University of Cape Town
2011 New Undergraduate Survey Report
1. Introduction
The 2011 new undergraduate survey forms part of the Institutional Planning Department’s (IPD) cycle of evaluation. IPD conducts a new undergraduate survey on a cycle of every three to four years. The last new undergraduate survey was conducted amongst the 2009 first- time entering new undergraduates. The main aim of this survey is to understand the importance of various factors influencing new undergraduates to apply and register at UCT. The survey thus records the experiences of new undergraduates with UCT’s application, orientation and enrolment processes as well as their adjustment to UCT life and their immediate parental home circumstances.
The 2011 new undergraduate survey questionnaire (see appendix) was hosted on Vula on three different occasions in order to get a high response rate: 3 – 17 of October, 20-28 of October and 4- 11 of November, 2011. A total of 1387 responses were received – this equates to 32% (an 8% increase from the 2009 survey) of all new first-time entering (FU) and transferring new undergraduates (TU) enrolled at the beginning of the 2011 academic year. The tables below show the response profile compared to the entire new undergraduate population:
Table 1.1 Representivity grid by population group and gender
Table 1.2 Survey respondents and all new undergraduates by faculty of registration
Table 1.3 Survey respondents and all new undergraduates by entrance category
The above comparison (table 1.1-1.3) shows that the survey respondents were reasonably representative of the entire new undergraduate population. However, Table 1.1 shows a slight over-representation of black and female respondents whilst table 1.2 shows a slight under-representation of HUM and EBE respondents and a slight-over presentation of COM respondents. Table 1.3 also reveals a slight over-representation of FU respondents as well as the slight under-representation of TU respondents.
2. Factors influencing new undergraduates to apply and register at UCT
In this section, the respondents were asked to indicate the factors that influenced their decision to apply and register at UCT. The questionnaire provided a list of possible factors and the respondents could select as many factors they deemed relevant. The responses to this question are summarised in the table below:
Table 2.1 Factors influencing the decision to apply at UCT by population group
When looking at the above responses, it’s clear that UCT’s academic reputation was the most important factor influencing new undergraduates to apply UCT. This was the case across all the population groups: black respondents (89%) Chinese respondents (100%) coloured respondents (90%), Indian respondents (95%) and white respondents (92%). UCT’s location was the second most important factor mentioned by new undergraduates for applying to UCT, especially amongst coloured (74%) and white (83%) respondents.
The frequencies of the remaining factors listed in the above table vary quite noticeably by race. For example, wanting to live in residence/away from home was more important for black respondents (41%) than the other groups whereas having friends going to UCT was more important to Chinese (48%) and white (45%) respondents. Those who chose “other” to this question reported the following factors: lower fees than home country, diversity of the UCT campus, university rankings, beauty of UCT the campus, attractiveness of the UCT website, improving their English and wanting to apply to as many universities as possible.
Using the same list of factors, the respondents were asked to indicate which factors influenced their decision to register at UCT. The respondents were again invited to select as many factors as appropriate to them; a summary of the responses can be seen in the table below:
Table 2.2 Factors influencing the decision to register at UCT by population group
The top five factors influencing new undergraduates to apply at UCT remained the same top five factors influencing them to ultimately register at the university. However, the programmes offered and the perceived quality of the overall student experience at UCT moved up the list when the respondents were considering registering at UCT. Furthermore, the most important factor causing black (52%) and Indian (63%) respondents to register at UCT were the programmes offered at the university whereas the most important factor for coloured (72%) and white (72%) respondents was UCT’s academic reputation. The respondents who indicated “other” added the following additional factors for registering at UCT: offers from other institutions being made too late, lapsing or not being made at all, diversity of the UCT campus and UCT fees being relatively cheaper than other institutions (mainly international students).
The respondents were then asked to indicate how they first heard about UCT, the responses to this question are summarised in the table below:
Table 2.3 How did you first hear about UCT? by population group
The largest proportion of respondents (64%) across all the population groups said that they first heard about UCT from fellow students from their high schools. Whilst the second largest proportion (36%) of new undergraduates indicated that they had always known about UCT, this was especially noticeable amongst, white (41%), coloured (43%) and Indian (44%) respondents. Significant proportions of new undergraduates also reported that they first heard about UCT from friends, relatives or acquaintances (26%) as well as from teachers/counsellors at their respective schools (23%).
The survey questionnaire then wanted to whether new undergraduate respondents had applied elsewhere for the 2011 academic year.
Table 2.4 did you apply anywhere else in 2011 (yes/no?) by population group
70% of the respondents said that they had applied elsewhere in 2011. This was especially true for black (78%), coloured (72%) and Indian (83%) respondents. Additionally, table 2.5 below illustrates that 58% of the respondents came from outside Cape Town area whilst 42% came from the greater Cape Town area. What is most evident in the table below is that UCT mainly attracts black students from outside the Cape Town area (87%) and very little from with the greater Cape Town area (13%).
Table 2.5 home location by population group
Note: this table excludes international students
The respondents who applied elsewhere in 2011 were then asked to indicate which other institutions they had applied to?
