About Us

The key purpose of the SANRC is to improve student success in South Africa by developing and disseminating research in the field of the First-Year Experience (FYE). We believe that the first year of study is a pivotal point in the life of a student and their overall higher education journey. We work with institutions of higher education all over South Africa to help develop a more welcoming and supportive environment for first-year students, one that is oriented toward student success.

The SANRC is funded by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). This Centre was established in 2015 under the auspices of the Academic Development Centre (ADC) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). It operates now as a fully-fledged national centre from UJ's Auckland Park Bunting Road (APB) campus.

The SANRC is also involved in the international FYE movement. To this end, the SANRC has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a 'sister' organisation in the United States, i.e. the National Resource Centre for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (NRC). The NRC is based at the University of South Carolina.

Do you want to learn more about the FYE? Contact the SANRC. Come read through the resources available (reference purposes only) in the SANRC's Resource Room. Browse through our ever growing website. Help support this new and growing movement to transform the educational outcomes and life chances of South Africa's student population.