Stellenbosch UniversitySU

Stellenbosch University is a public university in the Western Cape. It began as a university in its own right on 2 April 1918, when Victoria College was reconstituted as the University of Stellenbosch, and it took its present name in 2000. It operates under the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997, with programme quality assured through the Council on Higher Education. Some professional programmes carry a further accreditation: the Engineering Council of South Africa accredits all of the four-year and extended BEng programmes, and Stellenbosch Business School holds AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accreditation.

Teaching is spread over four campuses, all in the Western Cape. The university describes the Stellenbosch campus as its oldest and largest; it lies about 50 km from Cape Town and holds the main administration and eight of the ten faculties. The Tygerberg campus in Bellville, 20 km from central Cape Town, holds the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, whose students also spend time at a training site next to the Worcester regional hospital. The Bellville Park campus in Tyger Valley holds Stellenbosch Business School together with other postgraduate business and planning programmes, and the Saldanha campus on the West Coast, 150 km from Cape Town, holds the Faculty of Military Science.

The university reports 35 370 students and 3 600 academics and professional support staff, with more than 150 undergraduate and more than 800 postgraduate programmes across its ten faculties, awarding 329 doctorates in 2024. Qualifications range from a higher certificate and diplomas, through bachelor's and honours degrees, to postgraduate diplomas, master's degrees and doctorates. Extended curriculum programmes add a foundation year for students who need a longer route into a degree. Short learning programmes and executive education run alongside these, in classroom and online formats. Afrikaans and English are the languages of instruction, and isiXhosa is being introduced incrementally.

Undergraduate applications open on 1 April and close on 31 July, the same date that residence applications close. Admission is assessed against National Senior Certificate or Independent Examinations Board results, with a separate set of requirements for international curricula. The application fee is R100 for South African citizens and permanent residents and R400 for international applicants, higher for business school programmes, and some applicants are exempt. Applications for the university's own financial assistance open on 1 October, and students may also seek National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding or a commercial study loan.