38   SA JournAl of PhySiotherAPy 2012 Vol 68 no 2 

Research

Article

wideNiNg acceSS to UNdergradUate 
PhySiotheraPy edUcatioN iN SoUth africa - 

PoiNterS from StUdeNtS’ recordS

Correspondence Author:
Prof SL Amosun,
Division of Physiotherapy,
School of Health and 
Rehabilitation Sciences,
Faculty of Health Sciences, 
University of Cape Town,
South Africa
Email: seyi.amosun@uct.ac.za

AbSTrAcT:  In response to the state mandate to improve access and equity 
in higher education, the admission policy of universities in south Africa (sA) 
currently employs measures for the redress of past inequalities and racial 
injustices.  As there is no information on the processes to widen access to 
undergraduate physiotherapy education program in sA, the aim of this reported 
study was to search for pointers from students’ records in one local university, 
situated in the Western Province of sA, that would inform the development of 
strategies that will widen the access for previously disadvantaged population 
groups and ensure successful academic outcomes. The records of six cohorts of students who earlier applied for and 
later enrolled in the undergraduate physiotherapy program between the years 2000 and 2005 were retrospectively 
reviewed. Information pertaining to access, student characteristics, and academic persistence was extracted, reviewed 
and analysed descriptively. during the period reviewed, approximately equal numbers of black and non-black students 
applied for admission to the program. The proportion of black applicants meeting minimum admission requirements 
was less than half of the White/Asian applicants. less than 50% (105/212) of the offers made to black applicants 
were accepted. Forty one percent (43/105) of the enrolled black students successfully completed the program within 
the minimum 4 years compared to 75.5% (145/192) of the White/Asian students. strategies should be implemented 
to increase awareness and recruitment, improve enrolment rates, and improve retention and throughput for black 
students in the undergraduate physiotherapy program of a historically “white” sA university. 

Key wordS:  WIdeNING ACCess, PhysIoTherAPy, UNderGrAdUATe edUCATIoN.

amosun Sl (Phd)1
maart S (mPhil) 1

ferguson g (mSc) 1
manie S (mSc) 1

 1 University of cape town, South africa.

the bantu must be guided to serve his 
own community in all respects. There 
is no place for him in the european 
community above the level of certain 
forms of labour. Within his own com-
munity, however, all doors are open. 
For that reason it is of no avail for him 
to receive a training which has as its 
aim absorption in the european com-
munity, where he cannot be absorbed” 
(Nekhwevha 1999). 

The passing of the Bantu Education 
Act (1953), along with other ramifica­
tions, largely contributed to the esta­
blishment of approximately 36 higher 
education institutions around the country 
(Ensor 2002). Although the large num­
ber of higher education institutions may 
be impressive for a developing coun­
try, it is the significant variation in the 
quality and type of amenities provided 
between the institutions, which are a 
direct reflection of the impact apart­
heid had on South Africans and their 

INtRODuCtION
South Africa (SA) is a developing 
country characterised by a rich culture, 
significant social diversity and a high 
degree of inequality (Louw et al 2007).  
Estimated to be around 48.9 million 
in 2009, the South African population 
comprises of four main racial groups, 
namely: “African” (79.3%), “White” 
(9.1%), “Coloured” (9.0%), and “Asian” 
(2.6%). The demarcation of these racial 
groups has remained consistent with  
the original racial classifications which 
were first introduced during the apart­
heid era (Khalfani and Zuberi 2001). 
The entirety of the government’s inten­
tion at the time of apartheid was largely 
captured by the passing of the bantu 
education Act in 1953 and the uttering of 
the following words by the then Minister 
of Native Affairs (Hendrik Verwoerd):
 “my department’s policy is that edu-

cation should stand with both feet in 
the reserves and have its roots in the 
spirit and being of bantu society . . . 

education (van der Westhuizen 2005). 
Undoubtedly, apartheid was respon­
sible for the development of racially 
fragmented, unequal and dysfunctional 
systems within the society, including the 
education and health sectors (Cross et al 
2002; Mooney and McIntyre 2008). The 
inequitable higher education systems,  
as well as the inaccessibility to higher 
education institutions for non­white 
popu lation groups, therefore limited 
human resource development in SA 
(Winberg 2006). Albeit a few of the 
differentiating systems between the 



39   SA JournAl of PhySiotherAPy 2012 Vol 68 no 2 

racially­demarcated groups have not 
been completely eradicated (Cross et al 
2002), dramatic changes have occurred 
in the higher education sector since the 
transition of SA to democracy in 1994 
(Mooney and McIntyre 2008). The main 
reason of applying these changes was 
to eliminate the legacy of the racially­ 
fragmented and unequal education sys­
tems which existed, and to steer the 
country towards the goals of economic 
development, social reconstruction and 
equity (Subotzky 2010).

