Unisa awarded top SAICA rating

After a rigorous full monitoring visit and according to the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) accreditation requirements, Unisa’s College of Accounting Sciences (CAS) was awarded a rating of 1. This means that it has met all the SAICA accreditation requirements for the offering of its relevant undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

This is the first time ever that Unisa has received a rating of 1 and Professor Elmarie Sadler, Executive Dean of CAS, thanked staff for their commitment, hard work, passion, and diligence. “This is really an enormous achievement. I wish to thank each and every one of you for your contribution to the new accreditation status. This was a team effort, your effort! Congratulations! I believe that the College of Accounting Sciences can now only reach more heights, achieve more and obtain more accolades. I am so proud to be part of this process and I am sure you all are, too,” she said with pride.

In its role as an education and training quality assurer (ETQA) and in terms of its current recognition standing with the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA), SAICA accredits certain programmes specifically designed to allow access to the Initial Test of Competence (ITC).

Programmes accredited by SAICA are only offered at certain universities. SAICA’s accreditation is over and above institutional audits performed by the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC), Programme accreditation granted by the HEQC in its role as the band ETQA for Higher Education and recognition of degrees registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is awarded by SAQA.

Accreditation of a programme by SAICA means that (extract from the Accreditation and Monitoring Framework): the provider has put in place the appropriate resources that, if utilised effectively, should enable it to deliver the programme at the required standards and levels of quality; and the programme meets SAICA’s requirements in terms of the standards of learning and teaching.

Source UNISA