ADvTECH is expanding Rosebank College to Ghana where it has been accredited as a university, with operations set to begin in September.
This is part of the private college group’s long-term plan to get its higher education institutions recognised as universities across the continent and in South Africa.
ADvTECH group CEO Geoff Whyte said the Ghanaian expansion would operate as the Rosebank International University of Ghana.
“We have the support of the Ghanaian government and phase one will take up 1,500 students, but we will gradually expand in phases.”
Whyte said the school will offer an advantaged fee price point of $3,000 (R55,000) when fees at other international universities in the country range between $8,000 and $10,000 amid a high demand for tertiary education.
We have been disappointed serially by the regulator. We hope that having missed that deadline,; the department of higher education might have issued them by the end of quarter one
— Geoff Whyte, ADvTECH group CEO
Despite this success, the group remains in limbo over when the South African government will release the criteria necessary to classify its institutions, including Rosebank College, Vega, and Varsity College, as universities.
Last year, the group said it had improved the standard of learning and teaching at its tertiary institutions over two years to comply with requirements for university status.
Whyte said the department of higher education and training had been expected to publish a final draft of the criteria it needs to comply with to classify its institutions as universities by the end of the year, which did not happen.
“I think, from our point of view, the time is long overdue for our students to be put on an equal footing with their peers who receive identically accredited qualifications from public institutions.”
While the department had missed multiple deadlines to publish the criteria, they were hopeful it would happen soon.
“We have been disappointed serially by the regulator. We hope that having missed that deadline, the department of higher education might have issued them by the end of quarter one,” he said.
ADvTECH will be moving some of its Sandton-based colleges to a newly acquired campus on Grayston Drive, which is expected to welcome students next year. The 47,000m2 piece of land will allow the group to double its capacity as it can accommodate between 9,000 and 11,000 students.
The 105,710 number is not just schools. It’s schools and tertiary division combined.
The amended sentence should read: “It also breached the 100,000 mark for the first time across its schools and tertiary divisions after enrolments grew 13% to 105,710.”
Whyte attributed the growth to the quality of education provided by its institutions, pushing more parents to keep their children enrolled despite a tough economic climate faced by consumers.
“Driving this has been our very strong academic results. We posted for last year a 99.4% matric pass rate. Our bachelor’s pass rate improved from an already strong 93.1% in 2023 to 94.5% in 2024 and we also saw a big increase in distinctions from 2,699 to 3,317.”
Meanwhile, ADvTECH competitor Stadio also reported an increase in revenue, and hopes to reach 100,000 students in the coming years. Stadio offers in-person classes and online courses for students and has seen growth in both areas.
This week the school group reported that its revenue had climbed 14% to R1.6bn and core headline earnings climbed 28% to R267m. It reported a dividend increase of 12% from 2023 to 10c per share.
Chris Vorster, CEO of Stadio, said the results were an indication that there is high demand for quality education in the country.
“As we experienced good growth, we recognise that consumers remain under pressure given the tough economic climate and the impact this has on students’ ability to afford higher education offerings. Notwithstanding the economic climate within which we operate, there continues to be a high demand for our products as students invest in themselves to create more prosperous opportunities,” he said.
Vorster added that the group would continue to improve its offering to cater to a wider group of students across the country.
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