In an attempt to achieve these goals, it 
was suggested that the enrolment of new 
undergraduate students, the recruitment 
of the university staff, as well as the  
distribution of the human resources 
across the country, should reflect the 
diversity and social composition of the 
broader South African population.  The 
reorga nisation, standardization and 
redistribution of the previously racially­
fragmented higher education institutions 
(Taylor and Harris 2004) was further 
reinforced by the comprehensive re­
design of the higher education curricula; 
namely the National Qualifications 
Framework (NQF), which was opera­
tionalised using an outcome­based 
education (OBE) system at high school 
level (Ensor 2002). The OBE system 
was envisaged to meet the needs of all 
students regardless of their environment, 
ethnicity, economic status, or disabling 
condition. 

nationally graduating physiotherapists 
belonged to the Coloured and African 
population groups (Table 1). Therefore, 
in a bid to ensure fair distribution of 
skills training across racial groups, 
graduating more physiotherapists from 
the under­represented population groups 
would be desirable. 

In response to this need, the Faculty of 
Health Sciences at the University of Cape 
Town (UCT), developed a strategic plan 
in 1999 which included the transforma­
tion of the undergraduate curricula for 
medicine, physiotherapy, occupational 
therapy, audiology and speech therapy. 
The aim of the transformation was essen­
tially to align the undergraduate pro­
grams with the aspi rations of the country 
to increase access to higher education for 
the previously disadvantaged population 
groups (Duncan et al 2006). Historically 
classified as one of the “white” univer­
sities of SA, UCT has always professed 
to be an “open” university. However, in 
the past, only a token number of students 
from non­white population groups were 
enrolled into the undergraduate physi­
otherapy program each year. This was 
generally attributed to the admission cri­
teria being too competitive and the fact 
that applicants’ IQ scores were taken into 
account (Jaholkowski 1979; Kemp and 
Gounden 2000). In anticipation of the 
first cohort of OBE school learners who 
would enter tertiary education in 2009, 
the plan to particularly widen access to 

Similarly, in 1997, the Department of 
Health in SA formulated the National 
Health Policy which focused on pro­
moting equity, accessibility and utiliza­
tion of health services across all ethnic 
groups (Department of Health 1997). The 
policy specifically included the training 
of additional human resources for the 
health sector (Department of Health 
1997). In 2009, the Health Professions 
Council of South Africa (HPCSA) 
revealed that a total of 5081 physiothe­
rapists registered with the council the 
previous year, and delivered services to 
approximately 48.9 million people across 
SA (HPCSA 2009). From this annual 
report it was however observed that the 
non­white population groups remained 
under­represented in the profession. It 
was further reported that during 2008, 
a total of 1648 physiotherapy students 
were registered in eight universities 
offering the undergraduate physiothe­
rapy program (HPCSA 2009). Similarly 
the report revealed that the proportion  
of students from the white population 
group enrolled in the undergraduate  
physiotherapy program remained the 
highest, as in previous years (HPCSA 
2009). The higher proportion of the white 
population group compared to the non­
white population groups continued to  
follow a similar trend on graduation 
(South African Qualifications Authority 
2007). Between 1995 and 2004, 
approximately 23.8% (634/2697) of all 

Table 1: Graduation trends in undergraduate physiotherapy education in South Africa (1995-2004)

(South African Qualification Authority 2007)

Graduation trends by population groups

African Coloured Asian White

1995 31 11 11 155

1996 32 23 13 167

1997 24 24 19 168

1998 35 25 31 172

1999 40 25 36 180

2000 47 24 48 176

2001 40 26 26 170

2002 36 37 50 171

2003 54 32 50 189

2004 44 33 41 181



40   SA JournAl of PhySiotherAPy 2012 Vol 68 no 2 

the undergraduate physiotherapy pro­
gram for previously disadvantaged pop­
ulation groups, was commenced at UCT  
in 2003. 

