Stellenbosch readmission appeal: how to ask for another year

If you have been excluded at Stellenbosch: a step-by-step guide

Last checked 11 October 2026, from SU's readmission documents and the SRC Readmission Handbook. Deadlines change every year, so use the dates in your own letter.

Being told you cannot continue at Stellenbosch University (SU) is hard news, and it is not the end of the road. SU gives you one chance to explain what happened and ask for another year, through an appeal to the Readmission Appeals Committee (RAC). This guide walks you through it calmly, one step at a time.

What the credit requirement and programme criteria mean

You can be excluded for one of three reasons:

• Not enough credits. Each year you must pass a set share of your programme's credits for that academic year, and from second year also a share of all your credits combined. The 2026 Yearbook sets 50% of the year's credits for most undergraduate faculties, and 70% of cumulative credits from second year in most faculties (some programmes differ, so check your faculty's Yearbook part).
• Programme criteria not met. Your own programme can have extra promotion, examination or re-registration requirements. Engineering and Medicine and Health Sciences set higher requirements in their faculty Yearbook parts.
• Disciplinary suspension. In this case you are referred to the RAC.

A worked example from the Yearbook: if your year has 120 credits and the requirement is 50%, you need 60 credits passed by the end of the year.

How you find out

SU says it informs you of an academic exclusion by SMS and by email to your SU address before 24 December. If you wrote an A4 assessment, you are told as soon as possible after those results are published. The SRC handbook adds that the notice may also appear on the student portal and a webpage. The university still expects you to check your own record against the rules, so if you think you are short and have heard nothing, contact your faculty administrator or faculty officer before the appeal deadline. Some students only get a warning that they were close to falling short; a warning needs no appeal, just re-registration.

Step by step

1. Read your letter fully. It gives the deadline for the year and lists the programmes you may not apply for.
2. Gather everything first. The form cannot be saved and edited later, so have all your information and documents ready before you submit.
3. Apply on SUNStudent. Complete the Readmission Appeals Application on the student portal. The SRC suggests checking mySUN > administration > re-apply for studies in case of technical glitches.
4. Choose one programme only. You may apply for your own programme, a different one in your faculty, or one in another faculty, but only one. If it fails you may not try another programme or register as an occasional student. You cannot apply for certain programmes (for example MBChB, LLB, Nursing, Physiotherapy, BEd) unless you were already registered for them.
5. Medical or healthcare practitioner's report, if it applies. Your doctor or practitioner must complete the form, so start early.
6. Programme Change Motivation form, if it applies. Complete it if you are asking for a different programme.
7. Pay the application fee. The 2026 Yearbook and the 2025 letter give R540 per application, non-refundable whatever the outcome. Attach proof of payment. If you cannot afford it, submit a request for a waiver with your application. Check your own letter for the current amount.
8. Label your documents. Write your initials, surname, student number and the programme at the top of every page of supporting documents, then scan and upload them with the application.
9. Submit before the deadline. Late applications are not accepted.

Deadlines. The Yearbook says 10 January for most faculties and 17 January for Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). The 2025 letter listed FMHS dates for a December meeting (29 November) and a January meeting (17 January). If you wrote an A4 assessment, or are an FMHS student with a January special or supplementary assessment, you get at least 5 business days from the date of the notice. RAC meeting dates for the coming year were not confirmed; they should be in your letter.

What to write.

• Describe the circumstances beyond your control that hurt your results, such as health, family, financial, personal or welfare problems.
• Back up every circumstance with evidence. An application without supporting evidence will not be considered, and the SRC handbook says motivation and documents must be submitted together.
• Say what you have done or will do about those circumstances, and how you plan to succeed if readmitted.
• Be specific and honest. According to the SRC handbook, things within your control, such as not knowing how to study, are not viewed favourably.
• Do not alter documents. Illegible or altered documents can be rejected, and altering one can lead to disciplinary action.

What the Readmission Appeals Committee considers

Each faculty has its own RAC. It looks at your application and the evidence you attached, all treated as confidential. It will only consider applicants who followed the required process, and it works from the information in front of it, which is why completeness matters.

Outcomes

You are notified of the outcome in writing. The SRC handbook is clear that appealing does not guarantee readmission. No published list of exact outcome wording or conditions was found; check your outcome letter.

What the decision means

The decision of the RAC is final. No second appeal from the same applicant and no extra information after a refusal will be considered. Student leaders cannot make representations for you either, as they do not sit on the committee.

If you are not readmitted

• You cannot continue at SU that year, and you cannot study there as an occasional student.
• To return later, first prove yourself at another institution by passing relevant modules in your field, of the same standard and workload as SU's. Any university will do; SU names Unisa as an example, and the SRC handbook mentions Unisa for non-degree modules.
• You may then apply for readmission for a following year through the same process, and before re-registering you must also apply to the programme on the application portal.
• Bursaries and scholarships may be withdrawn after an exclusion, so check your funder's rules.

Support

• Centre for Student Counselling and Development: supportus@sun.ac.za (named in SU's 2025 letter).
• Client Services Centre: 021 808 9111 or info@sun.ac.za for questions about the process.
• SRC and Academic Affairs Council: they can help check that your application is complete (SR@sun.ac.za, ACADEMICAFFAIRS@sun.ac.za, per the SRC handbook), but cannot write your appeal or speak for you. For a fee waiver, contact your faculty administrator or the SRC chair (srcchair@sun.ac.za).
• SU also formally asks you to show the letter to your parent or guardian.

Checklist

• Letter read; deadline and programme restrictions noted
• One programme chosen
• Application ready on SUNStudent with everything to hand
• Evidence for every circumstance collected
• Practitioner report requested early, if relevant
• Programme change form done, if relevant
• Fee paid (or waiver requested) and proof attached
• Every page labelled with name, student number, programme
• Submitted before the deadline; copies saved

Not confirmed: the deadlines and fee for the coming year, RAC meeting dates, and exact outcome wording. The SRC handbook version that could be read was the 2024 edition.

Source: SU 2026 Yearbook Part 1 (General Rules), section 10; SU readmission denied letter, 2025; FMHS readmission appeals communication, 2024; SRC Readmission Handbook.