University of South Africa [UNISA]: Reviews, Complaints, Customer Claims, Page 5 | ComplaintsBoard

My son applied for exemption of modules which he completed at NMMU submitting all required documentation on 11 February. He received a reply almost three weeks later on 1 March which stated he would have to cancel one of his modules in order to be able to qualify for an exemption of the one module. He submitted the necessary cancellation form immediately and has followed up with numerous emails all to no avail and the specified module has still not been cancelled. On the 16th of Match he received the following very poorly written email:

“Dear Mr bossi

Please comple the attached DSAr02 form and e-mail it back because the module INF1502are not correct.”
[protected]@unisa.ac.za

To date he has tried to obtain the assistance of a lecturer and is still awaiting further assistance. He has had no confirmation of a cancellation or an exemption and he has been billed for a module that he has not been able to complete or do assignments for. Can the matter please be addressed immediately and can somebody who is capable of correcting the matter please contact him ON THE PHONE and actually DO something.
I am a past student of UNISA since 1984 and I am very dissappointed in the complete lack of service and complete incompetence that is being displayed by an institution that is supposed to be world-class. Below you can see all the relevant correspondence pertaining to this matter.

11 February
“Good day

Please find attached: Application form for exemption of study units, as well as full academic record for my studies at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

I hope that this is all in order.

Kind regards
Alexander Bossi
Student number: [protected]”

From
11 February
“Good day

Will load your credits and forward them to Pretoria for approval.

Kind regards

Patiswa Cekiso”

To
19 February
“Good day

Any idea on when I can expect to receive approval for my credits? I need to buy text books and complete assignments, and I don’t want to do so only to be told I don’t need to complete a certain module.

Kind regards
Alexander Bossi”

No further replies
[protected]@unisa.ac.za
From
1 March
“BOSSI A H MR STUDENT NUMBER : [protected] STELLA ROAD ENQUIRIES
: [protected]@unisa.ac.za PLUMSTEAD 7800 FAX : [protected]-01 Dear Student I refer to your application for exemption from modules for your proposed degree. You need to cancel either INF1511 or INF1502 so that we can finalize the exemption for MAT1512.
Please confirm in writing so that we can amend your records accordingly. Yours faithfully for Registrar (Acting)”
To
1 March
“Hi

I would like to cancel INF1502 please.

Regards

Alexander Bossi
[protected]”
To
7 March
“I have been trying to get my credits authorized since mid January and still have not gotten anywhere. I have emailed in the necessary forms multiple times to multiple email addresses, with no response. Then last week Wednesday (01/03) I received an email saying I needed to cancel one of two subjects for my credit authorization to proceed. I replied on the same day and have not received a reply since. According to my ‘myUnisa’ portal, I am still registered for all my original modules.

Please could I get some info on whether my credits have/will be authorized, and how I should proceed once they have been. Do I then need to register for 2nd year modules?

Kind regards
Alexander Bossi”
To
9 March

“I still have not gotten a reply with regards to my situation with credits and exemption from certain subjects that I have registered for. I desperately need an answer on whether said subjects will be exempted or if I will have to redo them, as I have textbooks to buy and assignments to complete.

Kind regards
Alexander Bossi
[protected]”

From
16 March

“Dear Mr bossi

Please comple the attached DSAr02 form and e-mail it back because the module INF1502are not correct.”

I replied with the completed form.

Email server was then down until the 4th of April

To
4 April

“It has now been more than a week since my last reply. I desperately need confirmation on what is happening with my request for exemption from certain credits for my degree. It is almost April now and I still don’t know which modules I should be doing this year.
Once again I have attached my original application form for exemption of study units.”

From
4 April

“Dear Sir/Madam

This is an automated response acknowledging receipt of your e-mail – please do not respond directly to this message.
Your enquiry will be attended to as soon as possible. Your case number is 17094NX11211.
IMPORTANT: If you send an e-mail directly to a Unisa e-mail address, insert your student number in the subject line to effect the correct routing to an advisor for processing. Should you wish to communicate further about this case, also insert the case number in the subject line.
Regards UNISA”
[protected]@unisa.ac.za

To
10 March

Hi

I’ve registered for a BSc Computing degree. I previously studied at NMMU in Port Elizabeth where I did part of BSc: Computer Science degree. I have applied for credit exemption, and received this email on the 11th of February:

Good day

Will load your credits and forward them to Pretoria for approval.

