South African University fees In 2024

University fees in 2024: how much it costs to study in South Africa

South African universities have come under constant scrutiny for the high cost of education across the board, but could not escape hiking fees in 2024.
Following a fee increase freeze in 2024 due to widespread student protests, 2024 once again saw fees hiked at tertiary institutions.
BusinessTech looks at how much SA students at some of the top universities in South Africa will need to cover their chosen Bachelor’s costs for the first year of study.
The fees sourced include the following undergraduate degrees:

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom);
Bachelor of Arts (BA);
Bachelor of Science (BSc);
Bachelor of Law (LLB, undergraduate);
Bachelor of Science/Engineering (BEng).

The fees listed below give a range in which various bachelor degrees in the respective faculties fall. The fees are applicable to first year studies for 2024.
Fees are typically charged per module needed to make up the credits of a given degree, thus the fees represented below give the broader idea of the cost of a single year of study, rather than a comprehensive overview.

For institutions where no Bachelor of Engineering is offered, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering is featured.

UNIVERSITY	BA	BCOM	BSC	LLB	BENG
University of Cape Town	R49 440	R53 340 – R73 720	R54 000	R50 200	R55 460 – R57 180
University of the Witwatersrand	R36 330 – R46 790	R44 910 – R46 810	R44 610	R48 550	R43 580 – R50 360
Stellenbosch University	R35 387	R35 332	R42 783	R42 374	R52 057
University of KwaZulu Natal	R33 540 – R46 700	R39 170	R30 940 – R39 340	R36 500 – R38 728	R37 110 – R40 000
University of Pretoria	R33 000 – R39 000	R39 000 – R45 000	R32 000 – R60 000	R36 000 – R38 000	R41 000 – R51 000
Rhodes University	R40 176	R43 956	R41 796	R45 068	N/A
University of Johannesburg	R34 500 – R38 800	R35 000 – R40 000	R33 000 – R55 000	R31 800 – R36 500	R37 200 – R46 000
North-West University	R34 245	R37 205 – R40 065	R35 435 – R43 665	R37 205	R43 270

Residence fees
South Africa’s universities also offer different residence options, both on and off campus – self-catering and with food options.
Prices for residences vary depending on location, size (single or double) and gender (men and women have different fees).
Below are the price ranges students can expect at the various universities.

Rhodes University: R51,900 – R54,500
University of Cape Town: R42,200 – R52,300
University of Pretoria – R34,200: R53,100
University of the Witwatersrand: R33,030 – R72,635
University of KwaZulu-Natal: R35,686
Stellenbosch University: R25,020 – R44,960
University of Johannesburg: R24,024 – R31,668
North-West University: R17,630 – R23,950