20 Best Private Universities in South Africa 2026 (Registered)
20 Best Private Universities in South Africa and Registered. Studying in a Private or Public university or college is a thing of choice. However, if your preference is to study in a private college in South Africa, there is a wide variety of South African private universities for you.
Pursuing a college or university degree is one of the best ways to equip yourself with the necessary professional skills required to kick start your chosen career. So, what are the best private colleges in South Africa?
South Africa has over thirty-five private universities. The beauty of these private universities is that many of them specialize in certain disciplines.
Contents
List of Private Universities in South Africa
Private universities outnumber public universities in South Africa and more universities are springing up in the country every year. Of course, some of these new universities are private universities. See the full list of South African Private University based on their types.
Private College in South Africa
- Red & Yellow School.
- Rosebank College.
- St Augustine College of South Africa.
- UniCollege West Rand.
- CTU Training Solutions.
- Damelin.
- Management College of Southern Africa.
- Qualitas Career Academy.
- Varsity College, and
- Vega.
Hospitality School in South Africa
- Stenden University South Africa.
Private Higher Education in South Africa
- Centurion Akademie / Academy.
- Helderberg College.
- Foundation for Professional Development.
- Monash South Africa.
- Akademia.
- Akademie Reformatoriese Opleiding en Studies.
- Cornerstone Institute.
- South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP), and
- South African Institute for Heritage Science, and Conservation.
- Oval Education International.
- Pearson Institute of Higher Education (formerly Midrand Graduate Institute & CTI Education Group),
- South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP), and
- South African Institute for Heritage Science, and Conservation.
Business Institute/ Marketing in South Africa
- Boston City Campus and Business College,
- New World Mission Dunamis International University (Regenesys Business School),
- South African Graduate Institute,
- Southern Business School,
- Milpark Business School, and
- IMM Graduate School of Marketing.
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Best Private Universities in South Africa
Damelin College
The Education Investment Corporation Limited (Educor) group owns Damelin. The college took its name from Benjamin Damelin in 1943. Damelin offers loads of degree, diplomas, and other higher qualifications.
However, Damelin remains a college because of the South African government restriction for tertiary institutions. Damelin has provisional accreditation with Umalusi, the highest possible accreditation obtainable with that particular ETQA.
Schools fit for training students in South Africa must have accreditation from any of the 33 Education & Training Quality Assurance bodies (ETQAs).
Foundation for Professional Development
The Foundation for Professional Development or FPD started in 1997 and has over 400,000 total student enrollment.
This is one large private higher education facility that not only provides affordable education to postgraduate students but also free HIV testing to South Africans since 2004.
Varsity College
Varsity College began in 1991 and is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Having accreditation by the Council on Higher Education (CHE), VArsity stands out as one of the best private universities in South Africa.
Meanwhile, The Independent Institute of Education (IIE), a South African private higher education provider, owns Varsity College.
Pearson Institute of Higher Education
Pearson Institute of Higher Education or PIHE used to be the Midrand Graduate Institute until 2019 when Pearson Education acquired 100% of its shares.
This South African private university has twelve (12) campuses across South Africa. These campuses are in Bedfordview, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Durbanville, East London, Midrand, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth, Potchefstroom, Pretoria, and Vanderbijlpark.
Monash South Africa
Monash University South Africa or MSA used to be a branch campus of Monash University, Australia until they became defunct in 2019. The campus now belongs to The Independent Institute of Education (IIE), so, it now goes by the name IIE MSA.
CTU Training Solutions
CTU Training Solution provides Industry Relevant skills to professionals. This South African private university has been running since 1987. The school has accreditation by The Media, Information, and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA).
Helderberg College of Higher Education
Helderberg College of Higher Education or HCHE is one of the oldest colleges in South Africa. It is the first College the Seventh-day Adventist Church established outside of North America.
Qualitas Career Academy
Qualitas Career Academy, like the name, provides quality education towards a fulfilling career. Even though this college began its operation in 2008, it stands out as one of the best colleges in South Africa.
Helderberg College of Higher Education
Helderberg College of Higher Education or HCHE is one of the oldest colleges in South Africa. It is the first College the Seventh-day Adventist Church established outside of North America. Combined with being the oldest Seventh-day Adventist College in Africa, this South African college has a rich history that they complement with quality education offerings.
To conclude, Private universities and Colleges in South Africa will benefit you in a lot of ways. You will get a quality of education comparable to and even exceeding public universities education.
With some of the South African Colleges and Universities enjoying international acceptance, you will also get to connect with students from Africa and other parts of the world.
FAQs
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Cheapest Universities in South Africa are as follows University Of Kwazulu Natal, University of Free State, Rhodes University, North West University, University of Cape Town, University of Fort Hare, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, University of Witwatersrand.
UniCollege West Rand. CTU Training Solutions. Damelin. Red & Yellow School. Varsity College. Rosebank College. St Augustine College of South Africa. Vega. Management College of Southern Africa. Qualitas Career Academy.
