Outgoing Student Exchange 

The nature of the various student exchange opportunities offered by the Faculty of Law differ according to each exchange agreement that UCT Law holds with its exchange partners. The application processes and deadlines also differ depending on whether you are an outgoing student (from UCT heading to a foreign University) or an incoming student (from a foreign University coming to UCT). 

Full information on outgoing exchange opportunities is available from UCT Law's School for Advanced Legal Studies. Outgoing exchange opportunities are only available at the postgraduate (LLM) level and are designed to enable students to undertake their first postgraduate law degree or part thereof at a foreign partnering institution.

Both current final year students and past LLB students can apply to go on exchange.

Only applicants who intend actually taking up an outgoing exchange opportunity should apply as purely speculative applications undermine the selection process and prejudice fellow applicants. Depending on the particular exchange agreement, exchange opportunities include undertaking either a full postgraduate law degree or studying for a semester abroad.

While the majority of the student exchange agreements provide for reciprocal fee-waiver, all other costs associated with the exchange (such as visas, travel expenses, insurance, accommodation and subsistence) must generally be borne by the outgoing student exchange nominee.

UCT Law Faculty provides each successful outgoing student exchange nominee with a small scholarship (in the region of R12 000) as a contribution towards these costs but nominees are encouraged to seek additional funding from other sources immediately following their nomination.

The Application Process

• If you are an outgoing student, you will need to be nominated by UCT Law Faculty as its exchange nominee under a particular agreement.
• Outgoing student exchange opportunities are advertised in April/May of the year preceding the student going on exchange (ie advertised in May 2025 for taking up exchange opportunities in January/June 2026).
• Applicants are required to research properly which partner universities they wish to apply to and to ensure that the nature, timing and credit weighting of its courses and programmes is suitable for their purposes.
• Applicants are required to fill out the application form which must be accompanied by a brief CV, contemporary and relevant letters of reference from two people familiar with your academic work, and your academic record (transcripts).
• The UCT Law Faculty will notify all successful outgoing exchange applicants of their nomination for a particular university as soon as possible after the closing date, and will then notify the relevant foreign partnering institution.
• The outgoing student exchange nominee is then required to apply formally for admission to the relevant exchange partner and comply with any additional formalities associated with his/her admission (such as language, visa, travel, insurance and accommodation requirements) to the foreign partnering institution.
• In preparation for the latest call for applications is made, the application form and any related documents will be uploaded here and on the School for Advanced Legal Studies' site.
• The closing date for applications is variable - watch this space for the next open call.

Funding Opportunities

• As mentioned above, UCT Law Faculty provides each successful outgoing student exchange nominee with a small scholarship of around R12 000 (in addition to the benefit of reciprocal fee waiver arrangements, where applicable). You will however need to source additional funding to cover your travelling, accommodation and living expenses whilst abroad on exchange .
• For details about possible funding opportunities provided by UCT, please visit the UCT Postgraduate Funding Office web pages.

Incoming Student Exchange

The nature of the various student exchange opportunities offered by the Faculty of Law differ according to each exchange agreement that UCT Law holds with its exchange partners. The application processes and deadlines also differ depending on whether you are an outgoing student (from UCT heading to a foreign University) or an incoming student (from a foreign University coming to UCT). 

Nature of Exchange Opportunities

To study law at UCT as an exchange student , you must:

• be registered at a university or college outside South Africa that has an exchange agreement with the Law Faculty at UCT
• be of good academic standing
• have met UCT’s English language admission requirements.

While the majority of the student exchange agreements provide for reciprocal fee-waiver, all other costs associated with the exchange (such as visas, travel expenses, insurance, accommodation and subsistence) must generally be borne by the incoming student exchange nominee.

The Application Process

• You will need to be nominated by your home institution as its exchange nominee under the relevant exchange agreement.
• The administrator of the Law Faculty of your home institution needs to e-mail a nomination letter from your home university (stating that you are the appointed exchange student) to the Faculty Office's Exchange Programmes Desk.
• The UCT Law Faculty Postgraduate Manager will then forward you the relevant UCT application forms which will need to be completed and returned to her by the relevant application deadline, as outlined below:
  • First Semester Study (February-June) | 30 September of the preceding year
  • Second Semester Study (July-December) | 31 March of the preceding year

Available Programmes and Course Offerings

• For full details regarding the programmes and courses on offer at UCT Faculty of Law, please consult the Faculty Handbook.
• Full details on the Rules applicable to incoming exchange students are available here.
• In summary:
  • All courses are offered in either the first semester or the second semester.
  • Undergraduate exchange students may register for four LLB (undergraduate) courses per semester OR three LLB courses and one LLM course.
  • Postgraduate exchange students may register for two LLM (postgraduate) courses per semester
  • The above are deemed to constitute a full semester course load.

The Faculty of Law participates fully in the university's Semester Study Abroad Programme. To be accepted to the Semester Study Abroad programme, you must:

• be a current student of a university or college outside South Africa,
• be of good academic standing at your home university,
• have a cumulative average of 65% in your current studies (this is equivalent to a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 0.0 to 4.0 in the USA system or an upper range ‘B’ on the ECTS grading scale)
• have completed three semesters towards your degree,
• have met UCT’s English language admission requirements.

SSA students are able to take semester courses (1st semester: Feb - June; 2nd semester: July - Nov) as listed below under the Faculty's three departments (Commercial Law, Public Law, Private Law). All course options are credit bearing and can be transferred to a student's home institution. 

SSA students may choose from across the three departments and from amongst final year and postgraduate electives. These courses are a part of a larger Law degree which facilitates the opportunity to study alongside local and international law students, experiencing a different kind of law school and a new legal culture. In addition to viewing the course lists below, please also consult the Faculty Handbook for detailed information about each course.

General Information on being a student in Cape Town

• Have a look at the Law Faculty's General Information Guide for International Students (Last updated 2023. It is your responsibility to check information and confirm that you have the correct and up-to-date information).

Accommodation

• Contact the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO) at iapo@uct.ac.za.