The establishing of UWC was a direct effect of the Apartheid-era Extension of University Education Act, 1959.

The university started as a small institution: in the first year, 166 students were enrolled and the teaching staff numbered 17.

[2] Desmond Tutu - 1987 to 2012 Thabo Makgoba - 2012 to present N.J Sieberhagen - 1960 to 1973 Wynand Mouton - 1974 Richard Ernest van der Ross - 1975 to 1986 Jakes Gerwel - 1987 to 1994 Cecil Abrahams - 1995 to 2000 Brian O Connell - 2001 to 2014 Tyrone Pretorius - 2015 to 2024 Robert Balfour - 2025 to present During the first 15 years, the board and staff were primarily whites, supporting the National Party and apartheid.

[citation needed] Apart from lecturers like Small, there were many students who were active in the struggle against apartheid, and who were loyal to the Black Consciousness Movement.

[citation needed] The years thereafter gave way to a more liberal atmosphere, in which the university gradually distanced itself from apartheid.

[3] Rector Jakes Gerwel made UWC an "intellectual home of the left", with attention to social and political issues.

There are many institutes and centres with a strong research emphasis, and there are significant projects and programmes which draw on expertise across departments and faculties.

UWC's major network of international partners ensures a flow of students and eminent scholars from other countries to enrich the environment.

And there is a strong and growing relationship with institutions in other countries in Africa, Europe and North America, leading to research partnerships, joint capacity building, and a flow of postgraduate students to UWC.

In addition, UWC Honours and Master's graduates have won a number of major international scholarships.

The CoE-FS undertakes "innovative research and critical enquiry to enable South Africa to tackle the challenges of food security and nutrition".