Bachelor of Arts at University of Cape Town

Programme overview

The Bachelor of Arts (HB003; extended programme HB061) is the general Humanities degree at UCT, built from two or more majors in which students study languages, literature, history, media, music, theatre and other humanities subjects. It is NQF level 7 (SAQA ID 10577) and available on a regular three-year or extended four-year programme.

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities | Duration: Three years (regular programme); four years (extended programme) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

What you will study

Students must complete at least two major subjects (each at least two 3000-level semester courses plus prerequisites), at least one major from a department established in the Faculty of Humanities, at least ten senior semester courses and at least 12 Humanities semester courses, totalling at least 360 NQF credits with at least 120 at level 7. Majors are drawn from a list of about 35 subjects including African Languages, Anthropology, Economics, English Literary Studies, Film and Television Studies, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Politics & Governance, Psychology, Sociology, Social Development, Theatre & Dance Studies and the Study of Religions, plus Science, Commerce and Law majors such as Computer Science, Informatics, Mathematics and Law. Students on the extended programme take augmenting courses and two introductory Humanities courses.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Faculty of Humanities (BA and BSocSc): for the extended programme, DOH1002F is compulsory for students who took NSC English as First Additional Language, achieved less than 60% (level 5) in NSC English Home Language, or were identified through their NBT AL score as needing additional language support. Students on the regular programme who fail three or more first-semester courses are advised to move to the extended programme.

Requirements published at faculty level.

Tuition is charged per module, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Applications to study at UCT in 2027 opened on 1 April 2026 and close on 31 July 2026 for undergraduate study; late applications are not considered.

The application fee is R100 for undergraduate and postgraduate applications from South Africa and the SADC region, and R300 for applications from outside the SADC region; it is non-refundable and payable by direct deposit, EFT or credit card (online). UCT students and graduates are exempt except for GSB programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://applyonline.uct.ac.za

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