Choosing a public university or private higher education institution is one of the most important decisions prospective students will ever make, and also one of the hardest. While hundreds of thousands of students have already been accepted into further study for 2026, many others still have to make the call before the official start of the academic year.
For these students, and senior high students who will have to consider their next steps in coming months and years, it is important to look beyond the brochure, an education expert says.
“For some, choosing a higher education institution is about a taking the first independent step. For others, it’s about returning to study after years in the workplace, fitting lectures around meetings, assignments around family life, and ambition around reality,” says Nadia Landman, Head of Academic Quality Management Systems at ADvTECH’s Independent Institute of Education.
Landman notes that while open days help, and polished brochures showcasing impressive campuses reassure, prospective students should attempt to gain a good understanding of what everyday life will actually look like once the semester starts.
WHEN REALITY HITS AND STUDENT SUPPORT BECOMES CRUCIAL
The real test of an institution rarely happens in week one. It happens a few weeks in, when deadlines stack up, confidence dips, work pressures increase, and life doesn’t politely pause for assignments.
“Every institution talks about student support,” says Landman, “but what matters is whether that support is visible and accessible when students begin to struggle, not only when they’ve already failed.”
For parents, that may mean asking how an institution identifies first-year students who are falling behind and what support is then made available. For adult learners, it means asking different but equally practical questions: Who do I contact when work deadlines clash with assessments? How accessible are lecturers outside of office hours? Are sessions recorded and made available should I miss a lecture?
Institutions that understand student reality, across ages and stages, can explain clearly how they support learners before pressure becomes a crisis.
WHO IS ACTUALLY DOING THE TEACHING?
Behind every qualification is a lecturer, or a team of lecturers, responsible for turning content into learning. Qualifications and experience matter. But so does engagement, responsiveness, and an understanding of who is sitting on the other side of the desk or screen.
“Adult learners bring professional experience, practical questions, and limited time. Parents want reassurance that lecturers are not only knowledgeable, but attentive and accountable. Strong institutions support their lecturers to teach well, and they take student feedback seriously,” says Landman.
WORKING WITH REAL-WORLD REALITIES
Few people still believe that a qualification alone guarantees a career. Parents worry about employability and adult students worry about relevance. Both are asking the same underlying question: Will this programme help me adapt to a changing world?
“Curricula should not be static documents. They should evolve with industry, technology, and society. Institutions committed to quality review their programmes regularly, involve industry voices, provide work integrated learning opportunities, and assess students in ways that reflect real-world complexity, not just academic theory,” says Landman. “The aim is capability, not just completion.”
WHY QUALITY AND GOVERNANCE MATTER
Accreditation, assessment moderation, and academic integrity may sound bureaucratic, but they quietly protect the value of the qualification, and the effort invested in earning it.
“Quality systems aren’t about red tape,” says Landman. “They exist to ensure fairness, credibility, and consistency, whether you’re studying full-time straight out of school or part-time while working.”
Institutions that take quality seriously are open about how these systems work and why they matter.
One of the clearest signals is the quality of service of an institution.
How quickly are emails answered? Are queries met with empathy or deflection? Is communication clear, honest, and respectful of people’s time? Over time, these everyday interactions reveal whether an institution is designed around systems, or around students with real lives.
“Higher education is not a transaction. It’s a commitment – of time, energy, and belief in a better future. Parents may not walk the journey for their children. Adult learners may not have the luxury of starting over if things go wrong. In both cases, the choice of institution matters deeply,” Landman says.
“When looking at your options, understand that the strongest institutions are not defined by the loudest claims. They are defined by their willingness to answer difficult questions openly, thoughtfully, and without hesitation. And it is in asking those questions, early, calmly, and with intention, that both parents and adult learners move beyond the brochure and towards a decision that truly supports success.”
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Recent developments in national higher education policy are helping to bring greater clarity for prospective South African students. The Department of Higher Education and Training’s policy on the recognition of institutional types is designed to ensure that different kinds of higher education institutions are clearly defined, appropriately regulated, and transparent about what they are established to offer. For students and families navigating an increasingly complex higher education landscape, this clarity will support more informed decision-making, helping them choose institutions that are aligned with their academic goals, life circumstances, and preferred mode of study, rather than relying on assumptions or labels. Policy implementation can only proceed once regulations are published.
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