Unisa runs a single centralised toll-free number for student enquiries rather than separate departmental lines, and it publishes the operating hours of that centre. Most administrative processes are handled online through myUnisa rather than by phone.
Official task/support route
- Centralised toll-free student enquiries: 0800 00 1870
- Student Communication Centre hours: 08:00 – 19:00 Monday to Friday, 08:00 – 14:00 Saturdays (SAST)
- Misdirected enquiries and FAQs: [email protected]
- Fax enquiries: 012 429 4150
- Student portal: my.unisa.ac.za
- Corporate website: unisa.ac.za
Unisa describes [email protected] as the address for misdirected enquiries and FAQs, which is worth reading literally: it is a routing mailbox rather than an admissions or examinations desk.
What you need before contacting
Unisa publishes a single national number rather than campus switchboards, which is consistent with how it operates: the institution is organised around distance delivery, so there is no campus reception that would handle a student query in person.
Have your student number ready — it identifies you across every Unisa system and almost nothing can be actioned without it. If you are a prospective student without one, have your identity number and the qualification you are asking about.
Check myUnisa before calling. Unisa states that application, registration and study-related information sits on the corporate website, and that administrative processes including fee payment and examination information are available through its online platforms. A large share of calls to the centre concern things already visible in the portal.
Step-by-step contact process
Start on myUnisa for anything transactional — registration, fees, results and examination timetables. If the portal does not resolve it, call the centralised number during the published hours with your student number to hand. Use the enquiries mailbox where you need a written record or where you are unsure which department the matter belongs to, and let Unisa route it.
The published Saturday hours are worth noting, since they are unusual for a university administration and give working students a window that does not require taking leave.
Note that Unisa is a distance-learning institution serving a very large student body, and demand on the contact centre peaks sharply around registration and examination periods. Where a deadline is involved, act well before it rather than relying on reaching someone on the day.
Escalation route
Because Unisa teaches at a distance, the contact centre and the portal are the institution for most students — there is no faculty office down the corridor to visit. Treating the published channels as the primary route rather than a fallback saves considerable time.
Ask for a reference on any unresolved matter and keep the email trail. Where an academic or administrative decision is disputed, Unisa has internal appeal processes that must be exhausted first.
If an institutional complaint remains unresolved, the Council on Higher Education is the statutory quality council for higher education in South Africa, and the Department of Higher Education and Training is the responsible department.
Sources
Contact details on this page were checked against Unisa’s own contact page on unisa.ac.za on 30 August 2026. Details Unisa does not publish are not listed here.