aspects of the work of that module.

2.4 Aegrotat/extraordinary examinations
Students, who do not write their examinations on the scheduled day, may apply for an aegrotat/extraordinary examination at the Student Administration Offices. Lecturers are not allowed to grant any permission for this category of examination. It is the responsibility of the student to ascertain whether his/her request has been successful. If permission has been granted, the student must write the aegrotat/extraordinary examination during the supplementary examination. Such a student will not qualify for a further supplementary examination.

Application for the above examination must be handed in at the Student Administration Offices together with a valid medical certificate not later than three working days after the module should have been written.

A student who has been granted permission to write an aegrotat/extraordinary examination and who then fails to write the examination will not qualify to submit any such application at a later stage.

A medical certificate will not be accepted where it states that a student appeared ill or declared him-/herself unfit to write the examination. A medical certificate will not be accepted if it does not contain the physical address and telephone number of the doctor/medical practice.

In cases where a reason other than sickness is relied upon, the student must submit an affidavit that reflects the reason for his/her absence from the examination. Further evidentiary documents or supporting affidavits from persons who may be able to give evidence regarding the situation must also be submitted. In the event of a funeral, a copy of the death certificate of the deceased or other substantiating evidence is required together with an explanation of the relationship between the student and the deceased.

2.5 Re-marking of examination papers
After an examination, departments give feedback to students about the framework that was used by the examiners during the examination. The way in which feedback is given is determined by the departmental heads. A student may, after having perused his/her examination paper, apply for re-marking of the examination paper within 14 calendar days after commencement of lectures in the next semester. The prescribed fee has to be paid. The paper will then be re-marked by an external examiner appointed by the Head of department concerned.

2.6 Supplementary examinations

  1. Supplementary examinations in first semester modules take place after the May/June examinations, while those in second semester and year modules take place after the October/November examinations.
  2. Subject to other faculty regulations, a student may be admitted to a supplementary examination in a module, in cases where:
  • a final mark between 40% and 49% has been obtained; or
  • a pass mark has been obtained, but the required subminimum in the examination section of the module or divisions thereof has not been obtained.
  1. Subject to other faculty regulations, a student must obtain a final mark of at least 50% in order to pass a supplementary examination. The semester or year mark is not taken into account and the supplementary mark is the final mark.
  2. The highest final mark that may be awarded to a student in a supplementary examination is 50%.
  3. Special supplementary examinations are not arranged for students who are unable to write the examination at the times scheduled for supplementary examinations.

3. Promotion requirements

  1. Re-registration is permitted only:
  • in the case of full-time students, if the student has passed at least the equivalent of four semester modules in a particular year of study, with the proviso that faculty boards may stipulate other requirements for progress that students must comply with in order to be readmitted. Academic information management (AIM) modules are not calculated towards the number of modules passed;
  • in the case of full-time students, if the student completes the degree for which he or she is still registered within the prescribed minimum period plus two years: with the proviso that faculty boards may stipulate other requirements for progress that students must comply with in order to be readmitted.
  1. A student who does not comply with the requirements in (i) and who seeks readmission to the faculty may submit a written request to the Dean that his or her application for readmission to the faculty be (ii)considered in terms of the set procedure.
  2. These requirements are mutatis mutandis applicable to students from other tertiary institutions who register at the University.

Students can be promoted to the fourth year of study only if all the modules of the first three years have been passed.

Responsible and ethical research
All research projects in the Faculty of Education are subject to prior approval and clearance from the Research Ethics Committee which implements the University of Pretoria’s regulations for responsible and ethical research. All researchers (staff and students) of the University of Pretoria have to familiarise themselves with the Ethics Committee’s guidelines which are available at the following email address: [email protected]

Regulations and information for Distance Education programmes

1. Registration for a particular year of study
On successful application a student will be registered for the complete programme.

2. Registration for examination
A student registers for a programme before 1 September to write examination in April of the following year, or before 1 March to write examination in October of the same year.

3. Examination admission and pass requirements

3.1 BEdHons (Education Management, Law and Policy)
A final mark of at least 50% is required to pass a module.  The final mark iscalculated by using the following three marks: assignment 1 = 10%; assignment 2 = 20% and the examination/project = 70%.

3.2 Examinations
Examinations take place twice a year, (during April and October), at examination centres countrywide. Students must register for examinations as stipulated in paragraph 2 above.

3.3 Re-marking of examination papers (also consult General Regulation G.14)
After an examination, students may request written feedback about the framework that was used by the examiners during the examination. The departmental heads determine the way in which feedback is given. A student may apply for re-marking of the examination paper within 3 weeks of the date on which final marks were released. The prescribed fee has to be paid. An examiner, appointed by the head of department concerned, will re-mark the paper.

4. Re-registration for a module
If a student failed the examination in a module twice, the student will be de-registered for that module and will have to reregister for the module. A student who re-registers for a module has to pay the fees for that module again, and will have to resubmit both assignments 1 and 2. Assignment marks obtained previously will not be carried over.

5. Termination of studies
A student, who decides to terminate his or her studies during the course of the academic year, must notify the Unit for Distance Education in writing.


The information published here is subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section. Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

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