Campus announcements
First-year campus reception programme and other updates
29 January 2025Dear students and colleagues
The University of Cape Town (UCT) will host a First-Year Campus Reception (FYCR) programme to welcome thousands of students embarking on their academic journey. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.
1. UCT to host First-Year Campus Reception programme
The FYCR will take place at the Sports Centre on upper campus from Saturday, 1 February 2025 to Monday, 3 February 2025. UCT will welcome thousands of first-year students as they step into a new chapter of their lives.
The first-year students will experience the buzz of campus life, meet new friends, and embark on a journey of discovery and growth at UCT.
The FYCR will take place from 08:00 to 17:00 daily.
Parent Orientation will also take place on Saturday, 1 February 2025.
- View the full list of faculty orientation programmes.
- For further information about the FYCR, email Nadia Waggie.
2. Campus Life 2025
First-year students are invited to begin their journey through Campus Life 2025, which is a comprehensive guide to navigating university life. The publication includes useful information – from support services to extracurricular opportunities and life in Cape Town.
3. University community cautioned against possible scams
The university cautions students and staff about possible fraudulent accommodation and funding offers, which are common this time of the year.
Students are urged to exercise caution when responding to any suspicions offers. Please note:
- Legitimate funders will not request payment to secure funding.
- Any offers advertised through posters on campus will display a UCT stamp.
- When making any accommodation deposits or payments, please avoid using cash and make sure the banking details are legitimate.
- Funding opportunities would mainly be advertised on the UCT bursary noticeboard.
Students are advised to always verify with the relevant departments before engaging with any suspicious accommodation or funding offers.
4. VC to deliver Summer School lecture
The UCT community is invited to attend a lecture to be presented by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela as part of the 2025 Summer School programme. The lecture will take place on Thursday, 30 January 2025 at 13:00 in the Kramer Law Building.
Appointed as UCT’s 11th VC in August 2024, Professor Moshabela is a visionary leader with a deep commitment to agile, transformative, and values-based leadership. This lecture offers a unique opportunity to hear Professor Moshabela outline his vision for UCT’s future, including his focus on fostering community, trust and sustainability in alignment with UCT’s Vision 2030.
This lecture is free but booking is essential to secure a place.
5. Next intake for designing with AI course
The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at UCT’s Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) has announced the dates for the Designing with artificial intelligence (AI) short course for 2025.
This six-week online course equips participants with skills to integrate AI into teaching, learning and research. They will explore the history of generative AI, its applications in teaching and ethical practices.
The course will comprise three cohorts: Cohort 1 (3 February–16 March 2025); Cohort 2 (7 July–17 August 2025) and Cohort 3 (1 September–12 October 2025).
Presented fully online, with interactive webinars and coaching sessions, the course costs just R5 500. UCT staff get a 30% discount, ie R3 850. All postgraduate students from any institution are entitled to a 50% discount, ie R2 750. Please request a discount voucher code before making payment.
- Register for the Designing with AI course on UCT’s The Learning Store.
- Read the full Campus Announcement: Next intake for designing with AI course.
For more information visit the website or send an email.
6. Call for applications: DHET Future Professors Programme
Early and mid-career academics are invited to apply for the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Future Professors Programme (FPP), designed to prepare outstanding academics for professorship across disciplines.
Academic staff are encouraged to apply for this opportunity. In terms of the summarised criteria, a candidate should hold a doctorate; have demonstrable evidence of some academic achievement; and be permanently employed in an academic capacity, or an equivalent academic appointment.
Once applications are received, an internal selection process will follow, where a maximum of five nominees will be submitted to the DHET for consideration.
The deadline for submission is Tuesday, 25 February 2025. Please email your application to the University Capacity Development Programme team.
Please direct any further questions to Dheshnie Keswell or Lisa Cloete.
7. Accommodation update
UCT received applications for accommodation from 8 500 eligible prospective first-year students. (Note: the overall number of accommodation applications received is higher, however the rest of the applications are immaterial as those applicants did not meet the academic eligibility criteria). Of these 8 500 applications, only 4 500 prospective first-year students with firm / final academic offers can be enrolled at the university as UCT has capacity to admit only 4 500 first-year students.
For returning students, UCT received 7 000 accommodation applications.
In total, the university received 11 500 applications – 7 000 from returning students and 4 500 from eligible first-year students with academic offers.
UCT has approximately 8 200 beds available in both on campus and leased off campus residences. Of these, 2 250 are reserved for first-year students. This means that 50% of the university’s first-year students (2 250 out of 4 500) can be accommodated on campus, while an overall 71% of the eligible students who applied for accommodation (8 200 out of 11 500) can be housed by the university.
UCT also has an Off Campus Student Accommodation Service (OCSAS), which provides a practical and viable alternative to the residence system by way of comprehensive information and guidance on securing off-campus accommodation.
8. Design Thinking course 2025
Applications for the Foundation Programme in Design Thinking at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at UCT are open.
This nine-week programme, running from Tuesday, 4 March to Friday, 25 April 2025, offers students the opportunity to gain future-ready skills, build creative confidence and master human-centred problem-solving techniques.
The programme is open to final-year undergraduates, postgraduates, and recent graduates aged 18–35 from South African higher education institutions. It focuses on real-world challenges, and participants will collaborate in multidisciplinary teams and engage in hands-on projects guided by expert mentors.
Applications close on Friday, 14 February 2025.
The course will take place at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at UCT’s upper campus, and the cost is R950.
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