Universities in South Africa

Here you can find universities, masters degrees, graduate studies and professional programs in South Africa. Get a university degree in South Africa.

Higher education in South Africa has undergone significant reform since 2005. Earlier, higher education in South Africa was delivered at a university known as ‘technikon’ which primarily focused on career oriented education. Since 2005, higher education in South Africa is being delivered at different types of universities:

• Universities, which are more research focused, and provide the more traditional academic courses that lead to Bachelor’s, Honour’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees.
• Universities of Technology are the ‘technikons’ continuing from pre-2005 period. They are strongly career oriented and offer programs that integrate experiential learning with classroom lessons. Even research, usually undertaken at the Bachelor of Technology level, is of a more applied nature.
• Comprehensive Universities are a combination of both traditional academic universities and universities of technology. They, however, offer more professionally oriented programs.

Additionally, there are National Institutes of Higher Education in South Africa. They have been created to provide affordable higher education to the two provinces, Mpumalanga and North Cape, which do not yet have universities.
 
Higher education in South Africa is also imparted at various private institutions. These institutions receive no public funds. They have to register with the Department of Higher Education and Training, and also have their programs accredited by the Council on Higher Education. Private institutions and colleges in South Africa have very rapidly increased in numbers and offer a wide array of courses in IT, management, communication, religion, nursing and secretarial skills.
 
There is a clear distinction between undergraduate and postgraduate studies in South Africa. These stages of higher education in South Africa are divided into four programs; bachelor’s degree programs, bachelor honours degree programs, master’s degree programs and doctoral programs. Undergraduate programs at universities and colleges in South Africa lead to a bachelor’s degree, a diploma or a higher certificate. Postgraduate programs at universities in South Africa, on the other hand, lead to an honours bachelor's degree, a postgraduate diploma, a master's degree or a doctoral degree.
 
Bachelor’s Degree in South Africa
 
Universities in South Africa offer Bachelor degree programs that can take anywhere from three to six years, depending on the elected stream of study. Degrees are also categorized as generic or professional depending on the orientation of the course. Generic study programs like those dealing with humanities, science and commerce are three years long. Professional study programs usually take at least four.
 
Admission to bachelor’s degree courses, students must score at least 30% on the National Secondary Certificate (NSC) examination and obtain a rating of at least 4 (between 50% – 59%) in four subjects from a wide array including mathematics, accounting, history, geography, economics and music.
 
Bachelor Honours degree in South Africa
 
The bachelor honours degree programs are one year long and form part of the master’s degree studies in South Africa. Students who have successfully completed their bachelor’s degree course can pursue the bachelor honours degree, which certifies a deepened knowledge in the subject of their choice.
 
Master’s Degree in South Africa
 
Master’s degree studies in South Africa are one to two years long, and require candidates to have successfully completed their bachelor’s program. Typically Master’s degree courses in South Africa cover the main specializations arts, science, commerce and social studies.
Interested students, who successfully complete their master’s degree courses, can apply for the doctoral degree courses in South Africa.
 

Browse list of schools:

Are you interested in touring Spain? Click here to learn about our thematic educational tours or have us design a customized itinerary specially for you!