With our focus on human rights, social justice, and reconciliation, the research of UFS academics focuses on societal challenges, with an emphasis on diversity, change, social justice, and the removal of inequalities in and through higher education.

With the Free State Centre for Human Rights in the Faculty of Law, the UFS aims to strengthen a human-rights culture both locally and across South Africa through research, advocacy, and litigation. Within this theme, we also focus on education-related research, with studies on higher education and human development, student engagement, and mathematics and science.