Occasional Studies

You do not have to be enrolled for a degree programme in order to take courses.  It is possible to register for single, "once-off" courses, provided you are at postgraduate level and obtain department/lecturer permission to do so.  Provision is made for this in the online application form and the term used is "occasional postgraduate studies".

Note: Students may not transfer credits obtained via this method towards a full degree programme at UCT at a later stage.

Semester Study Abroad

International students who are enrolled for degrees in other institutions may wish to study at UCT for a semester.  This is also possible and you would apply for, and enrol as, a Semester Study Abroad student.

Courses Currently on Offer

• Semester 1 & 2

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Step 1: Apply formally via UCT Central Admissions

Applications can be done either online or via hard copy forms.  You do not need to fill in hard copy applications if you have applied online.

Online method:

See here for UCT's online application. We encourage that you apply via this route.  After applying online, you will then be contacted to provide certain necessary hard copy documentation before Central Admissions then passes the information on to the faculty and, ultimately, departments.

In order to apply online you will need a working email address and your South African identity number or, if you are an international applicant, your passport number.

Forms: (for those unable to apply online only)

The UCT application forms, as well as supporting information, can be found on the UCT Applications page.

We are unable to confirm initially in the department whether an application has arrived or not, so please contact Central Admissions if you are concerned that your application hasn't arrived.

Step 2: Notify us about your course choices

Please ensure that, in addition to applying formally, you also send an email to Ms Sylvia Chauke at the faculty (with a copy to the Postgraduate Administrator in the department), informing her exactly which course/s you hope to enrol for.  It is important that we receive this notification.  Always include your name in the subject header of your emails.

Waitlisting

Please note that in instances where classes are heavily subscribed, it is departmental policy to give Politics degree programme students preference.  A wait-list system is implemented to ensure fairness.  If you are unable to register in the course of your choice due to it being too full, there will be opportunity to make a second choice.