Factors That Influence Changes in State Funding and Their Implications for Student Access: The Case of the University of the Western Cape

This study examines factors influencing the changes in public funding and their implications for student access under fluctuations in public funding at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.Underpinned by resource dependence theory, the study uses a qualitative methodology via in-depth interviewing of eleven participants and documentary analysis to gather data to explore the study's objective.Higher education funding has been a challenge in South Africa.Between 2015 and 2016, widespread protests brought national attention to issues surrounding declining public funding and high student fees.The #FeesMustFall movement, which advocated for free higher education, resulted in the temporary shutdown of numerous universities, a suspension of fee increases, and the establishment of a Presidential Commission in 2016 tasked with proposing future funding strategies for students.This study explores factors influencing the changes in public funding and their implications for student access at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).These factors include the state of the national economy, competing needs of the various sectors of the economy, low prioritization of higher education, and overspending in election years, which have had some implications for student access.