Where to study in South Africa
Where to study in South Africa is a bigger decision than most people realise. It’s not only about the course. The place you choose decides your weather, your weekends, how you get to class, how often you get home and how far your money stretches. This section helps you look at all of that before you apply.
Each of our nine provinces gives you a very different student life. Some offer mountains and beaches, some the biggest job market in the country, and some a slower pace and lower living costs. Our province guides cover the real reasons to study in each one, from transport and part-time work to hikes, festivals and weekend trips, and we’re honest about the downsides too, like rent, distance and safety.
You’ll also find guides on the different ways to study. Not everyone needs a university. You can study at a university or university of technology, a TVET college, a private college or a nursing college, or study online through distance learning without moving at all. Whichever route you pick, make sure the institution is properly registered with DHET, and check it on our listings before you pay.
Every guide is written in plain language for reading on your phone, checked against reliable South African sources, and dated so you know it’s current. We don’t take payment to recommend a province, college or course in our articles.
Start with Why study in South Africa, then browse the province guides below to find the place that fits you.
Where to study articles: 1–9 of 10
- Where to study
If you want to study in South Africa, you've got more choice than most people realise, and not just about courses. Each of our nine provinces gives you a completely different life!
- Where to study
Eastern Cape is a proper small student town, with elephants and whales within easy reach, one of the most famous surf breaks on the planet and a car industry that hires apprentices.
- Where to study
When you study in the Free State, you get a city that's properly used to students, a spot right in the middle of the country, mountains and game reserves, plus and a slower pace!
- Where to study
The biggest province in South Africa, taking up almost a third of the country's land, and it has the fewest people of all nine provinces, but has it's perks for choosing to study there
- Where to study
It's not Joburg. It's not Cape Town. It's smaller, greener, slower, and a lot closer to elephants. For the right person, that's the whole point of living and studying in Mpumalanga.
- Where to study
Many only think about North West when they're driving through it on the way to Sun City. Fair enough. But if you're trying to decide where to live while you study, the province deserves a proper look.
- Where to study
When you study in Limpopo, you get misty mountain forests an hour from the city, the wild northern end of the Kruger, a World Heritage Site and a pace of life that leaves room to actually study.
- Where to study
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) gives you a warm ocean, proper mountains, two World Heritage Sites, huge sporting events and some of the best food in the country. Plus, warm weather in winter!
- Where to study
If you're thinking about whether to study in Gauteng, here's the straight version from someone who lived it: the good stuff, the real places, and the not-so-great bits too.
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