While the number of non-white students in South African colleges has increased since 1994, rates of college access and success are only marginally better today than under apartheid, a report from Inyathelo: The South African Institute for Advancement finds.

Based on a literature review and in-depth interviews at eighteen of South Africa's twenty-three public universities, the report, Student Access and Success: Issues and Interventions in South African Universities (126 pages, PDF), found that the overall participation rate in higher education is 17 percent, with rates for African students (14 percent) and students of mixed ancestry (15 percent) lagging those of Indian (46 percent) and white (57 percent) students. The report also found that only about half of those who matriculate ever graduate, while only 27 percent of all undergraduates complete their degrees on time.

Funded by the Kresge Foundation, the report identifies both academic and non-academic factors behind the low access and success rates, including the “articulation  gap” between school and university, as well as socio-cultural issues such as income level, family support, expectations for and/or preparedness of college-level courses, and lack of guidance .

"What really stood out for us was that addressing poor student success rates in higher education has to include systemic responses," said Thandi Lewis, the study's lead researcher. "There are finally some signs that shifts may be taking place in recognizing the role of institutions in adapting their structures and approaches."