How much it costs to study in South Africa: BA vs BCom vs BSc and more
South Africa’s top-ranked university, the University of Cape Town (UCT), consistently offers some of the highest tuition fees among the country’s leading institutions, with medicine standing out as the most expensive degree.
When choosing a tertiary institution, cost considerations play a pivotal role, as expenses for different degrees and specialisations can vary significantly based on the institution.
A comparative analysis conducted by BusinessTech on the estimated annual tuition fees across major fields including commerce, arts, engineering, law, and medicine at six prominent public universities in South Africa (as identified by the Center for World University Rankings 2024) underscores this trend.
Although degrees may technically be equal on paper, they may have different perceptions and sway in based on the institution.
Factors influencing these costs include accolades, global reputation, and perceived prestige. Unsurprisingly, universities highly ranked in global assessments most often command higher fees.
As seen from the below comparison, a degree from UCT, Wits, or Stellenbosch is often pricier than elsewhere in South Africa – except in cases where the alternate university or department specialises in specific fields.
Estimated annual tuition fees (Ranges, Source: Student fees booklets 2024)
| University | BCom | BA | LLB | Medicine* | BSc | Engineering |
| UCT | R66,140 R98,140 | R71,400 | R72,570 | R102,470 | R78,500 | R80,750 R84,060 |
| Wits | R57,800 R78,220 | R51,950 R65,100 | R43,970 R76,820 | R77,700 | R47,770 R74,080 | R65,755 |
| Stellenbosch | R57,006 R77,150 | R55,036 | R55,841 | R87,946 | R66,358 | R74,487 |
| UKZN | R53,089 R58,397 | R49,628 | R50,404 | R60,202 | R45,728 R61,408 | R58,901 R59,583 |
| UP | R50,000 R64,000 | R45,000 R56,000 | R49,000 R69,000 | R70,000 R87,000 | R50,000 R72,000 | R53,000 R71,000 |
| UJ | R49,318 R74,860 | R45,710 R56,470 | R46,240 R53,100 | – | R36,170 R79,860 | R54,040 R66,810 |
| Range | R49,318 R98,140 | R45,000 R71,400 | R46,240 R72,570 | R60,202 R102,470 | R36,170 R78,500 | R53,000 R84,060 |
The analysis shows that a Bachelor of Medicine remains the priciest degree, with annual fees as high as R102,470 (UCT).
Conversely, Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees are on average the lowest priced among the compared degrees, costing between R45,000 and R71,400 between the six universities.
This biggest price variance is seen in the BCom degree, with prices ranging by R49,318 to R98,140 based on where you study (R48,822 variance).
Other large variances are seen in the BSc degree, at a R42,330 range, medicine at R42,268, and engineering at R31,060.
Regardless, these abovementioned fees are still considerably lower than the most expensive private schools in South Africa, where the most expensive boarding school’s annual fees is nearly four times that of studying medicine at UCT.
Read: The universities coming after Wits and UCT in South Africa
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