The University of Cape Town was founded in 1829 as the South African College and was granted full university status in 1918. It is described as the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa in continuous operation. The Upper Campus lies on the Rhodes Estate, on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, and holds the faculties of Science, Engineering, Commerce and most of Humanities.
The Middle and Lower Campuses are in Rondebosch, Rosebank and Mowbray, and they include the Faculty of Law and most of the residences. The Faculty of Health Sciences is at Observatory, the Hiddingh Campus is in central Cape Town, and the Graduate School of Business is at the V&A Waterfront.
The university reports 28,233 students, 16,530 of them undergraduates and 11,193 postgraduates, although some sources give about 30,000. In 2024 there were 4,655 international students, or 15.84 percent, up from 14.41 percent in 2020. It has 1,176 academic and 3,179 administrative staff.
Six faculties teach there: Commerce; Engineering and the Built Environment; Health Sciences; Law; Sciences; and Humanities. Together they comprise 57 departments.
Five Nobel laureates are linked to the university as alumni, staff or researchers: Max Theiler, who received the 1951 prize in Physiology or Medicine for the yellow fever vaccine, Aaron Klug, who received the 1982 prize in Chemistry, Allan McLeod Cormack, who received the 1979 prize in Physiology or Medicine for X-ray computed tomography, the writer J. M. Coetzee, who received the 2003 prize in Literature, and Ralph Bunche, who received the 1950 Peace Prize. Alumni also include the surgeon Christiaan Barnard, the entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, the writer Breyten Breytenbach, the activist and judge Albie Sachs, the ministers Naledi Pandor and Ebrahim Patel and the cartoonist Zapiro. Fees differ for South African and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
The Upper, Middle and Lower Campuses and the Observatory site spread the university across the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Among its alumni, Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in 1967.
Domains taught:
Astroscience, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Six faculties with 57 departments, the Graduate School of Business at the V&A Waterfront, and the Hiddingh Campus in central Cape Town.
Research:
Health sciences, engineering and the built environment, sciences, commerce, law and the humanities, across 57 departments.
Famous Alumnis:
Christiaan Barnard, Mark Shuttleworth, Max Theiler, Aaron Klug, Allan Cormack, J. M. Coetzee
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
4355
Current students***:
28233
Foreign students***:
16%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Oldest university in South Africa, campus on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, five Nobel laureates linked to it, strong medicine and sciences.
Cons
Campus on a hillside, competitive admission, fees for international students, transport between sites.
Best For
Students seeking the oldest and one of the leading research universities in Africa, in a spectacular Cape Town setting.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Both schools build their programmes around finance, astroscience and civil engineering, and University of the Witwatersrand is the one to compare first within the country, since it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and is slightly larger, at about 40,259 students against roughly 28,233 here.
Among national alternatives, Stellenbosch University stands out for its focus on finance, mathematics and life sciences, and it is slightly larger, at about 36,125 students against roughly 28,233 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Seen from abroad, University of Otago (New Zealand) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, chemistry and physics are central to both, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers marine science and food science as well.
University of Porto offers an international parallel to this university, with finance, civil engineering and chemistry as common ground; it covers food science as well, and has almost the same size, at about 30,640 students.
If this institution is on your list for astroscience, chemistry and physics, Curtin University in Australia deserves a comparison, because it covers marine science and materials as well, and is larger, enrolling about 61,193 students against roughly 28,233 here.
For finance, chemistry and physics outside the home country, National Taiwan University in Taiwan is a natural reference; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers agriculture and electrical and electronics as well.
Seen from abroad, Cairo University (Egypt) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, civil engineering and chemistry are central to both, and it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers agriculture as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Cape Town?
On the slopes of Devil's Peak in Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa.
When was it founded?
In 1829, as the South African College, and it received full university status in 1918.
Is it the oldest university in South Africa?
Yes, and the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa in continuous operation.
How many students does it have?
28,233, including 16,530 undergraduates.
What share of the students are international?
15.84 percent in 2024.
How many faculties are there?
Six, with 57 departments.
Where is the Graduate School of Business?
At the V&A Waterfront.
Where is the Faculty of Health Sciences?
At Observatory.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Max Theiler, Aaron Klug, Allan Cormack, J. M. Coetzee and Ralph Bunche.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for South African and international students. Check the current tariff.
Astrophysics, Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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