# Nelson Mandela University

> university in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

**Wikidata**: [Q1331614](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1331614)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/nelson-mandela-university

## Summary
Nelson Mandela University is a public university located in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), South Africa. Established in 2005 through the merger of the University of Port Elizabeth and the Port Elizabeth Technikon, it serves approximately 27,000 students and is named after the former South African president Nelson Mandela.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name:** Nelson Mandela University (formerly Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University).
- **Location:** Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa (Coordinates: -34.00842, 25.67778).
- **Founded:** 2005.
- **Type:** Public university, open-access publisher.
- **Student Enrollment:** Approximately 27,000.
- **Staff:** Approximately 2,500 employees.
- **Motto:** "For Tomorrow."
- **Named After:** Nelson Mandela.
- **Predecessors:** University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth Technikon.
- **Website:** https://www.mandela.ac.za/

## FAQs
### Q: Where is Nelson Mandela University located?
A: The university is located in Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

### Q: When was Nelson Mandela University established?
A: The university was founded in 2005, resulting from the merger of the University of Port Elizabeth and the Port Elizabeth Technikon.

### Q: Is Nelson Mandela University a public or private institution?
A: It is a public university.

### Q: Who is Nelson Mandela University affiliated with?
A: The institution is a member of the Association of African Universities and the South African National Library and Information Consortium. Notable affiliated individuals include data scientist Cassie Kozyrkov.

## Why It Matters
Nelson Mandela University holds significant relevance in the South African higher education landscape as a comprehensive institution named after the country's first democratically elected president. It plays a critical role in the region by providing accessible further education to a large student body of approximately 27,000 individuals. As a public university formed from the consolidation of historical institutions (University of Port Elizabeth and Port Elizabeth Technikon), it represents a modern synthesis of academic and technological training. Its designation as an open-access publisher and its membership in the Association of African Universities highlight its commitment to scholarly research and continental collaboration. The university distinguishes itself through a broad faculty structure that includes Arts, Education, Science, Health Sciences, Law, and Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, serving as a major educational and economic driver in the Gqeberha area.

## Notable For
- **Namesake:** It is the only university in South Africa named after Nelson Mandela, following his approval to use his name for the "Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University" in 2005.
- **Comprehensive Merger:** It was formed by merging an academic university (University of Port Elizabeth) and a technikon (Port Elizabeth Technikon), creating a dual-mode institution.
- **Open Access Publishing:** The institution is classified not only as a university but also as an open-access publisher.
- **Research Identity:** It holds a unique identifier (ROR ID: 03r1jm528) and is part of global research networks like the Open Funder Registry (ID: 501100013969).
- **Digital Reach:** It maintains a significant digital footprint with active presences on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, catering to a diverse international audience.

## Body

### History and Formation
Nelson Mandela University was founded in 2005. It was established as a result of a merger between two predecessor institutions: the **University of Port Elizabeth** and the **Port Elizabeth Technikon**. For a period, it was officially known as the **Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University** (NMMU), a name that is still used for specific faculties and administrative bodies. The institution's official name is now Nelson Mandela University.

### Location and Campus
The university is situated in **Gqeberha** (historically and commonly referred to as Port Elizabeth), South Africa. Its geographic coordinates are -34.00842 latitude and 25.67778 longitude.

### Academic Structure
The university is organized into several specialized faculties and departments. These include:
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
- Department of Chemistry

### Institutional Identifiers
The university is recognized globally through various identifiers:
- **GRID ID:** grid.412139.c
- **ISNI:** 0000000495149886
- **ROR ID:** 03r1jm528
- **VIAF ID:** 2015155345592606430000

### Digital Presence
The university maintains a robust online presence. Its official website is **mandela.ac.za**. It operates active social media channels, including:
- **Twitter:** @mandelauni (Joined Nov 2010)
- **Facebook:** @MandelaUni (Joined Oct 2010)
- **Instagram:** @mandelauniversity
- **YouTube:** Channel ID UChgJhLchQSrZMYyV06zy9pw (Joined Oct 2010)
- **LinkedIn:** nelson-mandela-university

It also provides an RSS feed for news updates in English.

### Affiliations and Memberships
The institution is a member of the **Association of African Universities** and the **South African National Library and Information Consortium**. It is also listed as an organization within the Relationship Science database and has a Crunchbase organization profile. The university employs approximately 2,500 staff members.

## References

1. Directory of Open Access Journals
2. GRID
3. [Source](https://relationshipscience.com/organization/nelson-mandela-university-285022962)
4. Virtual International Authority File
5. [Library of Congress Name Authority File](http://viaf.org/viaf/sourceID/LC%7Cno2019023079#skos:Concept)
6. [Source](https://www.aau.org/subs/membership/)
7. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
8. MusicBrainz
9. [Source](https://www.mandela.ac.za/)
10. Integrated Authority File
11. Library of Congress Name Authority File
12. [Source](http://www.mandela.ac.za/)
13. [Source](http://km.aifb.kit.edu/services/crunchbase/)
14. YouTube
15. GRID Release 2015-12-14
16. GRID Release 2016-12-06
17. Open Funder Registry
18. Quora
19. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
20. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
21. YouTube API