It was initially established for Indians, as during apartheid there were few universities that admitted non-White students.
Prior to the building of UDW, Indian students traveled by ferry to a facility at Salisbury Island, which had been established in 1961 as the University College for Indians[1][2] UDW offered degrees in commerce, the arts, law, engineering, and health sciences and sciences in general.
UDW was the hub of many student anti-apartheid political rallies.
In 1995 it was reported that staff members had been subjected to death threats, violence, break-ins to their homes and offices and smear campaigns by other staff members.
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