Your UCT

5 strategic goals

1. Creating a new and inclusive identity
2. Establishing global partnerships with a distinctive African lens
3. Remaining a research-intensive university
4. Harnessing innovation in teaching and learning
5. Achieving social impact through engaged scholarship

*33 catered or self-catering residences

• 6 702 students live in UCT residences
• 21 947 students live off campus

*Figures from 2018

40 different sports

Sports facilities include:

• a rowing club
• astro turf hockey fields
• tennis and squash courts
• an indoor sports facility and soccer, rugby and cricket facilities.

The UCT Gym is on lower campus near Graça Machel Hall.

100+ societies to choose from

Societies are run by students and reflect various interests, including academic, religious, cultural, social and political activities.

Students by faculty (including the Graduate School of Business)

• 6 722 – Commerce
• 708 – Graduate School of Business
• 4 839 – Engineering & the Built Environment
• 5 021 – Health Sciences
• 7 358 – Humanities
• 286 – Law
• 3 095 – Science

123 countries represented on campus

South Africa – 23 664
Southern African Development Community – 2 796
Elsewhere in Africa – 984
Elsewhere in the world – 1 521
Undeclared – 64

29 029 students enrolled in 2019

• 15 539 female
• 13 470 male
• 18 transgender
• 2 unspecified
• 16 698 undergraduates
• 11 095 postgraduates
• 1 236 occasional students

5 630 new first-years were accepted at UCT in 2019

Around 7 000 students graduate each year

5 000+ permanent staff

• 3 700 professional, administrative support and service (PASS) staff.
• 1 208 permanent academic staff members worked at UCT in 2018.

86 languages are spoken

The largest South African language groups are:

• English 16 084
• isiXhosa 3 020
• isiZulu 1 777
• Afrikaans 1 170
• Setswana 585

12 things that make UCT unique

1. #1 in Africa: UCT is the highest ranked African university according to Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds world university rankings.
2. Oldest: Established in 1829, UCT is South Africa’s oldest university.
3. First black woman graduate: Anti-apartheid and civil rights leader, Zalnunnissa (Cissie) Gool, graduated from UCT with an MA in 1932.
4. Centre for Higher Education Development: CHED partners with all faculties to ensure students don’t just gain access to UCT, but also succeed.
5. 15% of SA’s NRF-rated researchers: UCT has 541 National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers.
6. 44% women: 44% of the academics at UCT are women.
7. 25 km²: The total area of UCT’s campuses, including its satellite facilities in Gardens, Observatory, Philippi and the Atlantic Seaboard.
8. 53 349 linear metres (and growing): The capacity of shelving at UCT Libraries, which uses the cutting-edge search tool, Primo, to help you find the information you need.
9. Cape Flats: The UCT Graduate School of Business’s MTN Solution Space in Philippi Village means the university has a physical footprint on the flats.
10. d-school: The UCT Hasso Plattner Institute of Design Thinking is one of only three in the world.
11. Nobel laureates: UCT is alma mater to five Nobel laureates.
12. MOOCs: UCT now has 22 massive open online courses, which have attracted more than 230 000 people from over 100 countries.