Popularly called the rainbow nation, South Africa has grown from being a small nation fighting against apartheid, to a popular nation known for its diversity, multicultural aura and standardised economy.
Although there are still some sectors of their economy that have to be attended to, South Africa is no doubt one of the most rapidly developing African countries with a high GDP when compared to other countries within the African continent.
Given their high standards for education, associated with other amazing sectors of the economy, it’s no doubt that South Africa has become commonplace for international students.
Apropos of this, this article aims to pinpoint and explicitly explain some of the cheapest and yet standardisation universities in South Africa.
5 Cheapest Universities in South Africa
We’ll now dive in to see some of the universities in South Africa where you can get a top-notch education and not worry much about tuition!
1. Stellenbosch University (SU)
Wondering why this university is at the top of our list? Stellenbosch University is, along with the University of Cape Town, the oldest university in the rainbow nation.
Having a QS World University Ranking of 427, this university currently stands as the third best university in South Africa.
Currently, the university has over 30,000 students and offers programs in various lingua francas.
The language through which you will be taught will depend on the particular faculty you are.
While some faculties teach in English, there are others that teach in Afrikaans.
The tuition fee is within the range OF USD 3500 to USD 6500. This again depends on the faculty. Quite cheap for the quality!
2. University of Venda (Univen)
Founded in 1982, the University of Venda was created to provide high-quality education to indigenes in the region of Limpopo, a region considered then to be rural-based.
Though this university was original founded to provide education to indigenes within and around Limpopo, this university now accepts students from various regions of South Africa and from other countries of the world.
There are eight major faculties in the University of Venda amongst which law and health sciences are the most popular.
Graced with state-of-the-art teaching facilities, this university is one of the best universities in South Africa.
Fortunately, studying at UNIVEN doesn’t cost more than USD 1,500 to USD 3,000 per academic year.
3. Nelson Mandela University (NMU)
Well known as one of the most popular universities in South Africa and named after the legendary Nelson Mandela, the Nelson Mandela University was formed as a merge of three universities, Vista University and the University of Port Elizabeth, and the PE Technikon.
Situated in Port Elizabeth, this university has six campuses, just one less than UNIVEN.
With over 27,000 students, this university boasts of some of the country’s finest teaching facilities and sports centres.
With a tuition fee of about USD 1,900 to USD 4,100, it’s no doubt that this university is among the cheapest universities in South Africa.
Founded in 2002, this university was formed from the union of two technical institutes.
With over 30,000 students, this unique university has six faculties offering degree programs in arts, science and technology.
It has up to a dozen research centres well stacked with excellent research materials.
The tuition fees at the Durban University of Technology ranges from about USD 2500 to USD 6000. However, tuition fees will depend on whether you’re a local student or an international student. Local students pay lesser fees than international students.
Nevertheless, the tuition fees are still affordable even to international students.
Additionally, DUT has a special way of calculating its tuition fees. Tuition fees are subject-based.
Each subject has its own price. With a budget of USD 2000 to USD 6000, you can get going at DUT.
Relatively pricey but still one of the cheapest universities in South Africa.
5. University of the Western Cape (UWC)
With a ranking among the top 1000 universities in the QS World University, the University of Western Cape is one of the best universities in South Africa.
Founded in 1959, this university is well known for its contribution to the fight against apartheid in South Africa.
UWC gets over 22,000 applications each year from both local and international students for admission into various degree programs in sciences, law and education.
The tuition fees range from USD 1750 to USD 5400.
Conclusion
While there are other universities in Southampton Africa with cheap tuition fees, these are the ones we can vouch for following careful research.
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