Students' perceptions or a university access (bridging) programme for social science, commerce and humanities

Universities in South Africa face the challenge of redressing past (and continuing) inequalities in higher education by increasing accessibility to previously (and currently) disadvantaged students. One means of doing so is through 'access' or 'bridging' programmes. This article explores successful students 'perceptions of one such programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal by means of qualitative focus group interviews. This retrospective evaluation of the programme explores students' perspectives on the extent to which the Access Programme (AP) has 'bridged the gap' between secondary and tertiary education as well as any potential negative outcomes generated by the programme, e.g. perceptions of stigma. Results indicate that (1) interviewed students generally perceived the programme as beneficial and legitimate in preparing them for their degree studies, (2) the racial homogeneity and the isolation of AP students from mainstream students have resulted in some negative outcomes such as perceptions of stigmatisation and inferiority and (3) students enrolled in the programme and the programme management may have quite different perceptions of the nature of the 'articulation gap' that the programme aims to address.