University in South Africa
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
University profile
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a public university in Bellville, in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, on Robert Sobukwe Road. Founded in 1960 and rooted in the struggle against apartheid, it describes itself as a research-led teaching and learning university committed to access, equity and the public good. It has more than 23 000 students and about 2 400 academic, professional and support staff, with more than 200 degree, diploma and certificate programmes.
Study is organised in seven faculties: Arts and Humanities, Community and Health Sciences, Dentistry, Economic and Management Sciences, Education, Law and Natural Sciences. Natural Sciences has nine departments, a School of Pharmacy, four research institutes, two research centres and two research units. Law, established as an independent faculty in 1979, hosts a Law Clinic and the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights. Community and Health Sciences covers physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, dietetics and nutrition, psychology, social work, public health and sport science, and Dentistry trains at its own oral health centres.
The main campus has its own railway station (Unibell), a nature reserve and views of the Cape Peninsula and Stellenbosch mountains. Cape Town International Airport and Bellville central station are a few minutes away. Other sites are the Community and Health Sciences building in the Bellville CBD and the two Dentistry campuses at Tygerberg and Mitchell's Plain. Campus Protection Services runs a 24-hour emergency line.
On-campus housing is provided through the Kovacs UWC Student Village, with a separate residence application, and thousands of students also live in private accommodation nearby. Student life includes UWC Sport and its clubs, the Student Representative Council, a choir and the Library with the uKwazi search platform, interlibrary loans and a unit for persons with disabilities. The Campus Health and Wellness Centre, Centre for Student Support Services, Career Services and the Office for Students with Disabilities support students.
International students, defined as anyone without a South African identity document including SADC nationals, refugees and asylum permit holders, are supported by the International Student Services Office (ISSO), which provides immigration support letters. UWC has partnerships across Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, including a tri-continental partnership with the University of Missouri and Ghent University, and hosts the central office of the Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD). UWC is a public university established under the University of the Western Cape Act of 1983 and has been rated among South Africa's top universities by Times Higher Education according to its own accolades page.
The Financial Aid Office coordinates student funding, including bursaries, scholarships, the work-study programme, private bursaries, government funding and NSFAS administration, and offers financial counselling. UWC Financial Aid Assistance gives limited support to financially disadvantaged students and is not a guaranteed bursary because funding depends on available resources. Applicants must be South African citizens with an academic record of 65% or above, need financial assistance and be registered for a recognised undergraduate or postgraduate programme. Applications open each February and close in March, outcomes are given around November, and students must reapply every year. Apply online or see the Fees and Financial Aid page.
NSFAS applications and selection are not handled by the university; students apply directly to NSFAS, and the Financial Aid Office administers NSFAS funds for registered students.
The ISSO lists scholarship opportunities for international students; each scholarship has its own criteria.
Financial Aid Helpdesk: [email protected], 021 959 9753. Work-study: [email protected]. Edu-Loan Office: 021 959 3104. The Financial Aid Office is in the Old Education Faculty, next to A block, open 08:30-16:30.
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View scholarships for University of the Western Cape →Applicants need a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with the pass level required for degree, diploma or higher certificate study. The general minimum for degree study is an NSC Bachelor's pass with an achievement rating of 4 (50-59%) or better in four subjects from the recognised 20-credit designated subject list. Candidates must also reach the minimum number of points on the UWC points system and pass each subject specified for their programme at the required level. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee a place; where qualified candidates exceed places, faculty selection committees select on set criteria. Programme choices are limited to two.
Applicants for an Extended Curriculum Programme in Economic and Management Sciences apply for the mainstream programme (BCom (N) 1008 or BCom Accounting 1021), because the system does not accept direct ECP applications. Applicants to Dentistry, Community and Health Sciences and Law are advised to keep their options open.
Recognition of Prior Learning is part of the Admissions Policy and offers alternative access to degree programmes for mature students aged 23 and older. Contact [email protected] or 021 959 2799/3792.
Applications open on 1 April 2026 and close on 30 September 2026; Dentistry and Oral Health close on 31 August 2026. Applications are made online through the UWC student portal and there is no application fee. Applicants need a valid email address, as all communication is sent by email. After submission an acknowledgement letter with an applicant number is emailed, and supporting documents are uploaded through the document upload portal by the closing date. Current Grade 12 applicants are notified of final selection in January 2027 after results are released and other applicants by mid-December 2026. Offers must be accepted within the stated period or they lapse. Applicants under 18 must upload a signed consent form.
Postgraduate applicants submit certified ID or passport, official transcripts and degree certificates, a short CV and a one-page letter of motivation; Master's and doctoral applicants also submit a short research intention. Holders of international qualifications need a SAQA evaluation certificate.
International undergraduate applicants have their final school results evaluated through an Application for Exemption with Universities South Africa (USAf) and must provide the USAf confirmation letter and a certified passport or refugee permit copy. International postgraduate applicants need a SAQA evaluation of foreign qualifications, and some faculties require both. Under the Higher Education Act, UWC may not admit foreign students without valid immigration documents; a study visa is applied for at a South African mission, and proof of annual medical cover with a registered medical scheme is required. The ISSO ([email protected]) issues supporting letters, and visa renewals go through VFS Global at least 60 days before expiry.
The registration fee is R1 810. Fee quotations can be requested through the university's online quote service. Contact Centre: 021 959 3900/01, [email protected], Monday to Friday 09:00-16:00.
Dentistry students also train at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's and Groote Schuur hospitals, the Gugulethu and Mitchells Plain dental clinics and through a mobile dental clinic. Facilities include the Library (uKwazi search, short loans, interlibrary loans and CHELiN reciprocal borrowing with UCT, CPUT and Stellenbosch), the Campus Health and Wellness Centre, UWC Sport and Campus Protection Services (24-hour emergency line 021 959 2100).
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