Septa

Where you can study in South Africa

26 PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES AND 13 TVET COLLEGES

Institutions differ more than most learners realise — in what they teach, how they admit students, and what a qualification from them leads to.

Three kinds of institution

Traditional universities offer academic degrees — BA, BSc, BCom, LLB, MBChB — and are research-focused. If you are heading toward a profession that requires a degree and then postgraduate study, this is the route.

Universities of technology focus on career-oriented qualifications, typically diplomas and Bachelor of Technology degrees, with work-integrated learning built in. Engineering, IT, hospitality and applied sciences are strengths here.

Comprehensive universities do both, which gives you more room to change direction after first year.

The type matters less than the specific qualification. A well-chosen diploma beats a degree you drop out of. Look at the programme, not the label.

Gauteng

Western Cape

KwaZulu-Natal

Eastern Cape

Free State

Limpopo

Mpumalanga

North West

Northern Cape

TVET colleges

TVET colleges train for specific trades and occupations, and in scarce-skill areas their graduates are often hired faster than degree holders. They are a serious option, not a fallback.

Gauteng

Western Cape

KwaZulu-Natal

Eastern Cape

How applications work

Most institutions take applications through their own online portal, opening around April and closing between the end of August and the end of September for the following academic year. Some high-demand programmes such as medicine close earlier.

KwaZulu-Natal is the exception. Applications to UKZN, DUT, MUT and the University of Zululand go through the Central Applications Office rather than the institutions themselves, so one application covers several choices.

Application dates change every year. Confirm them on the institution's own site before you rely on them.

Work out what you qualify for

Admission is decided largely on your APS score, and every institution calculates it slightly differently. Work out yours before you choose where to apply.

Calculate your APS score

Then look at how to fund your studies, or read what Septa is.