About South Africa

If you study in South Africa, it will usually take three years of full-time study to complete a bachelor’s degree, and one or two years to complete a master’s degree. The academic year is split into two semesters, the first from early February to early June, and the second from mid-July to late November.

As in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, those who study in South Africa do not receive an overall grade for their bachelor’s degree with a level of honors (such as 2:1 or 1^st). Instead, after their third year of study, students have the option to either graduate with a bachelor’s degree certificate or take a further one year honors course in order to get their honors certification. This is an extra postgraduate year of study in which a research thesis must be completed in the same area of study as the student’s bachelor’s degree.

You’ll find that most universities in South Africa offer multicultural student communities, good academic facilities, a range of social activities and clubs, and good support systems for international students. If you’re keen to get to know South Africa beyond the campus boundaries, many universities in South Africa also have community volunteering schemes, which provide opportunities to get involved in the development of the local area.

On dry land, going from west to east, South Africa shares long borders with Namibia and Botswana, touches Zimbabwe, has a longitudinal strip of border with Mozambique to the east, and lastly curves in around Swaziland before re-joining Mozambique's southern border.

In the interior, nestled in the curve of the bean-shaped Free State, is the small mountainous country of Lesotho, completely surrounded by South African territory.

South Africa is a medium-sized country, with a total land area of slightly more than 1.2-million square kilometres. South Africa measures about 1 600km from north to south, and roughly the same from east to west.

Interesting facts about South Africa

• South Africa is home to one of the oldest mountains on the planet: Table Mountain.
• Boulders Beach, Cape Town, is where you can swim with (so-called) Jackass penguins. No, they don’t mind if you call them Jackass penguins.
• South Africa is home to the world’s oldest human remains – more than 160,000 years old. Do you think they dined on Table Mountain?
• South Africa has the fittest population. 1 in 5 adults attends a gym or health club at least once a month. Do they have to rub it in our faces like that?
• Two novel prize winners – Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu – lived on the same street.

Listed Institutes in South Africa

Student visa for South Africa

If you are an international student intending to study in South Africa you must apply for a student visa. Universities in South Africa cannot register you as an international student until you have shown them a valid visa. You can apply through your nearest South African embassy, consulate or high commission. Visit the Department of Home Affairs website for more detailed information on visa costs, processing times, where to apply, what to submit, requirements for people in transit and information relating to your duration/purpose of stay, and photograph requirements.

Typically, student visas for South Africa take around six weeks to be processed. Once you have received conditional acceptance from the South African institution of your choice, you will then need to complete the temporary residence permit application form BI-1738 and submit it in person, along with the following documents, to a South African embassy or consulate in your home country:

• Passport valid no less than 30 days after the end of your course. Your passport must have two consecutive, clear pages for entry/departure stamps.
• Completed form BI-1738
• Proof of payment for the visa application (R1,800/US$130)
• Two color passport-sized photographs
• Official letter of confirmation from your chosen South African university detailing the duration of your course, and undertaking to provide notice of registration/de-registration and course completion/extension within the allotted time period
• Proof of necessary finances to cover tuition fees and living costs for the duration of your stay
• Proof of medical or health insurance, and a letter confirming this will be renewed annually for the duration of your stay. Depending on where you’re traveling from, you may also need a yellow-fever vaccination certificate. South Africa is mostly malaria-free, but inoculations against hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended before travel.
• Medical and radiological reports from within last six months
• Details of accommodation arrangements in South Africa
• If you’re under 18: written permission from both parents or from a sole custody parent including proof of sole custody; details of the person in South Africa who will act as your guardian, including a letter of confirmation from them
• If you’re over 18: a police clearance certificate for every country you’ve resided in for more than 12 months since the age of 18
• If you have children (minors) traveling with you or joining you in South Africa, you will need to provide proof of guardianship or custody or consent from the guardian.

Student visas for South Africa are valid for the duration of the course for which they are issued. As a student visa holder, you are allowed to work part-time for no more than 20 hours per week (and full-time during academic vacations). If you plan to work as part of your studies or to get work experience, you’ll need to apply for permission from the Department of Home Affairs. You’ll need to submit: an offer of practical training, consent from your educational institution in South Africa and proof that you are still a registered student.

Working in South Africa

Working on a South African student visa

If you hold a South African student visa and are studying at tertiary level, you are allowed to work part-time for no more than 20 hours a week during term-time, and full-time during vacations. If you want to work more hours than this, you will need to apply for a work visa in South Africa.

In any case, if you want to work as part of your studies or gain work experience, you must contact the Department of Foreign Affairs with:

• a letter confirming that you are still a registered student and that the university gives its consent for you to work;
• an offer of training from an employer.

You may not run a business while on a South African study visa. Read Expatica’s guide to getting a South African work visa.

South African study permits for foreign graduates

You will also need to apply for a South African student visa for undertaking graduate studies. The South African student visa requirements for graduate studies are much the same as for other types of study in South Africa. You’ll need documentation confirming: provisional acceptance at a university and duration of the course; your guardian in South Africa; recognised medical cover; and proof of sufficient funds to cover fees and living costs.

Up until 2014, foreign graduates who studied in South Africa had no advantage over anyone else in obtaining a residence permit. Now foreigners who are awarded their PhD from a South African university can apply for a critical skills work visa (a five-year temporary residence visa) which includes a 12-month period to secure a job. After the end of the five years, they can apply for permanent residence.

In the summer of 2016, the South African Home Affairs Minister announced that international graduates with critical skills who wished to work in South Africa could qualify for permanent residence permits in the near future.