Inscape

Inscape is a private higher education institution that specialises in design education. Its operating company, Inscape Education Group (Pty) Ltd, is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training under the Higher Education Act of 1997. It began in 1981 as a part-time interior design study centre in Johannesburg.

Teaching happens in two ways. Contact students attend learning hubs in Pretoria, Midrand, Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Umhlanga, and a separate business and innovation school sits in Techno Park in Stellenbosch. Distance students study fully online through a learning platform that gives round-the-clock access to course content, recommended timelines for each module that they can pace themselves within, and live video sessions with lecturers. Distance study is offered for the skills courses, higher certificates, the advanced diploma and honours. Qualifications run from entry-level skills training through higher certificates, diplomas and bachelor's degrees, up to an advanced diploma and a BA Honours in Design. Design is the main field, alongside a business and innovation focus at the Stellenbosch school. Lecturers come from industry.

Entry requirements depend on the level. The Bachelor of Design asks for a National Senior Certificate with a bachelor's pass and a minimum level of English, while the BA in Digital Marketing and Communication also sets minimum marks in English and in mathematics or mathematical literacy. The advanced diploma expects an earlier diploma or degree in design, and honours expects a level 7 qualification in a design discipline, a good final-year average and a written motivation for a proposed project. Recognition of prior learning is available for applicants who fall short, and foreign qualifications must be evaluated by SAQA.

Intakes follow a published academic calendar. Honours, for example, starts in February for contact students and in March for distance students.

Paying for study works through an enrolment fee that secures a place, followed by monthly instalments on selected programmes, paid by debit order, credit card or EFT. An administration fee applies to instalments, and paying early costs less than paying at the standard time. Students can compare study-loan offers through Student Hero, which Inscape partners with. A separate scholarship scheme run by Inscape Exchange NPC supports South African first-year contact students, with applications made online through its own portal. International students pay in full upfront unless a South African sponsor takes responsibility.