This article contains information on the Top 10 Cheapest Universities in South Africa – 2023
South Africa, a country in the Southern region of the African continent is a beautiful place to be, with a population of over 50 million people with a rich cultural heritage and diverse native tongues and religious beliefs. It is indeed a great place to be with friendly and welcoming people. If you’re a student who wants to explore the diversity of different countries, with their dynamic towns and natural scenery, South Africa is the place to be.
Education in South Africa is rated as one of the best all over the world. There are various affordable universities in South Africa that also offer quality and incomparable quality in terms of education. The current thrive in migration to South Africa can be attributed to this as it is not just a place for tourism and pleasure, but one with high potentials for education, business and other sectors.
In the aspect of education, South Africa has an outstanding rating in recent times, as a centre for educational prowess that is also easily accessible to foreign students who desire to study there. The constant rise in demand for courses to study in South Africa and the cheapest universities that offer quality education had led to the compilation of this list to help prospective students and serve as a guide in their choice of institution.
TOP 10 CHEAPEST UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Some of the cheapest universities in South Africa include:
1. University Of Kwazulu Natal
The University of Kwazulu Natal, located in the province of Kwazulu Natal, is one of the reputable universities in South Africa, with a total of five campuses in the institution. This university was founded in the year 2004 following the merging of the two universities, the University of Durban, Westville and the University of Natal. The motto of this institution is Inspiring greatness. The institution has Mogoeng Mogoeng as its Chancellor and Dr. Albert van Jaarsvein as the Vice-Chancellor. According to universities ranking, the University of Kwazulu Natal is ranked as the 4th best in South Africa and 500th in the world. The five campuses where this institution is located are namely, Pinetown, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Westville and Kwazulu-Natal, all in South Africa. There are four colleges in the university, with many schools in this category. Courses offered at this institution include:
Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Statistics and Computer Science, Mathematics, Philosophy, Classics and Religion, Social Sciences, Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Applied Human Sciences, Education, Law and Management Studies, Economics, Accounting and a list of others.
The Tuition fee for undergraduate programs cost about R24, 300-R53, 100. This is subject to change, depending on the desired course.
For a master’s program in UKZN, it is about R39, 770 – R44, 000. For doctorate programs, the cost for tuition is R30, 680 – R40, 000.
2. University of Free State
Another reputable university with a multi-campus system, the University of Free State is located in Bloemfontein, the famous capital of Free State, which doubles also as the judicial capital or seat of the Judiciary in South Africa. It is one of the higher institutions in South Arica with affordable tuition fees and quality education.
This university was first established in the year 1904, with its chancellor as Dr. Khotso Mokhele and Francis Petersen as its Vice-Chancellor. As previously stated, it is located in Bloemfontein, Free State in South Africa. The institution attained its status as a full-fledged university in the year 1950, with a change in its name to the University of the Orange Free State. Another change in the name of the university took place in the year 2001 in February, from its previous name to its current name presently, The University of Free State. This was adopted to portray the institution’s character and environment in its entirety. The university is ranked among South African higher institutions as the 9th and according to world rating as 2095th.
At this university, undergraduate and postgraduate courses are run in courses such as:
Education, Humanities, Economics and Management Sciences, Law, Theology, Health Sciences and Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
Tuition fee in this institution is R16, 500 for undergraduates, R19, 910 for foreign students.
3. Rhodes University
This is a university for public research located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa known as Grahamstown. Listed as one of the cheapest South African universities that doesn’t compromise on quality education, the Rhodes University is another university well sought after in the province. The history of this university dates back to 1904 and it is notably one of the oldest universities in the province, and the fifth of all South African universities still in operation, with forerunners such as the Universities of Free State, Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch and University of Cape Town, established in 1904, 1896, 1866 and 1829 respectively. It is ranked as the 5th in South African school rating
This university was named after Cecil Rhodes from a grant using the Rhodes Trust. Originally, it was a college with the University of South Africa in 1918. It gained independence in 1951. Courses offered in undergraduate and master’s programs include Humanities, Law, Education, Commerce, Science and phar-macy.
Tuition fees for undergraduates in this institution are R26, 590 – R30, 705 and R35, 700 -R37, 600 for foreign students.
4. North West University
This is another low tuition South African University with three campuses situated in Mahikeng, Vanderbijlpark and Potchefstroom; with the latter being the Universities’ head office. NWU is one of the largest universities in South Africa with a population of over 64, 000 students. It is a merger of these institutions that led to the birth of North West University. It came into being in the year 2004 due to efforts by the South African government to improve the educational sector. NWU is ranked as the 9th in South Africa and a world rating of 1188th.
Courses offered in this institution include Accounting sciences, Economic Sciences, Business and Governance, Psychology, philosophy Mathematics, commerce and social studies, various kinds of engineering, Phar-macy, nutrition, nursing, and a long list of others.
