UP Students Sweep Top Five Positions in SAICA’s 2024 ITC

For the second year in a row, the University of Pretoria (UP) has claimed a 100% pass rate and the first-placed student in the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) Initial Test of Competence (ITC). More notably, four of the top five positions are all held by UP alumni. UP is immensely proud of these individuals who placed in the top five:

The ITC is the first of two SAICA qualifying examinations. It assesses how well a candidate can apply their technical competence acquired via university programmes, through the analysis and evaluation of specific scenarios.

Nationally, there were 24 candidates who achieved 75% or more in this year’s ITC. Nine UP students were part of this group that included the students who placed in the top 5 as well as: Kayla Parker, Kyle Steenberg, Tasha Pieterse, Matthias Venayagamoorthy and Thereza van Wyngaardt.

“To pass this examination with honours is an exemplary achievement and we wish to congratulate each one of these candidates,” said Professor Madeleine Stiglingh, Head: CA-Programme@UP.

The overall national pass rate in the January examination was 67% (2023 – 75%). A total of 2 571 candidates wrote the January 2024 ITC (2023 – 3 021), of which 1 726 passed (compared to 2 279 in 2023).

UP contributed 204 candidates to this year’s ITC (2023 – 174). Eighteen accredited institutions in South Africa contributed to the total candidate pool this year, with UP having contributed nearly 12% of all successful candidates in the country. UP is the only large-residential-university to demonstrate an increase in the number of ITC candidates for 2024.

The University has been consistent with its pass rates over the last 20 years, attaining an average first-time pass rate of approximately 95% over this period.

From a transformational perspective, UP showed an impressive 43% growth in pass rates from African, Coloured and Indian candidates. UP achieved a 100% pass rate amongst its African cohort, which is significantly higher than the national pass rate for this cohort (59%). The CA-Programme@UP is committed to improving these numbers in the future.

This group of successful candidates started their university journey during the COVID-19 pandemic, subjecting these students to the online learning environment for the first two years of their tertiary education experience. “These outstanding results achieved by this cohort is a testament to their resilience and agility during very challenging times in the higher education sector,” said Prof. Stiglingh. She expressed her gratitude to the management of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) and the top management of the University of Pretoria for their continued support of the CA-Programme@UP.

Prof. Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Dean of the Faculty of EMS, praised the academic and professional staff within the Financial Sciences departments for their unwavering commitment to teaching and learning excellence. She commended Prof Madeleine Stiglingh, the Heads of the academic departments in Financial Sciences, and the lecturing staff for their outstanding achievement. “We are immensely proud of the exceptional performance of our students in the 2024 SAICA ITC results. Their hard work has truly paid off. These remarkable outcomes would not have been possible without the dedication of our academic staff who have consistently upheld our commitment to excellence.”

This occasion also marks exactly one year since the Faculty of EMS was awarded accreditation status from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. This a significant accreditation that underscores the quality of our education. These results also reflect the significant progress we have made in maintaining the highest standards in commerce education. “We continue to exemplify why UP is one of the leaders in the education of Chartered Accountants in South Africa,” said Prof. Chitiga-Mabugu.