University in South Africa
Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa
University profile
Sol Plaatje University (SPU) is a public university in Kimberley, the only university in the Northern Cape. It opened in 2014 as the first of two new universities established in post-apartheid South Africa and is named after Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje (1876-1932), the writer, linguist, journalist and political figure. The university describes itself as a niche, city university, developed within Kimberley in a mix of existing and purpose-built buildings, and states that many of its students come from the Northern Cape, including rural and township communities.
Its stated focus areas are teacher education, ICT and data science, heritage studies and paleo-sciences, entrepreneurship, and creative writing in African languages, with desert studies, water research, geology and agriculture for water-stressed regions named as future or developing directions. The 2026 factfile lists future programmes in Desert Studies, Geology, Therapeutic Health Sciences and Early Childhood Development, and the university's overview page says a fifth Faculty of Health Sciences is soon to be launched.
Teaching is organised in four faculties: Education (departments of Mathematics, Science and Technology Teaching; Human Sciences Teaching; and Education Studies), Economic and Management Sciences (retail business management, accounting, economics, entrepreneurship and public management), Humanities (heritage studies and archaeology, social sciences, languages and African creative writing, including a Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting) and Natural and Applied Sciences (Biological and Agricultural Sciences; Computer Science and Information Technology; Mathematical Sciences; Physical and Earth Sciences). SPU states it was the first university in the country to introduce an undergraduate BSc in Data Science. From the second semester of 2026 selected Foundation Phase education modules and bilingual support in Psychology and History are offered in Afrikaans.
The university operates from three Kimberley campuses (Central, North and South) and describes a property portfolio of roughly 40 buildings, including a central library, multipurpose halls, laboratories, sports fields and pavilions. Seven university-owned residences, named after characters in Plaatje's novel Mhudi, housed almost 1,854 students as of 2025. Student support includes counselling, a primary health care unit, peer mentoring, career services, a first-year experience programme, a Social Relief Fund for emergency hardship and 17 sporting codes under the name Gemmies.
SPU's 2026 factfile lists 9,031 enrolled students and 650 staff, and states that applications for the 2027 academic year are open until 31 October 2026. The university's own materials describe it as a public university; applicants with certificates from another examination system are considered individually.
The Financial Aid office coordinates funding between students, the university and funders and gives administrative and advisory support. SPU states that it does not offer loans and that students apply directly to funders, who assess applications by their own criteria. Typical documents: identity document, matric certificate, latest academic transcript, proof of household income, parents' or guardian's identity documents, and a motivational letter. Funding contacts: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] (053 491 0102 / 0366 / 0105 / 0473). Details: Financial aid.
Listed for 2026: minimum average of 65% in the relevant previous degree, full-time and unemployed status, and a faculty service commitment of 6-8 hours per week. The 2026 closing date was 28 February 2026. Queries: [email protected]. Funding booklet and prospectus are on the Postgraduate Affairs and Internationalisation page.
Awarded by the Centre, aligned to NRF award amounts and conditions for Honours, Masters or Doctoral level, covering tuition fees, monthly living and other expenses and an optional electronic device. Post-doctoral fellowships follow the NRF framework with a monthly stipend and project costs up to R50 000. See Postgraduate bursaries.
Emergency help for registered students in unexpected hardship, up to R10,000 per year and at most twice a year, not repaid. It covers items such as hygiene products, emergency travel, food and uncovered medical necessities, but not fees, fines or loans. Students apply online with supporting documents; applications go to the Registrar's office and a review committee. See Social Relief Fund.
Includes sports bursaries for top-performing athletes recommended by coaches or federations, plus academic, sports science and competition support. See Athlete Support Programme.
Launched on 10 December 2021, the fund aims to endow undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for young people from the Northern Cape, along with social impact, infrastructure and staff support. See Lesedi La Afrika Fund.
The Financial Aid page points students to NSFAS (applications information for 2027 is posted there), the Funza Lushaka bursary for Bachelor of Education students (2026 applications closed 24 January 2026), SETA bursaries (WRSETA and Services SETA fund SPU students) and the SA Bursaries website.
Sol Plaatje University Postgraduate Merit Bursary Award →
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View scholarships for Sol Plaatje University →Undergraduate and postgraduate applications for the 2027 academic year are open until 31 October 2026 through the online SPU application portal. Applicants with difficulties can contact the faculty application champions: Economic and Management Sciences, 053 491 0157, [email protected]; Education, 053 491 0152, [email protected]; Humanities, 053 491 0030, [email protected]; Natural and Applied Sciences, 053 491 0589, [email protected]. General admissions enquiries: 053 491 0116 or [email protected].
SPU sets minimum academic requirements for each study programme, based on results in the South African National Senior Certificate examinations. Meeting the minimum does not automatically mean admission: the final decision depends on academic performance and the availability of space in the programme, and performance above the minimum improves the chance of admission. The programme-by-programme minimums and the SPU Admission Points Score (APS) calculation are published on the university's admission requirements page as images, so individual figures are not repeated here.
Applicants who hold certificates from a different examination system are considered individually for admission.
The Postgraduate Prospectus 2026/27 sets out programmes and admission requirements. Postgraduate programmes are offered in all four faculties, for example Honours in Computer Science, Data Science, Biological Sciences, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, MSc (e-Science), Honours and MA programmes in Archaeology, Heritage Studies, languages (Afrikaans, English, Setswana), Anthropology, History and Sociology, Postgraduate Diplomas in Entrepreneurship, Public Management and Mathematics Education, the BEd Honours (Curriculum Studies), MEd and MPMG. Faculty postgraduate contacts: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Advanced and postgraduate diplomas in Economic and Management Sciences are offered part-time in the evenings over two years.
SPU states that fees vary by programme and level of study and are reviewed annually. Tuition quotations are handled by the finance office ([email protected], [email protected]). No fee amounts or application fee were found on the pages read.
SPU is a multi-campus city university in Kimberley, Northern Cape, with roughly 40 buildings and a limited number of off-campus properties.
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