Cost of tuition is R31, 100-R47, 000 for undergraduates.
5. University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town, founded in the year 1829 is another great low tuition university located in the Western Cape Province, Cape Town, South Africa. It was originally called the South African college, one of the oldest on the list of tertiary institutions in South Africa. It was first established as a high school for boys, with a small college facility which slowly grew into what we have today, with the discovery of gold and diamonds. It gained full university status in 1880 to 1900 as a result of funding from private structures and the government. This institution is ranked as the 2nd in South Africa and 120th globally.
Courses offered in this institution include Economics, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, medicine, psychiatry and mental health, education, psychology, oceanography and other interesting courses.
Tuition fees are R21, 500 for undergraduates, R75, 000 for foreign students and R60, 000 and R3, 750 for postgraduate and PhD programs respectively.
6. University of Fort Hare
The University of Fort hare used to be one of the vital institutions of higher learning for black Africans within the year 1916-1959. The system of education was similar to that of western-style for students across sub-Saharan Africa. Alumni of this institution are notable individuals, with reputable awards and prizes as well as positions. The university was earlier subdued by apartheid but has become an integral part of post-apartheid institutions in South Africa. The University of Fort Hare is ranked as the 17th in South Africa and the 1879th worldwide.
Some of the courses offered in this institution include undergraduate and masters’ courses in Social Sciences, education, humanities, commerce, law, agriculture etc.
Tuition fees range from R18, 629-R44, 374 for undergraduates, R26, 000-R45, 000 for foreign students and R12, 470-R21, 600 for postgraduates.
7. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
The Nelson Mandela University, formerly known as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and University of Port Elizabeth was founded in 2005 and has been listed as one of the most affordable tertiary institutions in South Africa. The seat of administration is situated in Port Elizabeth, a coastal city in South Africa.
The university came to fruition following a merger between the Port Elizabeth Technikon and the University of Port Elizabeth. However, its historical background goes back to 1882 when the Port Elizabeth art school was established and attracts students from all over the world. A good number of international students, numbering over 3,000 from countries such as China, Belgium, united states, France, united kingdom, united states, Denmark and other African and non-African countries. NMU is a great university that fosters creativity and nurtures innovation and is thereby ranked 12th in South Africa and 1311th globally.
Courses offered include undergraduate and master’s degrees in law, computer science, physics and statistics, economics, architecture, music and so on.
Tuition fees are an estimated R93, 770 for undergraduates, R17, 940 for masters and R20, 1o for PhD. Programs.
8. University of Witwatersrand
The University of Witwatersrand, established in the year 1896 and located in the northern part of central Johannesburg is a public research university with various campuses. It is commonly called the university of wits. It was founded in Kimberly in 1896 under the name South African School of Mines. In 1904, it was relocated to Johannesburg and was given the name University College Johannesburg in 1920. It is ranked 1st in South African universities and 6th in Africa.
Courses offered include commerce, accountancy, and architecture, all forms of engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and physics among others.
Tuition fees range between R 94, 910 for undergraduates, R 65, 300 for master’s program, R 20, 670 for PhD, and R 204, 100 for MBA.
9. Stellenbosch University
This is another low-tuition location located in Stellenbosch, a small town in West Cape Province, South Africa. It is also one of the oldest not only in South Africa but in the sub-Saharan region, alongside University of Cape Town. The first satellite in Africa was manufactured at this university and launched in 1999.
It is also noted as the first higher institution in African history to sign Berlin declaration on knowledge in science and humanities. Students of this institution are called “Maties”, a term emanating from “tamatie”, an Afrikaans word meaning tomato, the colour of their blazer and sports uniform. It is ranked as the 2nd in South Africa, 3rd in Africa and 390th worldwide with courses such as science, education, theology, engineering, law etc. offered here.
Cost of tuition is R 20, 529 for undergraduate and postgraduate African students and R 43, 380 for non-Africans.
10. University of Johannesburg
It was established in the year 2005 and was founded because of the merger between Rand Afrikaans University and Technikon Witwatersrand as well as Soweto East Rand campus of the vista university. Before this merger, the Soweto and Daveyton campuses were already incorporated into a rand Afrikaans university. It has a vision to be a distinguished institution in Africa and its mission is to inspire people to make a change in the world and serve humanity. They are benched on four values, conversation, ethical foundation, regeneration and imagination. It is ranked as the 5th South African university and 601st in the world.
Courses offered include quantity surveying, engineering, fashion design, architecture, economics, visual art, biomedical technology, nursing, optometry, biochemistry, biotechnology, physiology, geology and a list of others.
Tuition fee is R102, 280-R110, 330 for undergraduates and R14, 634-R171, 158 for postgraduates.
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