Many African higher education entrants have an African language as a first language, whereas English and Afrikaans are default media of instruction in South African higher education institutions (HEIs). This precludes equivalent chances of academic success for students. Linguistic diversity in HEIs might also influence students' experiences in…

After centuries of "Eurocentric" linguistic ideology, the South African government has formulated African language development and multilingualism as one priority in the education system. While only English, and decreasingly Afrikaans, are the only "established" languages of instruction at tertiary level, most universities in…