Waterfall School of Business (WSB) is a private college registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training and accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations. It also holds…
Private Colleges in Gauteng
Private colleges in Gauteng are more plentiful here than anywhere else in South Africa — of the 200 DHET-registered private institutions nationally (144 private higher education institutions plus 56 private colleges), 98 are registered in Gauteng, by far the biggest concentration in the country. That makes sense:
Johannesburg and Pretoria are South Africa's economic hub, with the job market and student numbers to match, so this is where you'll find the widest range of choice.
More choice makes the checks even more important, not less. There are two separate DHET registers — the Register of Private Higher Education Institutions (for degrees, diplomas and higher certificates) and the Register of Private Colleges (for occupational, non-degree qualifications) — and a genuine college must appear on whichever one matches what it's teaching you. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) itself publishes warnings about "bogus colleges" that were never registered at all, and with so many colleges advertising in Gauteng, that's exactly the kind of place scams try to blend in. Always check the register before you pay anything.
Remember too that DHET registration confirms the institution can operate — it doesn't automatically mean every qualification on offer is accredited. Check the specific course is registered on the NQF via SAQA, and for degree-level study, that it's also accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE). So the real question is "is this specific qualification legit?", not just "is this college legit?"
Gauteng also has some of the country's strongest public alternatives if you're weighing up private college vs university — universities like the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg and UNISA, universities of technology like Tshwane University of Technology and Vaal University of Technology, plus a large TVET network including colleges such as Central Johannesburg and Tshwane North. With this many private options too, take your time comparing before committing.
Browse the private college listings below to see what's currently registered near you in Gauteng.
All institutions: 1–11 of 11
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Red & Yellow Creative School of Business is a private school in Cape Town that teaches marketing, design, business and technology. It was founded in 1994 by a group of advertising leaders who wanted…
AAA School of Advertising is a private higher education institution registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training under certificate number 2000/HE07/015. It was set up in 1990 by th…
College SA is a private distance and online college that was known as Optimi College until 2026, when the group merged its Optimi College and IT Academy brands under the College SA name. The legal en…
Boston City Campus is a private higher education institution with its head office in Orchards, Johannesburg, and an extended head office in Stellenbosch. It was established in 1991 and is registered…
Imsimbi Training is a private, SETA-accredited training provider that works mainly with employers and working adults rather than with school-leavers heading for a degree. Its accreditation page descr…
Chefs Training & Innovation Academy, usually shortened to CTIA, is a private culinary school that trains cooks, chefs and pastry chefs. It describes itself as a private institution, and its first cam…
Capsicum Culinary Studio is a private culinary and hospitality school that has been training chefs in South Africa since 2003. It forms part of the ADvTECH group, a listed private education company t…
SANTS Private Higher Education Institution is a private provider that trains teachers and early childhood practitioners. It is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training under th…
Artisan Training Institute, usually shortened to ATI, is a private technical training provider for engineering artisan trades. It states that it is accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Oc…
HyperionDev is an online coding bootcamp provider teaching software engineering, data science, web development, artificial intelligence, cyber security, digital marketing, project management and lead…
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