What is the EDP?
In 1997, the South African government released the White Paper for the Transformation of Higher Education which outlined a comprehensive set of initiatives for the transformation of higher education. The White Paper noted the central role of higher education in the social, cultural and economic development of modern societies. The specific challenge in South Africa was to redress past inequalities and to transform the higher education system to respond to new realities and opportunities. In recognition of the central role of academic development in the transformation of higher education, Extended Degree Programmes (EDPs), or Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) were established as a mechanism to deal with systemic obstacles to equity and student success.
In the EDP, students do their first academic year over two years. They receive additional academic support and follow academic enhancement modules that support them in their graduate studies. EDP students take 78 more credits than mainstream students in their undergraduate years, but they receive the same Bachelor's degree.