Educational institutions and study programmes
South African educational institutions and study programmes
Below, we explain what types of educational institutions and degree programmes there are in South Africa. We also explain how we check whether these are recognised and/or accreditation. We check the and to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information per educational sector.
Recognition
The government of a country grants an official status to an educational institution and/or study programme. Usually, if the government recognises an educational institution, all its study programmes are also recognised. However recognition may also be arranged at the programme level. This means that the government must recognise not only the educational institution, but also its study programmes. We only evaluate diplomas from recognised institutions and recognised study programmes. Read more about recognition in the EAR manual.
Accreditation
An organisation checks and assesses the quality of education. Usually the accreditation is valid for a certain period. In some countries, accreditation is compulsory, in others it is voluntary. The government of a country often appoints one or more organisations responsible for accrediting institutions and/or study programmes. In addition, there are also private accreditation organisations. We only mention and (in the case of diploma evaluations) consult accreditation organisations appointed by the government of that country. Read more about accreditation in the EAR manual.
Secondary education | educational institutions
- General secondary education (for a National Senior Certificate, NSC) is offered at public and private secondary schools. The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) mainly conducts exams for private secondary schools in South Africa. The curriculum is of a more academic nature compared to the curriculum in public secondary education. The exams of both the IEB and those of the public schools lead to the same diploma, the NSC.
- Vocational secondary education is offered by community colleges, private colleges and technical colleges. Among other things, students can obtain a National Certificate at these educational institutions.
Secondary education | diplomas
In case of secondary education, it is important to check that the diploma is issued by Umalusi.
Higher education | educational institutions
Higher education institutions in South Africa can offer both vocational and research-oriented study programmes. There are 2 types of higher education institutions:
- public universities; and
- private higher education institutions
Public universities
There are 3 types of public universities:
- universities;
- universities of technology;
- comprehensive universities.
Universities
Universities are the traditional academic universities. They offer mainly research-oriented higher education.
Universities of technology
Universities of technology are non-university institutions (technikons) that turned into universities. These institutions offer vocational study programmes. When students do research, it is practice-oriented.
Comprehensive universities
Comprehensive universities are a combination of the traditional academic universities and universities of technology. They are the result of mergers of technikons and traditional universities. Comprehensive universities offer both vocational and research-oriented study programmes.
Private higher education institutions
Higher education is also offered by private higher education institutions. These institutions mainly offer vocational study programmes.
Checking the recogntion of higher education institutions
Higher education institutions need to be recognised in South Africa. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) provides 2 overviews of recognised higher education institutions:
- recognised public universities;
- recognised private higher education institutions. Please note: this overview also includes private education institutions that are not (fully) recognised. Only the private education institutions mentioned under '1. Registered institutions' are fully recognised.
Higher education | study programmes
Study programmes in higher education need to be accredited in South Africa. You need to check the accreditation of study programmes from private educational institutions. In case of study programmes of public universities, this is not needed. These study programmes are automatically accredited if the university is recognised.
Checking the accreditation of study programmes from private educational institutions
- First, check if the private educational institution is recognised (see the information above). If this is the case, check the following:
- Is the study programme mentioned under the column 'Qualifications' of this educational institution? In that case, the study programme is accredited.
- Is the study programme not mentioned there? In that case, the study programme is probably not accredited.
- Is the educational institution not recognised? In that case, its study programmes are not accredited either.
Higher education | diplomas
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) offers a register of recognised diplomas of public and private higher education institutions. You can search for diplomas in this registers in the following way:
- After 'Qualification Title', type in (part of the) diploma name or field of study. You can add other search criteria as well.
- Click on 'Go'.
- If the diploma of the educational institution is displayed in the search results, you can click on the diploma name (after 'Title').
- You can now check out more information about the diploma, such as the goal of the study programme, the and the .
Study load
The amount of time the average student needs to master the subject matter/course material. This includes both contact hours (education) and hours for self-study. Educational institutions describe the study load in credits, such as ECTS.
Transfer entitlement
The possibility to continue on to an advanced programme, in some cases with exemptions for several subjects or a certain period.