Isa Carstens Academy

Isa Carstens Academy is a private higher education institution registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training under the Higher Education Act of 1997, holding registration certificate number 2000/HE07/025. It was established in 1978 and reports having trained more than 4 700 graduates since then. The academy works in one field rather than across many: scientific skincare, beauty and wellness.

Teaching happens on two campuses, one in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape and one in the Lynnwood suburb of Pretoria in Gauteng. Programmes are delivered in three ways — contact, blended and distance learning — so some qualifications are attended on campus while others are studied remotely.

Four accredited qualifications sit on the National Qualifications Framework. The Higher Certificate in Front Office Administration is an NQF Level 5 qualification of 125 credits, studied full time over one year, and asks for a National Senior Certificate with Higher Certificate endorsement and at least 40 percent for English. The Diploma in Somatology is NQF Level 6, 365 credits, and runs full time over three years; entry requires a National Senior Certificate with diploma endorsement and an Admission Point Score of at least 24 excluding Life Orientation, with English as home or first additional language and Life Science recommended. Two advanced diplomas at NQF Level 7 follow, both by distance learning: Dermal Aesthetics, a one-year programme open to holders of a three-year somatology diploma or an equivalent qualification in a cognate field, and Spa and Salon Management, which accepts an NQF Level 6 qualification carrying business subjects at exit level, a relevant bachelor's degree, recognition of prior learning, or five years of relevant industry experience. Shorter online and short courses run alongside these in entrepreneurial, advanced professional and management streams.

The academy does not publish tuition fees on its website and asks prospective students to contact a campus for annual overall expenses. It points people who need help paying towards two outside funders, and advises arranging study finance with a financial institution as soon as a place has been offered. International applicants must have their qualifications evaluated by SAQA and must show English language proficiency.