The North-West University is a newly merged institution from 1 January 2004 onwards with three campuses at Potchefstroom, Mahikeng and Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. The Potchefstroom Campus (founded in 1869) is the largest, and the head office of the University is situated at this location. With its merged status, the North-West University became one of the largest universities in South Africa and has 64 081 students (full-time and distance education).
The universities that merged to form this institution are the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of North-West (formerly the University of Bophuthatswana). These two campuses form the main hubs of the university, with the Potchefstroom campus catering to Afrikaans speakers and the Mahikeng campus being broader in orientation.