Students often find the transition from school to university a difficult feat to accomplish. Internationally the student experience of this transition has been described as “somewhere between a challenging hurdle and an intimidating leap into the unknown” (Lowe & Cook, 2003:53); “like being in a foreign land” (Kuh, 2005:86) and an “exciting but extremely stressful time” (Kahn et al. 2002:4; Parker, Hogan, Eastabrook, Oke & Wood, 2006:2). South African students also struggle to adapt to university, and as a result the South African higher education system is plagued by poor levels of student success and high levels of student drop-out during the first year of study (see the national cohort analysis by Scott, Yeld & Hendry, 2007).
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Student success has always been of paramount importance at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Some of the strategic goals of the institution include: being an engaged university, excellence in teaching and learning, and offering a preferred student experience. In response to the difficult transition described above and in line with the stated institutional goals, the University of Johannesburg has launched its First Year Experience programme during 2010. The FYE initiative has been in the making for the past three years and involves more than isolated activities or interventions. The FYE @ UJ is an institutional response and involves developing an ethos and a way of life that better invites first year student success. The FYE @ UJ is underpinned by ten guiding principles, and during 2010 seven strategic initiatives are being used to kick-start the FYE.
The First Year Experience at the University of Johannesburg was strongly supported by the University Senate in September 2009.