The University of Cape Town (UCT) is South Africa's oldest university, and is one of Africa's leading teaching and research institutions.
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3.9 out of 5 (51 ratings / 44 reviews) Cape Town, South Africa
Bachelor's programmes
Arts, Design & Architecture (2)
Humanities (1)
- Bachelor Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Social Sciences (1)
- Bachelor Philosophy, Politics and Economics
About
History
UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, a high school for boys.The College had a small tertiary-education facility that grew substantially after 1880, when the discovery of gold and diamonds in the north – and the resulting demand for skills in mining – gave it the financial boost it needed to grow.
Education
One of UCT's strategic goals is contribute to South Africa's development challenges.
The aim is to share knowledge that will benefit society. By fostering civic literacy in students, and providing them with knowledge and skills, UCT aims to build a more just, equitable and unified South African society.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2019
GSSA 2019
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2019. By rating institutions on a scale from 1 to 5, on multiple studies-related questions, we found the top educators in the world.
Learn more about the Global Student Satisfaction AwardsUniversity Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2019
156 15
2018
171 -23
2017
148
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2019
200 -9
2018
191
2017
191
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2018
301
2017
301 -100
2016
201
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2019
-
2018
114 -1
2017
113
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Services
Student services
These societies are organisations whose primary aim is either to enhance the learning and understanding of students at UCT or to bring students in contact with the leaders in their field of studies. Many of these societies hold seminars on various topics and bring industry leaders to UCT while others concentrate on community development programmes.
Housing services
UCT has a three-tier residence system that provides different services, governance and management to support undergraduate and postgraduate students on and off campus.
Generally speaking, a student will initially enter a fist-tier residence (full catering), move to a second-tier residence (senior catering or self-catering) in subsequent years, and then on to third-tier accommodation (semi-autonomous self-catering).
Library services
UCT Libraries offer state-of-the-art technology, vast collections of reading and research material, and the specialized services of friendly, efficient, and helpful staff.
In keeping with its central role in the academic life of the university, the Chancellor Oppenheimer Library lies at the heart of Upper Campus, while its eight branch libraries are set in locations convenient to the faculties.
ICT services
Information and Communication Technology Services (ICTS) is a support organisation that helps staff and students to use information and communication technologies to enhance their work.ICTS offers different services and support for staff and students.
Medical services
The Student Wellness Service offers a comprehensive outpatient medical service by both medical practitioners and nurses, who are dedicated to helping students to remain healthy, and to make the correct life choices while pursuing their academic goals. Students are encouraged to seek assistance and guidance as early as possible.
Student Life
Campus life
The GSB's Breakwater Campus is situated in the heart of Cape Town's most popular tourist attraction, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The campus derives its name from the fact that the site once housed convicts who built the breakwater for the Cape Town harbour in 1861.The present building dates from 1901. It was built and used as an industrial prison until 1926 when it became a hostel for migrant workers. By the 1990s, the building had been left empty and derelict, In 1991, it was extensively renovated to accommodate the GSB. At that time two new buildings were added to the complex to house the Breakwater Lodge hotel and restaurant facilities.
Sports facilities
UCT offers more than 40 sporting codes, with a total membership of around 9 000 students and staff. So, this is a great opportunity to carry on with the sport you loved at school or to try your hand at something completely new.
Whether you’re interested in athletics, rugby, netball and soccer or archery, paragliding, skydiving and yachting, there will be something for you.
Student clubs
There are more than 100 student societies and organisations at UCT reflecting a wide range of interests, including academic, religious, cultural, social and political activities.Each society is run by students and any student may be a member. Societies hold a number of events every year including an AGM where the new leadership is elected for the New Year.Each society is partially funded by the University and partially by subscription fees which the societies charge.
The Global Study Awards
Together with the ISIC Association and British Council IELTS, Studyportals offers you the chance to receive up to £10000 to expand your horizon and study abroad. We want to ultimately encourage you to study abroad in order to experience and explore new countries, cultures and languages.
Student Reviews
Rewarding
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
Studying for me has consisted of immense pressure and hard work, however it has been extremely rewarding
UCT
Anonymous rated 3 out of 5 stars
I have received both my degrees from UCT , both from different faculties - Humanities and Law. My experience in the Humanities faculty has been different from that of the Law faculty and I enjoyed the learning experience from the Humanities faculty more because there was more support and encouragement of critical thinking, creativity and positive engagement. However, both...
Engineering and UCT
Karmi De Villiers rated 4 out of 5 stars
The diversity of people and cultures are truly amazing. There's always an opportunity to learn more about people and how they grew up, everyone is always open to help you. The lecturers are also amazing, always available for consultation, to give you extra help, they try their best in classes as well. I don't think anything can be improved, or at least not in the...