5.2 The University of Fort Hare . The university had historically experienced financial difficulties and as a result, enrolments declined significantly during the period of 1998 - 2000. A turnaround strategy that was implemented in 2001 stabilised the situation of the university and since then there had been significant improvements in enrolments. . The university was among the oldest institutions of higher learning in the country and its infrastructure had not been improved for several years. The old buildings in the Alice Campus required urgent refurbishment. . In terms of governance, the University Council was functional and there were no reported challenges in its composition. The university had a solid student governance system and Labour Unions played a critical role in the decision-making of the Council. There was harmony between management and university stakeholders. . The demand for financial assistance exceeded the supply. As a historically disadvantaged university, most of its students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and the NSFAS funding was their only means of accessing higher education. This resulted in top slicing to ensure that the highest number of students received financial aid and, unfortunately the final allocation per student did not cover books and meal vouchers. . It emerged that there was a serious crisis with regards to the shortage of accommodation in the university. The university was situated in a rural area and most of its students came from distant areas and the small town of Alice did not have adequate infrastructure to accommodate them. Even the current residences were in a state of disrepair and required urgent refurbishment and expansion. . It emerged that the university admitted only 3000 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students out of the 13 000 applications it received for the 2012 academic year. The lack of capacity remained a serious concern for the university in admitting more students. . Students were extremely concerned with the withholding of results by the university for those students who owed the university and, this mostly affected those from disadvantaged backgrounds.