North-West University was formed in 2004, with the merger of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of North-West, formerly the University of Bophuthatswana. It is now one of South Africa's biggest universities, with about 32 000 fulltime and distance students.
It has three campuses in two provinces: the Mafikeng and Potchestroom campuses are in the North West province, while the Vaal Triange campus is in Gauteng. It upholds the promotion of multilingualism as a core practice, with key innovations in place to meet the needs of its diverse student body.