Rhodes University is one of the oldest universities in South Africa, founded in 1904. It is one of the leading universities in South Africa, with one of the country’s highest graduations and passing rates. RU prides itself to be a small university comprising only about 8000 students at a time. Students come from all over Southern Africa, including Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. More than 50% of the students live on residence (and the majority of undergraduate students), so it has a strong sense of community. A large number of student clubs and societies allow the students to stay engaged in a variety of intellectual, social, cultural and sports activities. The university campus itself is large and comprises about 150 buildings, including 51 residences.
Rhodes University focuses on ensuring that its students graduate with high success rates and intellectually capability to take on the competitive job markets with a mindset to contribute to human and social development. Their aim is to equip the students with high quality of education, accompanied by the right amount of work experience, volunteering, and social activities to allow them to thrive in their lives. To stay up to date with the Covid-19 situation, Rhodes University has built a smooth and attractive “virtual campus” as all classes take place online. Rhodes University provides not only the ideal environment for tertiary studies, but also promotes leadership for an environmentally sustainable future.
RU has a total of six different faculties:
- Commerce
- Bachelor of Business Science
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Economics
- Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy
- Postgraduate Diploma in Enterprise Management
- Education
- Bachelor’s of Education (Foundation phase teaching and in-service)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education
- Bachelor of Education Honours
- Master’s in Education degrees
- PhD (Education) degrees
- Humanities
- Bachelor of Art – BA
- Bachelor of Fine Art – BFA
- Bachelor of Journalism – BJourn
- Bachelor of Music – BMus
- Bachelor of Social Science – BSS
- Law
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
- Research-based LLM and LLD Degrees.
- Pharmacy
- Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm)
- Master of Science and Master of Pharmacy
- Science
- The BSc (Bachelor of Science)
- The BSc (lnfSys) (Bachelor of Science (Information Systems)).
- The BSc(SofDev) (Bachelor of Science (Software Development))
- The BSc(F) – (Extended Studies Programme).
- Master of Science
- Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Science
How to apply to Rhodes University
Application procedures at Rhodes University are smooth and clear. All procedures take place virtually like the other leading universities. The students must decide and choose the degree they wish to apply to begin with. Followed by meeting the criteria that particular faculty or program requires to be considered for admission. Only students who meet the criteria are considered for the university’s application.
The information provided needs to be clear and accurate to keep a streamlined admission procedure in place.
- Your application can be started at RU’s website, where you register online and creating a profile.
- Once you confirm the email and activate it on your system to register, the process takes you back to their portal, where you’re able to start a new “admission” application.
- Once the application is submitted a payment of R100 is required as an application fee.
- You’re given a student ID number and login details to be able to follow through with the updates in the future.
Rhodes University offers several different funding options for students coming in straight from school. On special merits, awards are given out by the university to eligible students enrolling for the first time in the undergraduate programmes. These awards range from R33000 to 100% tuition fee coverage and are based on the final National Senior Certificate examination results or APS.
For international students transferring from universities outside of South Africa, the syllabi and course content, certified by that university, must be submitted with their application. If the syllabi are not in English, it is their responsibility to provide a sworn translation. If the student is transferring from another South African university, they may apply for credit for such courses when submitting the application form. (Enclose a letter giving full details of credits needed to be considered for transfer). The credits are granted and confirmed once the official transcript of the old university is submitted along.
Rhodes University Application
Rhodes University Application Form: Important Dates:
Applications Open: March
Applications Close: 30 September
The closing date for applications from all new students for admission to the University is 30 September. This is also the official deadline for foreign applicants.
Rhodes University Requirements
The requirements given by the university for admissions in their programs, undergraduate and postgraduate, are clear and must be met to be considered for admission.
For students applying to Rhodes University’s undergraduate Bachelor’s degree programmes, they must meet each faculty requirement in addition to filling out the applications. To be considered for acceptance in the program, the students must take seven subjects, four of which are compulsory (two languages, Life Orientation and either Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy) and three of the learner’s own choice from the subjects on offer at the school.
Each faculty and program have its own specific requirement related to the courses that must be taken, and the minimum APS required for admission consideration. If the students don’t meet the automatic points APS requirements, they can still be considered under Dean’s discretion given their application details and academic and extracurricular standings. All programmes require Life Orientation as a basic to be considered, although the marks obtained in this subject do not count against APS calculation.
- Commerce
- Mathematics is a required subject for all commerce programs.
- Minimum APS for automatic points is required to be 45, and to be considered under Dean’s discretion, the range is 38-44
- Education
- Two languages Mathematics and Mathematics literature, are the required subjects.
- A minimum of 40 APS required for automatic consideration and between 32-39 for the Dean’s discretion.
- Humanities
- For those in the 34-44 APS range will be considered under Dean’s discretion, and those with 40 and above will have an automatic points consideration.
- Pharmacy
- Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences must be taken to be considered for this program.
- Must have over 45 APS for Automatic points and between 40-44 for Dean’s discretion.
- Science
- Mathematical and Physical science or life science must be courses taken in high school
- A minimum of 45 or above APS is required for Automatic points and between 38- 44 for Dean’s discretion.
The sum of students’ final year’s six core subjects (excluding Life Orientation) is used to calculate the APS score. These six subjects must include English amongst other required subjects according to the faculty and programme applied to. At least four of the seven subjects must be from the list of the recommended subject list set out by the university, and students must have obtained an achievement rating of 4 (50 – 59%) or above. Following is the recommended subject list given:
Accounting, Agricultural Science, Business Studies, Consumer Studies, Dramatic Arts, Engineering Graphics & Design, Economics, Geography, History, Information Technology, Languages, Life Sciences, Mathematics / Mathematical Literacy, Music, Physical Science, Religion Studies, Visual Arts.
All applications must be submitted before the end of September.
Rhodes University Registration
Just as the application procedure, registration procedures are quick and smooth as well. The students need to bring along:
- Student ID number
- A copy of the final school results
- Events of Registration Fee payment clearance.
- A copy of the deposit slip, if the funds have already been transferred to the University account.
- If the student is receiving a bursary, then they must fax the copy of the award letter to the Fees office.
- School graduates need to submit their final NSC/ A level/ HIGCSE results.
- Transferring students need to submit their final transcript from the previous university and course outlines.
Also Read: Rhodes University Application Status and Prospectus
In addition to the above, International students need to submit:
- Proof of initial fee no later than January 2022.
- Passport copy with a valid study visa to study specifically at Rhodes University.
- Proof of medical aid cover arranges through approved health care providers like Sanlam or Absa.
- In a situation where A-level or HIGCSE results are not yet available by the time of registration, the students will not be allowed to register until the results are made available or unless they have received pre-registration.
