Study Abroad in Cape Town Course - Environmental Science, African Studies, Development Studies University of Cape Town

The Semester Study Abroad program welcomes students to UCT for one semester while pursuing a degree elsewhere.

Located at the very tip of Africa, where two oceans meet, Cape Town is a vibrant and welcoming city that attracts thousands of international students and millions of tourists. UCT is globally ranked for its cutting-edge teaching, research, and facilities. We have a proud tradition of academic excellence through research-led teaching with a focus on African-based solutions to global problems.

The study abroad students can choose from a broad range of bachelor and masters courses. All courses are taught in English. Our dedicated support team will guide you through the application process and help you gain admission to courses covering over 40 disciplinary areas in the arts, sciences, commerce, law, and engineering.

UCT is a diverse campus community, offering a rich environment for international students. Study abroad students are fully integrated into classes and learn alongside full degree students. UCT uses an internationally recognized credit system, making it easy for you to transfer credits from UCT courses toward your home degree curriculum or degree requirements.

With the chance to join up to three UCT sports clubs or student societies free of charge, you will join a thriving campus community with plenty of opportunities to make new friends. The study abroad students can also give back to the local community by volunteering with university outreach programs.

Study abroad and exchange students can enroll in a maximum of four semester courses (or the equivalent where courses of differing lengths are chosen).

As a rule of thumb, SSA students need to take a minimum of three semester courses at various academic levels (or four semester courses at the first year level).

The normal course load is:

• at Bachelor's level three or four semester courses (those with an ‘F’ or ‘S’ suffix in the course code) with a total credit load of 72-90 NQF credits depending on which faculty offers the course.
• at Master's level, the combination of courses will give you a credit load of at least 45 NQF credits*.

Additional fees and charges will apply for each additional course enrolment.

* The South African coursework Master is 180 NQF credits. This is typically split into 90 NQF credits for the dissertation and 90 NQF credits for courses taken across one year.