It is acknowledged that to widen  
access into an academic program for 
previously disadvantaged populations 
groups, the profile and specific needs 
of the student body anticipated to enroll 
in the program should be considered.  
Owing to the apartheid Bantu educa­
tion system, a vast majority of students 
currently entering university in SA are 
from low socioeconomic backgrounds, 
are first generation students, and are 
members of population groups at risk 
of dropping out (Strydom et al 2010). 
As a result, a large proportion of enter­
ing students present with two or more  
of the risks associated with university 
drop put, and Black African students still 
constitute the majority of the drop puts. 
Therefore, prior to developing a strategy 
to widen access to the undergraduate 
physiotherapy program at UCT, pre­
liminary steps were taken to identify the 
specific aspects or issues which could 
assist in guiding the development process 
of the strategy. These preliminary steps 
were informed by the study of Scott et 
al (2007) which reported that the analy­
sis of students’ throughput rates located 
higher education outputs between much 

broader conceptual issues i.e. access and 
equity, and the quality of the educational 
process. This approach provided an 
opportunity to reflect on the relationship 
between access, equity and quality; the 
theoretical underpinnings; and the prac­
tical tensions and challenges faced by 
different stakeholders in the implemen­
tation of strategies to improve access to 
education, teaching and learning (Scott 
et al 2007).  Therefore, the purpose of 
this manuscript is to report the outcomes 
of the review of available records of 
students who applied for admission and 
students who enrolled in the undergra­
duate physiotherapy program at UCT 
from 2000 to 2005.   

MEtHODS
Institutional setting
The admission policy of UCT provides 
appropriate measures for the redress of 
past inequalities in SA. Traditionally, 
the high school subjects required for 
admission into the UCT undergradu­
ate physiotherapy program included 
English, Mathematics, and Biology and/
or Physical Science, and admission was 
based on performance in the National 
Senior Certificate examination at the 
end of high school career. In its attempt 
to achieve the ultimate goal of filling a 
class with a diverse group of students 

reflecting the various racial population 
groupings in the country, the university 
utilises three main tools to select the 
best qualified students, namely:  the 
mark obtained in the National Senior 
Certificate examination; the National 
Benchmark Test which assesses com­
prehension of English language, and 
problem solving and reasoning skills; 
and a biographical questionnaire which 
assesses non­academic skills including 
community involvement and leadership 
qualities. As the university considers the 
White and Asian population groups as 
privileged, applicants from these popu­
lation groups required at least 43 points 
to stand a fair chance of being admitted 
into the undergraduate physiotherapy 
program in 2009. Applicants from the 
African and Coloured population groups 
required at least 34 points to stand a 
chance of being admitted. 

Procedure and Analysis
The official records for the 2000 to 2005 
cohorts of students who applied for 
admission into the undergraduate physio­
therapy program or enrolled in the pro­
gram were retrieved from the database 
of the Institutional Planning Department 
of UCT and the Undergraduate Office in 
the Faculty of Health Sciences, and cap­
tured in a spreadsheet. The information 

Table 2: Racial profile of applicants meeting minimum admission requirements among six cohorts of applicants (years 2000 

to 2005)

Black applicants White/Asian applicants

Cohort African Coloured Total Meet min 

requirement 

(%) 

White Asian Total Meet min 

requirement 

(%)

2000 130 43 173 37/173 (21.4%) 183 79 262 125/262 

(47.7%)

2001 150 43 193 39/193 (20.2%) 180 85 265 125/265 

(47.2%)

2002 192 66 258 47/258 (18.2%) 180 97 277 121/277 

(43.7%)

2003 169 74 243 55/243 (18.6%) 163 71 234 126/234 

(53.8%)

2004 171 45 216 59/216 (27.3%) 140 71 211 135/211 (64%)

2005 143 73 216 89/216 (41.2%) 140 65 205 144/205 

(70.2%)

Total 955 344 1299 326/1299 

(25.1%)

986 468 1454 776/1454 

(53.4%)



