Cape Town, South Africa

at-a-glance:

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is South Africa's oldest university, and is one of Africa's leading teaching and research institutions. This is a fantastic program for students from all academic disciplines who have a strong interest in learning about contemporary South African life and society and the forces that have created that society. Through numerous volunteer opportunities in the historically disadvantaged communities around Cape Town, students are provided with an unforgettable academic and cultural experience.

academics

The University of Cape Town (UCT), internationally recognized as one of Africa’s leading research universities, was established as the South African College in 1829. The campus has sweeping lawns, pathways, trees, ponds, and waterfalls that combine with attractive physical structures and playing fields to make a pleasant study environment. A range of commercial, medical, recreational, and sporting facilities is available on campus, including a swimming pool, gymnasium, basketball, tennis, badminton and squash courts, and a weight room.

Academic Links:

University of Cape Town

Vanderbilt Course Evaluation List

CIEE

student life

Cape Town is a beautiful coastal city with superb mountain walks, vineyards, and beaches. The 3,281 feet high flat-topped mountain, Table Mountain, dominates Cape Town’s skyline. Many students look at Cape Town as an opportunity to be part of the rebuilding of a nation that was almost destroyed by apartheid and take full advantage of volunteer activities such as tutoring in local schools, working on AIDS and HIV projects, caring for children with mental problems, volunteering at women’s empowerment groups, and assisting with low-cost housing projects. There are also numerous opportunities to experience local theater, music, dance productions, museum tours, and rural cooperatives. The program also covers the cost of participants’ membership in up to three social, sport, or cultural clubs at the UCT, so there is always plenty to see and do.

housing

Students have the option of choosing to live in apartment-style university residence halls with South African students, off-campus houses or apartments near campus with fellow CIEE participants, or in a homestay with a South African family (strongly recommended for students who wish to take full advantage of their experience in South Africa).

location

Situated on the southern tip of Africa, Cape Town is a vibrant multicultural city with a rich selection of day and night activities. Water sports, mountaineering, nightclubs, and restaurants are readily available.

The city is also a microcosm of the challenges facing many African countries in transition: how to successfully operate within a global economy while at the same time grappling with the vast socio-economic inequalities that are the legacy of the colonial and apartheid past.

expenses

Program Costs: Semester Costs; Summer Costs 

application

Cape Town Application