About Stellenbosch Faculty Of Law

History

The university town of Stellenbosch is situated between the Boland mountains, in the heart of the Cape winelands. The University of Stellenbosch traces its origin back to the opening of the Stellenbosch Gymnasium in 1866. The Gymnasium subsequently gave birth to the “Arts Department” which became “Stellenbosch College” in 1881. In 1887, the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign, the Stellenbosch College was transformed into the “Victoria College” in honour of the Queen. The possibility of the establishment of a single national university in Cape Town after the unification of South Africa, seriously threatened the continued existence of the College and the status of Dutch as an official language of the Cape Colony. The Victoria College, however, was not prepared to give up its heritage. By April 1918 it had managed to convince the government of the need for the institution, and Victoria College then became the University of Stellenbosch.