The University of Cape Town, which is situated on the slopes of Table Mountain, was founded in 1829. UCT’s core mission is to be an outstanding teaching and research university, educating for life and addressing the challenges facing our society. Over the past almost two centuries, UCT has built up and maintained a tradition of academic excellence and the university currently falls within the top 200 rated universities worldwide. It is also Africa and South Africa’s top-rated university.
Over 25 000 students are currently enrolled at UCT which includes at last count 1 055 honours, 2 871 masters and 984 doctoral students. These postgraduate students are enrolled in a diverse range of programmes spanning UCT’s six faculties: Commerce; Engineering & the Built Environment; Health Science; Humanities; Science; and Law. UCT is international in its outlook, and has a dynamic multicultural community with the student and staff contingent drawn from over 100 countries in Africa and the rest of the world. More than 1,400 of UCT’s international students are registered for postgraduate studies. UCT has also built links, partnerships and exchange agreements with leading African and international universities, which contribute to the university’s academic, cultural and social diversity. As a research-led university, UCT is also proud to be the academic home for more world-ranked researchers than any other South African university. This means that our postgraduate students are assured of interacting with scholars who are recognised experts in their field.
So while there are several academic grounds for enrolling at UCT, there are also several added benefits relating to its location. It is situated in Cape Town, world renowned for its natural splendour including several world heritage sites, pristine beaches and mountainous landscapes. Furthermore, both Cape Town and UCT boast a cosmopolitan community, where diverse cultures and languages blend and permeate its rich history of music, theatre and general social revelry. We invite you to be part of this diverse and inspirational environment and in our mission to attract talented students to our postgraduate programmes, UCT has introduced a range of financial options to make postgraduate studies affordable and possible.