AFDA

AFDA is a private higher education institution that prepares students for careers in film, television, performance and the wider creative economy. Its registered legal name is The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance. It is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training under certificate number 2001/HE07/012, its programmes are accredited by the Council on Higher Education, and it is owned by Stadio Holdings.

The institution was founded in Johannesburg in 1994. It now teaches at five campuses: Auckland Park in Johannesburg, Observatory in Cape Town (opened in 2003), Glen Anil in Durban (2013), Central in Gqeberha (2015) and Hatfield in Pretoria, which opened in 2026. Its qualifications are studied full time, apart from the part-time master's degree, and AFDA describes its teaching as a hybrid approach built on practical, collaborative learning. Not every programme runs at every campus. The Higher Certificate in Radio and Podcasting and the animation specialisation are offered in Johannesburg only, and the BCom and the Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation are offered in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Qualifications run from NQF level 5 to NQF level 9. One-year Higher Certificates cover film, TV and entertainment production, performing arts, and radio and podcasting. Three-year bachelor's degrees cover motion picture work, live performance, creative writing, fine arts and design, and business innovation and entrepreneurship. Postgraduate options include honours degrees in motion picture and live performance, a Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation, and a two-year Master of Fine Arts in Motion Picture Medium. Motion picture students can specialise in areas such as directing, cinematography and editing, and live performance students in acting, music or presenting. A small number of short courses are also offered, some of them online.

In 2026, first-year degree students started on 9 February and Higher Certificate students on 2 March. A Higher Certificate needs a National Senior Certificate with a Higher Certificate or Diploma pass, and a bachelor's degree needs a Bachelor's pass. Applicants without the right matric pass can write the AFDA entrance exam, and other routes include NC(V) Level 4, an N5 certificate and mature-age exemption. Postgraduate study needs a relevant NQF level 7 qualification.

Students are responsible for their own fees. AFDA publishes tuition per programme, with payment plans, and notes that NSFAS does not fund students at private institutions. It refers students to study loan providers and to a list of external bursaries.