University in South Africa
Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa
University profile
Stenden South Africa is a private higher education institution in Port Alfred, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape roughly midway between Port Elizabeth and East London. It was established in 2001 as an international branch campus of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, which owns it, and is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution (registration certificate 2002/HE10/001). It offers two full-time contact degrees, both accredited by the Council on Higher Education and registered with SAQA: the three-year Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality Management (NQF 7, 390 credits, SAQA 63710) and the four-year Bachelor of Business Administration in Disaster Relief Management (NQF 8, 510 credits, SAQA 90536). It runs as two schools, the Hotel Management School and the Disaster Management School, under an Executive Dean.
The teaching model combines Problem Based Learning, Case Based Learning and Real World Learning. Hospitality students work in the 4-star MyPond Learning Hotel from first year, taking over departmental management in third year, and both programmes end with an organised management internship (the last five to eight months of study; ten months and 80 credits in the BBA). Hospitality students choose from minors such as Event Management, Lodge Management, Strategic Revenue Management, Wildlife Management, Hotel Opening Management, Social Entrepreneurship, International Human Resource Management and Advanced Wine Studies. The BBA curriculum includes Research Methodology, two Field Research modules, Conflict Management, Humanitarian Security Law, Climate Variability and Severe Weather, Food Security and International Relations, and finishes with a bachelor thesis.
Internationalisation is a stated pillar. Students may take a Grand Tour, studying a semester or minor at partner campus sites of the Stenden group in the Netherlands (Leeuwarden), Indonesia (Bali), Thailand (Bangkok) and Aruba, while exchange students from those campuses come to Port Alfred for minors. The institution lists academic affiliations with NHL Stenden, Auburn University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Leap Entrepreneurial Development. Each programme has an Academic Advisory Board of industry representatives and academics.
The single campus is based in the Grand Hotel building in Port Alfred and offers a dining hall, a computer lab, an auditorium, classrooms, quiet study areas, a student lounge with printing and copying, a coffee shop, laundry, a sports field, a swimming pool and braai areas, with Wi-Fi across campus and residences. Stenden provides residential accommodation (single or shared rooms, mostly hostel or digs-style within walking distance) and students may arrange their own. An elected Student Representative Council meets the Executive Dean at least every two weeks and has portfolios including sport, events, catering and community engagement. A Community Development Department places students with organisations in Ndlambe municipality in education, social welfare and business development.
International students must have their school qualifications evaluated by Universities South Africa (USAf) and, where English was not the language of instruction, show English proficiency. Intakes are in January and July (the July Disaster Management intake depends on a minimum number of applications).
Stenden South Africa receives no government funding and does not offer general financial assistance. Its strategy commits to ensuring that at least 10% of enrolled students come from a disadvantaged background and are supported by a bursary provided by Stenden or one of its corporate partners. Occasional bursaries from corporate partners are advertised as they become available. See the FAQ and annual fees pages, or contact [email protected].
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View scholarships for Stenden South Africa BV →South African applicants need a National Senior Certificate with the minimum requirements for admission to bachelor's degree study and a pass or higher in English. The Exam Committee may also consider: a Senior Certificate (Grade 12) with the applicant turning 23 in the first year of study; a Senior Certificate with at least one successful tertiary year (NQF 5 or higher, minimum 120 credits) at a SAQA-registered programme; another qualification from a registered higher education institution; or applicants aged 45 or older. Students coming from other South African universities must submit a Certificate of Good Conduct and a full official academic record. Applicants who have not yet received final school results may be provisionally accepted. Applicants may send their results to the admissions office for an evaluation of whether they qualify.
School-leaving qualifications must be evaluated by Universities South Africa (USAf). Applicants whose medium of instruction was not English need an academic IELTS band 6.0 with no sub-score under 5, or (only where IELTS is not offered locally) TOEFL 550 paper-based or 213 computer-based; native English speakers and those with at least two years of secondary or post-secondary study in English are exempt. International students pay the full year's fees in advance before registration.
RPL requests go in writing to the Secretary of the Exam Committee with proof of prior education or work experience; RPL is granted only after admission. An online or virtual option is available to industry professionals who meet the admission requirements.
Applications are made through the online application form for the January or July intake. Required: completed form, colour passport-style photograph, proof of payment of the non-refundable R1,000 application fee (international applicants must cover bank charges so that R1,000 net arrives), identity document or passport, latest school results and certificates, the signed undertaking pages, and a 300-400 word personal essay in English on why the applicant wants to enter the industry, would make a good manager in it, and wants to study at Stenden South Africa. Processing takes about three to five working days once complete, and applicants who have not heard within ten working days should contact the institution.
All operations are funded by student fees. Fees are payable before the start of each module, in four periods or in full in advance, with one module paid in advance; a module's notice period applies to cancellations. Tuition fee tables for 2027 are on the annual fees page.
Facilities: dining hall serving student meals, stationery kiosk, boutique, computer lab with internet access and personal student accounts, auditorium, classrooms and meeting rooms, quiet study areas, student lounge with printing, scanning and copying, coffee shop, laundry facilities, sports field, swimming pool and braai areas, and a virtual campus tour. Practical training takes place in the 4-star MyPond Learning Hotel and a Joint Operation Centre. Residential accommodation is offered in single or shared rooms (two students sharing a room with en-suite bathroom), typically in hostels or digs-style housing on campus or within walking distance, with Wi-Fi in all residences. Grand Tour partner campuses are in Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Bali, Bangkok and Aruba.
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