The academic community at Stellenbosch University (SU) consists of 29,000 students, including 4,000 international students from 100 different countries, and 3,000 permanent staff members, including 1,000 academics, spread across five campuses.
In the Winelands of the Western Cape, a historic university town with oak-lined streets and a campus-like environment draws both domestic and international students. Paved paths wind between college buildings on the main campus, some of which are recent construction and others dating back centuries. A strong academic foundation and the founding of an institution of excellence are attested to by architecture many times.
This, along with the area’s natural beauty, cutting-edge, environmentally friendly buildings and technology, as well as innovative ideas for building a sustainable 21st-century institution, gives Stellenbosch University its distinctive identity.
About Stellenbosch University
A public research institution called Stellenbosch University is located in the town of Stellenbosch in the South African province of the Western Cape. Along with the University of Cape Town, which was granted full university status on the same day in 1918, Stellenbosch is the oldest institution of higher learning in both South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. SUNSAT, the first microsatellite launched in Africa, was created and constructed by Stellenbosch University (abbreviated as SU).
The first African university to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities was Stellenbosch University.
The University of Stellenbosch’s students is known as “Maties.” The word “tamatie” from Afrikaans is likely where it got its start (meaning tomato and referring to the maroon sports uniforms and blazer color).
An alternate explanation is that the phrase derives from the diminutive form of the Afrikaans slang word maat, which means “buddy” or “friend” and was first used by students of the South African College, the forerunner of the University of Cape Town.
The Stellenbosch Gymnasium, which was founded in 1864 and inaugurated on March 1, 1866, is where the institution got its start. The first five students graduated in 1870, but there was no capacity for any tertiary study at the time. But the Cape Colony’s first locally elected administration, which gained power in the 1870s, gave education a top priority. The gymnasium had more than a hundred students when four of the five 1870 matriculants earned the “Second Class Certificate” through distance learning in 1873, becoming the school’s first graduates. Several legislative measures passed by the government in 1874 gave colleges and universities significant funding and staff.
Although initially designated as a solely secondary institution, Stellenbosch was able to qualify thanks to a personal intervention from the Prime Minister the same year. The university hired its first Professor later that year, and during the next few years, both its capacity and staff developed quickly. The first academic senate was established at the start of 1876, along with the purchase of various additional facilities. In 1878, the first MA degree was conferred (in Stellenbosch and South Africa), and the Gymnasium welcomed its first four female students.
The institution is one of the country’s about 20 universities and one of just three public universities in the Western Cape. Stellenbosch University placed third in Africa and 251-275 overall in the most recent edition of the Times Higher Education Global University Rankings. The university was been ranked 390 worldwide and third in Africa by the respected QS World University Rankings.
On its 2013 CWTS Leiden Ranking list of the top 500 universities in the world, Leiden University ranked Stellenbosch 395th. In addition, the university was ranked second on this list in both South Africa and Africa, only behind the University of Cape Town. In the fields of geography, politics, and law, Stellenbosch University frequently receives top 200 rankings worldwide. In theology, agriculture, forestry, and development studies, the university is among the top 100 universities in the world.
Again trailing the University of Cape Town, Webometrics listed Stellenbosch’s web presence as the second-largest in Africa in 2012. According to the Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes assessment, which was conducted in 2011–12, the MBA program at the University of Stellenbosch Business School was placed 65th out of 100 MBA programs offered by the top business schools worldwide. Moreover, USB is the sole business school in South Africa and the rest of the continent to make the Top 100 ranking.
The University of Stellenbosch Business School is ranked second in Africa by Eduniversal and has three accreditations (AMBA, EQUIS, and AACSB). The Financial Times has ranked the University of Stellenbosch Business School among the top 100 executive education programs in the world.
Faculty and Departments At Stellenbosch University
Faculty of AgriSciences
- AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
- AGRONOMY
- ANIMAL SCIENCE
- CONSERVATION ECOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY
- FOOD SCIENCE
- FOREST AND WOOD SCIENCE
- GENETICS
- HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
- PLANT PATHOLOGY
- SOIL SCIENCE
- VITICULTURE AND OENOLOGY
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
Arts
- Drama
- Music
- Visual Arts
Languages
- African Languages
- Afrikaans and Dutch
- Ancient Studies
- English
- General Linguistics
- Modern Foreign Languages
Social Sciences
- Geography and Environmental Studies
- History
- Information Science
- Journalism
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Sociology and Social Anthropology
Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences
- School of Accountancy
- Business Management
- Economics
- Industrial Psychology
- Logistics
- Statistics and Actuarial Science
Faculty of Education
- Curriculum Studies
- Education Policy Studies
- Educational Psychology
- SUNCEP
Faculty of Engineering
- Chemical
- Civil
- Electrical And Electronic
- Industrial
- Mechanical And Mechatronic
Faculty of Law
- Law
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
- Anesthesiaology and Critical Care
- Biomedical Sciences
- Centre for Health Professions Education
- Exercise, Sport, and Lifestyle Medicine
- Family and Emergency Medicine
- Global Health
- Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
- Medical Imaging and Clinical Oncology
- Medicine
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Paediatrics and Child Health
- Pathology
- Psychiatry
- Surgical Sciences
Faculty of Science
- The Department of Biochemistry
- The Department of Botany and Zoology
- The Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science
- The Department of Earth Sciences
- The Department of Mathematical Sciences
- Applied Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Department of Microbiology
- The Department of Physics
- The Department of Physiological Sciences
Faculty of Theology
- Theology
FAQS about Stellenbosch University
Q. How many Students Does Stellenbosch University admit per year?
A. The total enrollment of the university for 2018 is 31,765.
Q. Is Stellenbosch University a Federal or State School?
A. It is a public research university.
Q. What is the cut-off point for Stellenbosch University?
A. Visit the university’s website to find out.
Q. What is Stellenbosch University Official Website?
Q. Is Stellenbosch University a good school?
A. Yes. The university is ranked #304 in Best Global Universities. It is ranked in the top 100 worldwide in development studies, theology, agriculture, and forestry.
Q. Are there hostels at Stellenbosch University?
A. Yes. The university can accommodate about 6 500 students in approximately 31 university residences and other university accommodations on the Stellenbosch Campus.
Q. When is the admission form coming out for Stellenbosch University?
A. The University’s applications for the 2024 intake will open in April 2023.
Q. Who founded Stellenbosch University?
A. The university was established by Mr. Jan Marais of Coetzenburg
Q. What are the requirements for Stellenbosch University?
A. Entry Requirement
80% or higher overall average on the National Senior Certificate, omitting Life Orientation. 70% in mathematics English as First Extra Language or English as Home Language 70% in Languages other than English 70%.