2.6 Top 8 institutions applied to by respondents by population group
Note: this table excludes international students
Table 2.6 above shows that for the 2011 academic year, new undergraduates mainly applied to three institutions: Wits, Stellenbosch and University of Pretoria. When disintegrated by race, it’s clear that black respondents mainly applied to two main universities Wits and UP whilst coloured respondents mainly applied to the University of Stellenbosch and UWC. White respondents on the other hand mainly applied to the University of Stellenbosch and Indian respondents to the University of kwa-Zulu Natal. The analysis then looked at the institutions that the respondents applied by were they came from. The respondents from outside the Cape Town area applied to three main institutions Wits, UP and Stellenbosch whilst those from the greater Cape Town area mainly applied to Stellenbosch, UWC and CPUT.
The respondents who had applied elsewhere for the 2011 academic year were asked to specify their first choice institution/s and to explain why this was so. An overwhelming 81% of the respondents indicated that UCT was their first choice institution. Subsequently, the respondents were then asked to explain how they chose their first choice institution/s. The respondents highlighted five factors that were important to them, namely: overall reputation, academic reputation, programmes offered, university rankings and the location of the institution/s.
3. Experience of applying to study at UCT
3.1 Open Day
In this section, the respondents were asked to rate (using 5 point Likert-type scales with options ranging between excellent and very poor) the information and advice they received at open day as well as the friendliness and helpfulness of UCT staff at this event. The table below shows that the largest proportion of the respondents (44%) did not attend open day. Out of those who did attend, the largest proportion (26%) rated the information and advice they received as very good, 13% average and 12% excellent.
Table 3.1.1 information and advice received at open day by population group
When asked about the friendliness and helpfulness of UCT staff during open day, the table below shows that the largest proportions of the respondents rated the friendliness and helpfulness of UCT staff as either very good (27%), excellent (14%) or as average (12%).
Table 3.1.2 friendliness and helpfulness of UCT staff during open day by population group
It’s also important to note that relatively large proportions of white (16%) and Indian (14%) respondents rated the friendliness and helpfulness of UCT staff during open day as “average”.
The students were also asked to comment on how open day can be improved. The respondents reported that they would have appreciated more detailed information about UCT courses, programmes and degrees at the event. The respondents further commented that open day could be more structured /organised if the following interventions were in place:
· more staff
· better directions and signs to get around the UCT campus
· more application forms and pamphlets at the event
· if open day was stretched over a longer period
· if open day could be more interactive and have
· friendlier staff members
3.2 Application Handling
The respondents were then asked to rate the speed and efficiency with which their applications were handled as well as the frequency of UCT’s communication regarding their applications. This too was achieved using a 5 point Likert-type scale with options ranging between excellent and very poor.
Table 3.2.1 speed and efficiency with which their applications were handled by population group
Fifty percent of the respondents indicated that UCT’s response time to their applications was either very good (27%) or average (23%). Black respondents seemed to more satisfied with the speed and frequency with which their applications were handled when compared to the other population groups. It’s also important to note that significant proportions of Chinese, Indian, white and international respondents rated UCT’s response time to their applications as either “poor” or “very poor”.
When asked how UCT’s application handling process can be improved, a large number of respondents suggested the following interventions: frequent communication about their application statuses, earlier offers, concurrent residence and academic offers, a better call centre (admissions helpdesk) as well as better handling of the supporting documents process.
Table 3.1.2 frequency of UCT’s communication by population group
When rating UCT’s frequency of UCT’s communication to applicants, a little less than half of new undergraduates rated the frequency of UCT’s communication regarding their applications as either very good (23%) or average (25%). Again, black respondents seemed relatively happier with the frequency of UCT’s communication whereas the largest proportions of Chinese, Indian, white and international respondents, either, rated it as either average or poor.
3.3 Orientation programme
The respondents were asked to evaluate the Orientation Programme, using the same 5 point Likert-type-scale as above.
Table 3.3 how you would rate UCT’s orientation programme by population group
The largest proportion (45%) of the respondents thought that UCT’s orientation programme was very good, 25% said it was excellent and 22% rated it as average. Less than 5% selected the poor or very poor options in response to this question. Again, black respondents were generally more positive about their experience of orientation than respondents of other races.
The respondents further indicated that orientation week could be improved by providing: more curriculum advice, less of the long lectures and more interactive activities, more extensive tours around campus as well as forming smaller groups of students.
3.4 The Registration Experience
In this section, the respondents were asked to rate their experience with four aspects of registration using 5-point Likert-type scale. The aspects of registration tested were: faculty-specific information and advice received the friendliness and helpfulness of faculty staff at registration, the speed and efficiency of the registration process and the timeliness of faculty communication regarding registration and orientation. The responses to this set of questions are summarised below:
Table 3.4 how was UCT’s orientation programme by population group
The above table clearly shows that the responses to this question are mainly clustered along the excellent to very good ranges of the scale. However, it may be of concern that large proportions of respondents rated the following aspects as average: faculty-specific information and advice given (25%), timeliness of communication in relation to registration (23%), and speed and efficiency of registration (21%). The largest proportions of respondents who rated all three factors as average mainly belong to two main faculties: commerce and humanities.
4. Adjustment to UCT life
In this section, the survey wanted to find out how new undergraduates were adjusting to UCT life. Using a 5 point Likert-type scale with options ranging between strongly agree and strongly disagree, the respondents were asked to rate their adjustment to UCT in set of statements.
Table 4.1: I am adjusting well to UCT life by population group
The largest proportion of respondents (41%) of UCT student agreed that they were adjusting well to the UCT environment whilst the second largest strongly agreed. It is however of concern that 17% of the respondents indicated that they were neutral, especially amongst the black respondents (24%).
Table 4.2: I enjoy living in a UCT residence by population group