The Unisa theses and dissertations (UnisaETD) is the largest component of the UnisaIR. Since 2002 students had to submit an electronic version of theses and dissertations together with the printed copies. Since November 2016 printed copies were no longer required. The Unisa Institutional Repository is at present the only database for electronic Unisa theses and dissertations. During a retrospective digitisation project some years ago, theses and dissertations that were still available in printed format only, were digitised back to 1994. The Library is still busy with digitisation of theses and dissertations on an ongoing basis.
Theses and dissertations must be sent by supervisors to lib-drc@unisa.ac.za. These items are uploaded to the UnisaETD collection in the UnisaIR and also mapped to the relevant departmental collections for theses and dissertations.