{"id":859648,"date":"2026-05-17T09:53:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T07:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=859648"},"modified":"2026-05-17T09:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T07:53:14","slug":"how-much-it-costs-to-study-in-south-africa-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/finance\/859648\/how-much-it-costs-to-study-in-south-africa-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"How much it costs to study in South Africa in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Africa is home to over 20 public universities, with tuition fees varying according to each university\u2019s policies, the program type, and the course duration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest ranking from Times Higher Education for 2026, 13 of these universities are recognised among the world\u2019s top tertiary institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This ranking evaluates the global performance of research-intensive universities and includes 2,100 institutions across 108 countries and regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ranking is based on 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators that assess various aspects of an institution, including teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ranking showed the University of Oxford as the best university in the world, ranking in first place for the ninth consecutive year since 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Cape Town remained the best university in South Africa, ranking 164th in 2026, a significant improvement from 180th in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universities that are not in the top 300 are not ranked individually; instead, they are categorised into ranges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For local universities that stay within the same range, it can be challenging to determine whether they have improved or declined in their overall ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stellenbosch University is ranked in the 301-350th place again for 2026, where it has been placed since 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of the Witwatersrand slipped from the 201-300th group in 2025 to the 301-350th group in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Pretoria improved its ranking from the 601-800 range in 2025 to the 501-600 group in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universities such as Nelson Mandela University and Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University are ranked in the 1201-1500 range, while Durban University of Technology is ranked in the 1501+ range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attending local universities is the most cost-effective choice for South Africans seeking quality education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University fees 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BusinessTech examined the costs associated with a year\u2019s study at universities across the country for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fees mentioned apply to first-year studies for 2026 and serve as approximations; they exclude other costs such as textbooks, travel, and accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The analysis includes fees for the following undergraduate degrees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Bachelor of Commerce (BCom)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Bachelor of Law (LLB, undergraduate)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Bachelor of Science\/Engineering (BEng)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Tuition fees are typically charged per module needed to accumulate the credits required for a given degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Therefore, the fees outlined provide a general idea of the cost of a single year of study rather than a comprehensive overview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Bachelor of Science in Engineering is included for institutions that do not offer a Bachelor of Engineering program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    University<\/strong><\/td>BA<\/strong><\/td>BCom<\/strong><\/td>BSc<\/strong><\/td>LLB<\/strong><\/td>BEng<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    University of Cape Town<\/strong><\/td>R 79 000<\/td>R62 340 to R 110 580<\/td>R 87 000<\/td>R 80 410<\/td>R 82 820 to R 89 780<\/td><\/tr>
    University of the Witwatersrand<\/strong><\/td>R61 480 to R77 250<\/td>R62 830 to R85 260<\/td>R52 050 to R80 750<\/td>R47 930 to R83 760<\/td>R 76 320<\/td><\/tr>
    Stellenbosch University<\/strong><\/td>R57 767<\/td>R 59 856<\/td>R 72 647<\/td>R 61 121<\/td>R 81 563<\/td><\/tr>
    University of KwaZulu Natal<\/strong><\/td>R54 065<\/td>R57 836<\/td>R47 848 to R68 224<\/td>R54 911<\/td>R64 167<\/td><\/tr>
    University of Pretoria<\/strong><\/td>R60 000 to R70 000<\/td>R60 000 to R72 000<\/td>R64 000 to R95 000<\/td>R65 000 to R75 000<\/td>R62 000 to R80 000<\/td><\/tr>
    Rhodes University<\/strong><\/td>R63 519<\/td>R69 494<\/td>R66 082<\/td>R 71 254<\/td>N\/A<\/td><\/tr>
    University of Johannesburg<\/strong><\/td>R49 800 to R61 520<\/td>R53 730 to R81 550<\/td>R52 140 to R87 000<\/td>R50 370 to R57 850<\/td>R58 870 to R72 780<\/td><\/tr>
    University of Free State<\/strong><\/td>R59 980<\/td>R60 380<\/td>R53 600 to R80 760<\/td>R49 130<\/td>N\/A<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Note: These are 2026 fee estimates available on the respective websites at the time of publication.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some universities calculate their fees per module, require student registration, or do not provide an estimated degree value by the time of publication.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This is a breakdown of how much it costs to study the most popular degrees at top universities in South Africa. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":859754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11121],"tags":[17581],"class_list":["post-859648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-times-higher-education-world-university-ranking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859648"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":859757,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859648\/revisions\/859757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}