

NWU Business model
Click on the tabs below to read more about our business model.
- INPUT
- ACTIVITIES
- OUTPUT
- OUTCOME
INPUT
People reached through our online
student recruitment interventions
(social and relationship capital)
First-time entering undergraduate
students (human capital)
Number of students per qualification type (human capital)
Budget (financial capital)
Spent on infrastructure
(Manufactured capital)
increase in total assets
The total usable floor area of the NWU
The total area occupied by the university’s campuses
(natural capital)
Academic and support staff (human capital)
| Personnel category | Permanent | Temporary | 2019 | 2020 |
| Crafts/trades | ![]() |
23 | 26 | |
| 0 | 0 | |||
| Executive/ administration/ management professional |
![]() |
90 | 82 | |
![]() |
5 | 3 | ||
| Instructional/ Research professional |
![]() |
1 575 | 1 612 | |
![]() |
450 | 338 | ||
| Non-professional
administration |
![]() |
1 289 | 1 294 | |
![]() |
3 755 | 3 388 | ||
| Service | ![]() |
327 | 325 | |
![]() |
40 | 59 | ||
| Specialised / support professional |
![]() |
522 | 503 | |
![]() |
229 | 160 | ||
| Technical | ![]() |
251 | 243 | |
![]() |
50 | 44 | ||
| Grand total | 8 606 | 8 077 |
ACTIVITIES
Spending according to the Annual Performance Plan
(financial capital)
Goal 1 (teaching and learning); Goal 2 (research and innovation); Goal 3 (community engagement and sustainability); Goal 4 (student value proposition); Goal 5 (staff and student equity); Enabler 1 (govern, lead and manage); Enabler 2 (develop best-in-class information and communication technology to support the core business); Enabler 3 (communication and stakeholder engagement); Enabler 4 (financial sustainability)
activities
academic support, health care,
and cultural and sport
activities
development
activities:
(intellectual capital)
research
(intellectual capital)
engagement
(social and relationship capital)
(intellectual capital)
OUTPUT
Graduates: educational subject matter distribution (human capital)
Total number of graduates per qualification type
(human capital)
Number of graduates who completed their studies in minimum time
The university, from its own resources, contributed R2,4 billion or 10% of the total funds allocated for financial aid.
(Social and relationship capital)
We had slightly more than 1 950 active agreements and memoranda of understanding
Success rate of the NWU merit bursary holders
Research output 2019
(intellectual capital)
| Journal articles | 1 233,18 |
| Conference proceedings | 118,75 |
| Books and chapters | 189,22 |
| Total article equivalents published | 1 541,15 |
| Master’s degrees conferred | 798 |
| Research master’s | 574,87 |
| Research master’s weighted | 574,87 |
| Doctoral degrees conferred | 314 |
| Doctoral degrees weighted | 942 |
| Total weighted research output | 3 058,02 |
| Postdoctoral fellows | 231 |
| Publication units per permanent Academic staff member | 0,98 |
Financial sustainability (financial capital)
Net surplus for 2020 as reflected in the
consolidated statement of comprehensive income
OUTCOME
The Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings announced on 28 October 2020 indicated that the NWU excelled in the clinical and health subjects, as well as in the law subject groups, and was placed globally in the 201 to 250 and the 201+ categories respectively. It also shone in psychology, where it was ranked in the 301 to 400 category.
The external environment sets the context in which we use our business model to create value.