41   SA JournAl of PhySiotherAPy 2012 Vol 68 no 2 

captured for all students who applied for 
admission included population group­
ings and matriculation points obtained. 
For those who enrolled in the program, 
the same information plus length of 
time taken to successfully complete 
the program was captured. Though the 
use of school matriculation results as 
the primary determinant for university 
entrance is common is SA and many 
other countries, however the ability of 
the results to predict student success 
has been reported to be quite limited in 
SA generally (Fraser and Killen 2003), 
and in physiotherapy undergraduate 
program specifically (Mbambo 2005). 
As our study did not seek to identify 
the predictors of academic success in 

under graduate physiotherapy program  
at UCT, the data captured was not ana­
lysed to identify possible predictors of 
retention or success in the program. In 
line with the admission policy of the  
university, the data for the privileged 
population groups were combined 
(White and Asian), while those of the 
less privileged groups (Africans and 
Coloureds) were combined for analy­
sis. The term “Black” is used to refer  
to persons historically classified as 
African and Coloured (Khalfani and 
Zuberi 2001). 

 Ethical approval was obtained from 
the Research Ethics Committee of the 
Faculty of Health Sciences of UCT.

RESultS
A total of 2753 applications from 
racially diverse population groups were 
received from South Africans over the 
review period (Table 2), an average of 
458 applications per year. Applications 
from non­South African students were 
excluded from analysis. The propor­
tion of Black applicants was 47.2% 
(1299/2753), with African applicants 
accounting for over 73.5% (955/1299). 
The proportion of White/Asian appli­
cants was 52.8% (1454/2753), with 
White applicants accounting for more 
than two­thirds (986/1454). However 
only 40% (1102/2753) of the total  
applicants met the minimum require­
ments for admission, of which 29.6% 

Table 3: Racial profile of applicants who enrolled in the program (n=1102)

Black with min requirements (n=326) White/Asian with min requirements (n=776)

Cohort Offers 

to 

African

Offers to 

Coloured

Total (% of 

minimum 

requirement)

Enrolled 

(% of offers) 

Offers 

to 

White

Offers 

to 

Asian

Total 

(% of minimum 

requirement)

Enrolled 

(% of offers) 

2000 17 13 30/37 (81.1%) 8/30 (26.7%) 39 7 46/125 (36.8%) 30/46 (65.2%)

2001 19 15 34/39 (87.2%) 8/34 (23.5%) 38 10 48/125 (38.4%) 28/48 (58.3%)

2002 28 16 44/47 (93.6%) 19/44 (43.2%) 28 9 37/121 (30.6%) 23/37 (62.1%)

2003 17 21 38/55 (69.1%) 18/38 (47.4%) 44 10 54/126 (42.9%) 37/54 (68.5%)

2004 21 14 35/59 (59.3%) 33/35 (94.3%) 47 10 57/135 (42.2%) 40/57 (70.2%)

2005 12 19 31/89 (34.8%) 19/31 (61.3%) 38 15 53/144 (36.8%) 34 /53 (64.2%)

Total 114 98 212/326 (65%) 105/212 (49.5%) 234 61 295/776 (38%) 192/295 (65.1%)

Table 4: Racial profile of students who successfully completed the program (n=225)

Black (n=105) White/Asian (n=192)

Duration (yrs) 4 4+1 or 2 Total (% of 

enrolment)

4 4+1 or 2 Total (% of 

enrolment)

2000 5 0 5/8   (62.5%) 24 0 24/30  (80%)

2001 1 5 6/8      (75%) 22 3 25/28 (89.3%)

2002 7 10 17/19 (89.5%) 19 3 22/23 (95.7%)

2003 10 3 13/18 (72.2%) 32 2 34/37 (91.9%)

2004 10 9 19/33 (57.6%) 25 2 27/40 (67.5%)

2005 10 0 10/19 (52.6%) 23 0 23/34 (67.6%)

Total 43 (41%) 27 (25.7%) 70/105 (66.7%) 145 (75.5%) 10 (5.2%) 155/192 (80.7%)

Table 5: Profile of 1st year undergraduate physiotherapy students in the University of Cape Town (2008-2010)

total intake african coloured indian/asian white non South african 

2008 58 14% 46% 2% 38% 0%

2009 67 30% 27% 3% 40% 0%

2010 62 34% 32% 3% 31% 0%



42   SA JournAl of PhySiotherAPy 2012 Vol 68 no 2 

(326/1102) were Black applicants. The 
proportions of Black applicants meet­
ing minimum requirements for admis­
sion varied from 18.2% (47/258) in the 
2002 cohort to 41.2% (89/216) in the 
2005 cohort. Similarly the proportion of 
White/Asian applicants meeting mini­
mum requirements for admission ranged 
from 43.7% (121/277) in the 2002 
cohort to 70.2% (144/205) in the 2005 
cohort. Overall, 25.1% (326/1299) of 
Black applicants and 53.4% (776/1454) 
of White/Asian applicants met the  
minimum requirements.