Kind regards

Patiswa Cekiso

Then, on the 1st of March, I received the following:

BOSSI A H MR STUDENT NUMBER : [protected] STELLA ROAD ENQUIRIES
: [protected]@unisa.ac.za PLUMSTEAD 7800 FAX : [protected]-01 Dear Student I refer to your application for exemption from modules for your proposed degree. You need to cancel either INF1511 or INF1502 so that we can finalize the exemption for MAT1512.
Please confirm in writing so that we can amend your records accordingly. Yours faithfully for Registrar (Acting)

To which I replied that I would like INF1502 to be cancelled. Since then I have received no further reply.

Please inform as to what I can do to finally complete this process. Deadlines for assignments are coming up for the subjects that I am currently registered for (1st year subjects), and I need to know whether I need to complete these assignments or if I will be exempted from those modules. Also, if I am exempted from those modules, how will I go about registering for 2nd year modules.

I have attached the exemption documents again.

Hope that this can be resolved soon.

[protected]@unisa.ac.za (The lecturer)

To
11 April

“Hi Drina

Currently I am registered for your module, however, since mid January I have been trying to complete my exemption of study units for this module as well as some others. I studied part of a BSc: Computer Science at NMMU and wish to bring the credits over that I completed there.

Correspondence with Unisa has been painstakingly slow throughout this process of credit exemption, and I have gone weeks without a reply. I am at my wits end as to how I should proceed at this point, having sent many emails to various emails addresses, including [protected]@unisa.ac.za, [protected]@unisa.ac.za, and [protected]@unisa.ac.za.

So far I have sent in an Application form for Exemption of Study Units (DSAR04), my full academic record from NMMU, as well as an Application and Cancellation form (DSAR02), since I was told that I had to cancel one of two modules before the exemption process could continue.
The last email I received with regards to the credit exemption process was on the 16th of March, which was from [protected]@unisa.ac.za.

If you have any advice on how I should proceed from here, I would greatly appreciate it.

Finally, due to all of this, I have not completed most of my assignments that are due for this and other modules (namely COS1511-17-S1, COS1521-17-S1, INF1505-17-S1, INF1511-17-S1, INF1520-17-S1). I would like to ask that I be given an additional extension on them.

Kind regards

Alexander Bossi
[protected]”

From
11 April

“Dear student,

As far as the extension goes, the university will not give further extension as they have already given extension until 7 April. If you email [protected]@unisa.ac.za and [protected]@unisa.ac.za and tell them what you told me about the exemptions, they may allow you further extension and exam admission. I will forward your email to the person in our department that handles exemption requests to see if we have received anything for you. I will cc you in this email.

Regards
Drina”
The lecturer also sent this email to another person:
“Dear Angela,

Could you please see the student’s email below? Have we received any exemption requests for the student from the exemption office? If so, could it be distributed so the lecturers can complete this asap? If not, would it be possible for you to enquire from the exemption office why we do not receive it, as the student do not get feedback on his emails.

Regards
Drina”

I then sent the following email to [protected]@unisa.ac.za (which did not go through after multiple attempts, also tried [protected]@unisa.ac.za) and [protected]@unisa.ac.za:

“Hi

Since mid January I have been trying to complete my exemption of study units for certain modules which are part of my course. I studied part of a BSc: Computer Science at NMMU and wish to bring the credits over that I completed there.

Correspondence with Unisa has been painstakingly slow throughout this process of credit exemption, and I have gone weeks without a reply. I am at my wits end as to how I should proceed at this point, having sent many emails to various emails addresses, including [protected]@unisa.ac.za, [protected]@unisa.ac.za, and [protected]@unisa.ac.za.

So far I have sent in an Application form for Exemption of Study Units (DSAR04), my full academic record from NMMU, as well as an Application and Cancellation form (DSAR02), since I was told that I had to cancel one of two modules before the exemption process could continue.
The last email I received with regards to the credit exemption process was on the 16th of March, which was from [protected]@unisa.ac.za.

Due to all of this, I have not completed most of my assignments that are due for this and other modules (namely COS1511-17-S1, COS1521-17-S1, INF1505-17-S1, INF1511-17-S1, INF1520-17-S1). I would like to ask that I be given an additional extension on them.

Kind regards
Alexander Bossi
[protected]”

That was on the 12th of April

Next reply I received was on the 2nd of May:

“Dear Sir/Madam

This is an automated response acknowledging receipt of your e-mail – please do not respond directly to this message.

Your enquiry will be attended to as soon as possible. Your case number is 17122NX59124.

IMPORTANT: If you send an e-mail directly to a Unisa e-mail address, insert your student number in the subject line to effect the correct routing to an advisor for processing. Should you wish to communicate further about this case, also insert the case number in the subject line.

Regards
UNISA”
Haven’t received anything since then.

Found At: University of South Africa [UNISA]: Reviews, Complaints, Customer Claims, Page 5 | ComplaintsBoard