The Department of Higher Education and Training has university performance targets, most of which it has failed to meet since 2019.

One target is the annual number of students who “complete a university qualification” – in other words, they graduate. That target was 237,000 per year. That target has been met only twice between 2019 and 2024: once in 2020 and again in 2024.

Budget cuts are given as the reason for failing to meet the targets. “Budget cuts from national treasury has affected universities’ funding and enrolments,” states the department’s 2024/2025 annual report.