Of the 1102 South African applicants 
who met the minimum requirements 
for admission, offers were made to only 
507 applicants (46%) in the six cohorts 
(Table 3). Admission offers were made 
to 65.0% of the 326 Black applicants  
and 38.0% of White/Asian applicants 
who met minimum admission require­
ments. However, only 58.6% (297/507) 
of total admission offers made enrolled 
in the program. Overall, 49.5% (105/212) 
of the Black applicants offered admis­
sion enrolled in the program, increasing 
from 23.5% (8/34) in 2001 cohort to 
94.3% (33/35) in 2004 cohort. Similarly, 
over 65% (192/295) of the offers made 
to White/Asian applicants were taken 
up, ranging from 58.3% (28/48) in the 
2001 cohort to 70.2% (40/47) in the 
2004 cohort.

Overall, 225 of the 297 registered stu­
dents (75.8%) successfully completed 
the program within four to six years 
(Table 4), of which 31.1% (70/225) were 
Black students. Only two­thirds (70/105) 
of the Black students completed the  
program successfully, with over half 
of these (43/70) completing within 
the minimum period of 4 years. Of the 
192 White/Asian students enrolled in 
the program, 155 (80.7%) successfully 
completed the program, with 145 of 
these students completing within the 
minimum period of 4 years. The propor­
tion of Black students with no record of 
completion of the program was higher 
(35/105) than that of the White/Asian 
students (37/192). The records reviewed 
did not provide information about the 
final outcomes of these students. 

DISCuSSION
While higher education in the country 
has generally undergone remarkable 
changes, the resilience of practices and 
ideas of the old SA regime remains the 
cause of immense frustration (Subotzky 
2010). In spite of post­apartheid attempts 
to widen access to higher education, 
overall participation and graduation  
rates are still considered low, particu larly 
among Black South Africans (Strydom  
et al 2010). Attempts to widen access and 
ensure positive educational outcomes 
in any academic program should give 
adequate consideration to the profile  
and specific needs of the student body 
anticipated to enroll in the program. 
Therefore this study reports on the pre­
liminary steps taken to identify aspects 
or issues in the records of students who 
applied for admission and students who 
enrolled in the program, that should be 
addressed to obtain a more diverse stu­
dent body in the undergraduate physio­
therapy education program at UCT,  
and that all students admitted into the 
program are given the opportunity to 
succeed. 

The number of applications received 
for the six cohorts would suggest that  
the high interest in the program at the 
university was still maintained. As of 
1979, approximately 140 applications 
were received for 26 places (Jaholkowski 
1979), while for the cohorts reviewed, 
there were 2753 applications for 287 
places. There was little difference 
between the total number of Black  
applicants (n=1299) and White/Asian 
applicants (n=1454). From the records, 
it was found that most of the African 
and Asian applicants were resident in 
provinces outside of the Western Cape, 
whereas the Coloured and White appli­
cants were mainly from the Western 
Cape Province. Being a national univer­
sity, UCT strives to attract students from 
different parts of the country. However, 
only 12.5% (344/2753) of applications 
was from the Coloured population 
group, which is rather low for a popu­
lation group that is predominant in the 
Western Cape Province.

Of the total applications received 
during the stipulated study period, only 
one quarter of the Black applicants met 
the minimum requirements for admis­

sion into the undergraduate physi­
otherapy education program. This may 
be a direct result of the effect apartheid 
and the passing of unjust laws like the 
Bantu Education Act in 1953, had on the  
qua lity of education received by Blacks 
in SA (Subotzky 2010). The Bantu 
Education Act produced devastating 
effects on Blacks in SA, and attempts 
by the post­apartheid government to 
dismantle years of racial discrimination 
are still ongoing. Therefore the plan to 
widen access into the undergraduate 
physiotherapy education program should 
develop awareness and recruitment strat­
egies that target applicants across the 
country, though paying greater attention 
to Black students. 

