University of the Witwatersrand

University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg

Universiteit van die Witwatersrand (Afrikaans)
Former names	South African School of Mines (1896–1904), Transvaal Technical Institute (1904–1906), Transvaal University College (1906–1910), South African School of Mines and Technology (1910–1920), University College, Johannesburg (1920–1922)[1]
Motto	Scientia et Labore (Latin)
Type	Public university
Established	1922; 102 years ago (1922)[2]
Affiliation	AAU, ACU, FOTIM, HESA, IAU
Chancellor	Judy Dlamini
Vice-Chancellor	Zeblon Vilakazi[3]
Chairman of Council	Isaac Shongwe
Academic staff	1,112 (Full-time, Permanent)[4]
Students	40,259[4]
Undergraduates	25,352[4]
Postgraduates	14,025[4]
Doctoral students	2,153[4]
Location	Johannesburg , Gauteng , South Africa 26°11′27″S 28°1′49″E / 26.19083°S 28.03028°E / -26.19083; 28.03028
Campus	2 urban and 3 suburban campuses
Colours	Blue   Gold
Nickname	Wits
Mascot	Kudos Kudu
Website	www.wits.ac.za

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (/vətˈvɑːtəsrɑːnt/), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The university has its roots in the mining industry, as do Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand in general. Founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley,^[2] it is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation.^[5]

The university has an enrolment of 40,259 students as of 2018, of which approximately 20 percent live on campus in the university's 17 residences. 63 percent of the university's total enrolment is for undergraduate study, with 35 percent being postgraduate and the remaining 2 percent being Occasional Students.^[4]