HEAIDS commissioned this audit to assess the range of HIV and AIDS services, activities and interventions in each of the 35 Higher Education Institutions in South Africa against the programme framework and its indicators. The audit therefore represents a baseline against that framework and its indicators.The audit was conducted during a volatile period of change for the HEI sector due to impending mergers of several HEIs. By 2005, the higher education system will comprise fewer and larger institutions (23 in total) and the existing distinctions between the types of institutions will have changed. The student profiles, needs on campus, and a host of other factors will change the institutional landscape in general. The audit coincides with major changes in government policy on the provision of HIV and AIDS treatment, specifically the provision of Anti-Retroviral Therapy through the public health care system. These developments significantly affect the way in which HEIs need to think about institutional strategies and the most effective ways of responding to an epidemic that is increasingly more visible on campuses across the country. The findings have considerable value in describing the status of HIV and AIDS activities in the HEIs at the present time, as well as suggesting where future assistance to HEIs could be focused.All 35 of South Africa's HEIs (i.e. 100 percent sample) were reviewed in this audit, and responses were solicited from the Vice-Chancellor (or Rector), the Institutional Officer, a Human Resources (HR) representative, the Dean of Research, the Dean of Students, an On-Site Clinic representative and the Peer Education Manager, as well as a subset of Heads of Departments at each institution. Overall, the audit had an 84 percent response rate which represents a positive response from the stakeholder groups.This document can be downloaded (5 PDF files) from the HEAIDS website.