Admission offers were made to 
65% of the Black applicants who met 
the minimum requirements. This is a 
positive step towards improving access  
and equity. However, the enrolment rate 
among the same group of applicants was 
lower when compared with White/Asian 
applicants. One of the possible reasons 
for low enrolment rates by Black stu­
dents in the program could be the high 
financial cost of studying at UCT (Kemp 
and Gounden 2000) which included fees 
related to application, alternate admis­
sion test, acceptance deposits, tuition, 
accommodation, and other miscella­
neous fees and levies. The plan to widen 
access should therefore include strate­
gies to address the factors that contrib­
ute to the low enrolment rate, and should 
provide information about sources of 
available financial support for Black  
students with financial constraints who 
may wish to take up admission offers.

The overall completion rate for Black 
students was lower than the average 
completion rate for the six cohorts, and 
about one quarter of these students spent 
between 5 to 6 years to complete the 
4­year program. However, the average 
proportion of Blacks among graduating 
physiotherapists was higher than the 
national proportion in the graduation 
trends between 1995 and 2004 (South 
African Qualifications Authority 2007). 
The lower completion rate of Black  
students could also be attributed to drop 
outs or transfers to other programs.  It is 
believed that the quantitative measure­
ment of throughput rates fails to reflect 



the intricacies of social conditions and 
the teaching and learning process (Scott 
et al 2007). However, in spite of their 
limitations, these measurements are 
considered useful indicators of the need 
for deeper investigations. Students who 
applied for or were admitted into the 
undergraduate physiotherapy program 
were from positions of extreme ine­
qualities in terms of high school expe­
riences, socioeconomic resources and 
other opportunities.  These inequalities 
have been cited as possible reasons why 
students fail or take longer to complete 
the programs for which they enrolled. 
This may neutralize the gains made in 
increasing access to Black students, and 
frustrate efforts to address equity in the 
workforce in SA. 

Another possible reason for the per­
formance of Black students may relate 
to their adjustment in a university for­
merly dominated by a “European aca­
demic culture”, with different expecta­
tions from the students, academic staff, 
and other students from a wide range of 
school and life experiences (Mbambo 
2005). Issues about race and difference, 
which had been largely invisible when 
UCT was socially homogenous, became 
visible and had to be addressed by both 
the students and staff of the university. 
The plan to widen access should there­
fore include strategies that address the 
academic and non­academic factors 
that influence the retention and through­
put rates of the students enrolled in the 
undergraduate physiotherapy education 
program.

The plan to increase access should 
review the contextual challenges relat­
ing to academic success in order to 
identify what can be realistically done to 
adequately support students and improve 
their chances of attaining the qualifica­
tion they seek. The contextual challenges 
include a review of the curriculum to 
decongest it if necessary, while ensur­
ing the relevance and the high academic 
standard of all the courses offered. In 
addition, the pass rates of students in 
each of the courses should be reviewed 
to identify the ones in which students 
encountered difficulties, the factors that 
impeded the throughput of students, as 
well as the possible reasons why students 
dropped out of the program. Finally, 

the planning should propose appropri­
ate academic support for academically 
under­prepared students who enroll for 
the program. 

To achieve the goal of increasing 
access into the undergraduate physio­
therapy education program at UCT, 
separate task teams were set up to facili­
tate the following processes – curricu­
lum transformation, awareness raising 
and recruitment, academic support for 
under­prepared students, and student 
support in counseling. In 2009, the first 
cohort of students was admitted into 
the transformed program with changes 
in the profile of the students (Table 5). 
In addition, separate structures to assist  
students with academic and non­aca­
demic issues were established.

A major benefit of the outcome of this 
review of the records of students is the 
awareness about pieces of missing infor­
mation about the students. Actions have 
been taken to ensure that we keep and 
update detailed records of our students. 

CONCluSIONS
The debates around access, retention  
and throughput of students in university 
education programs are still ongoing. 
From the pointers identified from the 
analysis of the records of 2000­2005 
cohorts of students who applied for 
admission and those who enrolled, the 
planning for widening participation 
in terms of access to the undergradu­
ate physiotherapy education program 
should include strategies to address the 
current schooling system to improve 
the access to quality education with 
specific focus on mathematics and the 
sciences  for increasing the number of 
black candidates who could qualify to 
apply; increasing awareness and recruit­
ment into the program; improving take 
up or enrolment rates of Black students 
by making financial support available 
to struggling students; and improving 
retention and throughput in the program 
by creating supportive environments 
cognizant of the cultural diversity.

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