University in South Africa
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
University profile
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is a public, residential, research-led university in KwaZulu-Natal, formed on 1 January 2004 by the merger of the University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal. Its stated vision is to be the Premier University of African Scholarship, and its student motto is 'Every Student Matters'. It operates across five campuses in two cities, Durban (with Pinetown) and Pietermaritzburg.
Teaching is organised on a College model. The four Colleges are Agriculture, Engineering and Science (Schools including Engineering and Agriculture and Science), Health Sciences (Schools including Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, and Health Sciences), Humanities (Schools including Arts, Education and Social Sciences) and Law and Management Studies (Schools including Law, Commerce and the Graduate School of Business and Leadership). Each Dean heads a College of several Schools.
The five campuses are Edgewood (teacher education, Pinetown), Howard College (Durban: Engineering, Law, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing, Architecture, Music), the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine (Durban: Medicine), Pietermaritzburg (Science and Agriculture, Humanities, Law, Management Studies, Education, Theology, Visual Art) and Westville (Science, Management Studies and most Health Sciences). Not every qualification is offered on every campus.
Student life includes on- and off-campus residences on the campuses, campus health clinics, College counsellors, a Disability Unit, a Student Employment Centre, a Student Leadership Development Office, a Central SRC with campus SRCs, and clubs and societies. Sport is affiliated to University Sport South Africa, with indoor and outdoor facilities on each campus.
International students apply directly to UKZN with a Universities South Africa (USAf) evaluation of their school-leaving certificate, and must hold a valid study permit and compulsory medical cover before registering. UKZN is an English-medium university. Its prospectus states partnerships with institutions in 46 countries.
Awarded to top Grade 12 learners applying through the CAO and offered a place; no separate application is needed and recipients can hold only one scholarship per year. Awards are not available to learners who join from other higher education institutions.
Student Funding administers bursaries, mostly for returning undergraduates, awarded after registration to financially needy students whose gross family income does not exceed R600,000 a year, who passed 100% of registered courses the previous year and averaged above 64.5%. The page gives 2024 values of R25,000 (above 74.5%), R12,500 (64.5% to 74.5%) and R7,500 (54.5% to 64.5%). Funders include the Emma Smith, Cecil Renaud, Victor Daitz and Terry and Gladys Champaign trusts and the United Kingdom UKZN Trust. The SRC Trust Fund Bursary (family income up to R350,000) helps with registration fees, with applications at the start of each year. Contract bursaries require work for the donor for as long as sponsored. Undergraduate Merit Awards go to needy, academically outstanding students after the first year.
The Student Funding page states that UKZN offers fee remission for full-time research Masters (first two semesters) and full-time doctoral students (first six semesters); applications go through the School's Higher Degrees Office. The postgraduate guide states that no tuition fee is charged for full-time research Masters and doctoral study within the minimum period, with international students still paying the levy.
UKZN states that funding for new international students is not available. NSFAS applications for South African students are made at nsfas.org.za and open each year on 1 August and close 30 November of the previous year per the Student Funding page. College Financial Aid Advisors handle enquiries.
Official pages: Bursaries, Scholarships and merit awards, Application procedure, Financing your studies.
UKZN Pius Langa Prestige Entrant Scholarship →
UKZN Student Funding Bursaries →
UKZN Postgraduate Fee Remission (Masters by Research and Doctoral) →
UKZN Undergraduate Merit Scholarships →
Browse the scholarships listed for University of KwaZulu-Natal and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of KwaZulu-Natal →Entry to degree study needs the National Senior Certificate for degree study (NSC-Deg) or a pre-2008 Senior Certificate; diploma study needs the NSC for diploma study. English at Level 4 (Home Language or First Additional Language) and Life Orientation at Level 4 are required, plus programme-specific subjects and levels.
The Academic Performance Score adds the performance levels (1 to 7) of six subjects; Life Orientation is not counted and Mathematics Paper 3 is not counted. If more than seven subjects are taken, English, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy and the best four others are counted, with no bonus points. The prospectus states that a subject at 90-100% earns eight points. The maximum APS obtainable is 48. Published minimums are a guide only: meeting them does not guarantee a place, and selection runs from the top score down until places are filled. MBChB applicants are ranked on average percentage and Health Sciences and Law use their own selection. Some programmes ask for a portfolio, audition or interview (Architectural Studies requires a portfolio, essay and questionnaire). Examples from the 2027 tables: B Sc Eng needs Mathematics and Physical Science at Level 5, English and LO at Level 4 with APS 33-48; B Architectural Studies APS 30-48; Bachelor of Nursing APS 30; B Sc Agric. programmes APS 28-48.
Applicants with excellent Grade 11, Grade 12 June or trial results may receive conditional offers; final offers follow the NSC results in January. Acceptance of offer is online, followed by a registration deposit and registration.
Access routes include the B Sc Engineering Access Programme (NSC-Deg, Level 4 in Mathematics, Physical Science and English; Quintile 1-2 schools), B Sc Augmented Curriculum (APS 26 or more; Quintile 1-2 schools; four years; no financial aid), B Soc Sc Extended Curriculum (APS 20 or more; English and LO Level 4; Quintile 1-2 schools) and a BA Music Foundation.
Applicants with non-South African school certificates need a USAf evaluation of equivalence; applications are not considered without it. O-level or IGCSE alone is not sufficient and subjects such as Mathematics or Physical Science must be at A or AS/HIGSCE level. The APS does not apply to international applicants. Medicine does not consider international applications. English proficiency: NSC Level 4 or equivalent, A/AS/O-level English (C or higher), IB or HIGSCE, or IELTS 6.0 (undergraduate) or 7.0 (postgraduate), or TOEFL 550. A study visa is required before registration; study visas cannot be applied for in South Africa and the prospectus says processing normally takes six weeks. Compulsory medical cover from Momentum Health or CompCare is required. Postgraduate international applicants need a SAQA evaluation of their post-school qualifications. Refugee permit holders apply through the CAO at local fees.
Postgraduate diplomas and Honours need an appropriate bachelor's degree or admission under Rule GR7; Masters needs a relevant prerequisite degree; PhD a relevant prerequisite degree. Schools may add criteria and make the selection. Closing dates in the 2026 guide: postgraduate diploma/certificate and Honours 30 September (semester 1) and 30 April (semester 2); coursework Masters 31 October and 30 April; research Masters and doctoral studies have no closing date.
Applicants transferring from other institutions for first-semester degree study apply through the CAO. Returning former UKZN students, non-degree and semester 2 applicants apply directly to UKZN.
First-time South African undergraduates apply through the CAO (six choices; CAO fee R250 before 31 October 2026, R470 from 1 November 2026). Direct online applications to UKZN carry a non-refundable fee of R210 (late R420). International fees: R490 for SADC and the rest of Africa, US$153 elsewhere; no late international applications. 2027 closing dates: Medicine 30 June 2026; all other programmes 30 September 2026; semester 2 2027, 30 April 2027. Residence applications are made on the CAO or UKZN application, closing 30 September 2026 for 2027.
The prospectus gives about R85,000 a year for tuition and a residence bed in 2027, and example 2026 tuition fees ranging from R45,551 to R66,610 by degree; 2027 fees are set in the second semester of 2026. International undergraduate tuition is US$18,300 inclusive of the levy (non-SADC); SADC students pay local fees plus an international levy of R2,300 per semester.
Apply: applications.ukzn.ac.za; prospectuses at applications.ukzn.ac.za/prospectus.
Campus health clinics staffed by nurses operate on all five campuses, with a doctor by appointment. PC labs, many open 24 hours, are provided through the Information Technology and Communications Division.
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