WATCH: #Access campaign aims to raise R10mn
The University of the Witwatersrand's Student Representative Council (SRC) urged the private sector to come on board and make free education a reality.
Students said engaging with government wasn't enough.
They gathered on campus on Tuesday urging their peers to also donate money to those who cannot afford fees.
The campaign wants to raise funds for students with historical debt that have been excluded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
The SRC said fundraising was only a short term solution and the end result must be free quality education.
SRC Secretary General, Fasiha Hassan said they could not allow 8000 students to go home on their watch.
"There is a greater structural issue in the higer education space and therefore there is still a need for free and quality education for the poor," she said.
The campaign has raised just over R3 million, with a goal of raising R10 million by the end of February.
Edited by Suné du Toit