On this page, you will find a list of all South African universities which are open for 2026 applications together with the open and closing dates for each.
But before we look at which universities are open for 2026, it is important to consider the facts below.
10 Useful Facts About South African University Applications for 2026:
- Application Opening Dates Vary – Most universities open their applications between 1 March and 13 May 2025.
- Early Closing Dates for Certain Programmes – Some faculties, such as Veterinary Science at UP (31 May 2025) and Medicine at UKZN (30 June 2025), have earlier closing dates than other faculties.
- Application Fees Differ for SA and International Students – For example, WITS charges R100 for SA citizens but R700 for international students. Similarly, UL charges R200 for SA applicants and R750 for international students.
- Some Universities Offer Free Online Applications – Institutions like UJ, UFS, WSU, NWU, and CPUT do not charge a fee for online applications, making them more accessible.
- Manual Applications Often Cost More – Universities such as UJ and CPUT charge R200 for manual applications, while UFH charges R120 for manual SA applications and R500 for international manual applications.
- The University of Fort Hare and UNISA Have the Latest Closing Dates – UNISA’s deadline extends until 1 January 2026, while UFH’s online and manual applications close on 30 September 2025.
- Rhodes University, UCT, and Stellenbosch University Close Early – Their deadline is 31 July 2025, which is earlier than most other universities.
- Dentistry at UWC Has a Unique Closing Date – While most UWC programmes close on 30 September 2025, Dentistry applications close a month earlier on 30 August 2025.
- CPUT and CUT Open the Latest – Unlike other universities that open in March or April, CPUT and CUT only start applications on 13 May 2025.
- Many Universities Close on 30 September 2025 – This is the most common deadline, applying to institutions like DUT, NMU, UWC (excluding Dentistry), UL, MUT, SPU, TUT, UNIVEN, UNIZULU, and VUT.
List of Universities Which Are Open for 2026 Applications
Below is a list of universities which are open for the year 2026. For those which are not yet open, you will see the application dates below:
| University | University Application Link & Prospectus | Opening Date | Closing Date | Application Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cape Town (UCT) | 2026 applications link for UCT UCT 2026 Prospectus | 2 April 2025 | 31 July 2025 | R100 (SADC) / R300 (non-SADC) |
| University of the Western Cape (UWC) | 2026 applications link for UWC UWC 2026 Prospectus | 2 April 2025 | 30 August 2025 (Dentistry), 30 September 2025 (Other) | FREE |
| Stellenbosch University (SU) | 2026 applications link for SU SU 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 31 July 2025 | R100 |
| University of Johannesburg (UJ) | 2026 applications link for UJ UJ 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 1 October 2025 | FREE (online) / R200 (manual) |
| Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) | 2026 applications link for CPUT CPUT 2026 Prospectus | 13 May 2025 | 30 September 2025 | FREE (online) / R200 (manual) |
| University of Pretoria (UP) | 2026 applications link for UP UP 2026 Prospectus | 2 April 2025 | 31 May 2025 (Vet Science), 30 June 2025 (Other faculties) | R300 |
| University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) | 2026 applications link for WITS WITS 2026 Prospectus | 1 March 2025 | 30 June 2025 (Specific programmes), 30 September 2025 (Other) | R100 (SA citizens) / R700 (foreign citizens) |
| University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) | 2026 applications link for UKZN UKZN 2026 Prospectus | 1 March 2025 | 30 June 2025 (Medicine), 30 September 2025 (Other programmes) | R210 (On-time SA) / R420 (Late SA) / R490 (International) |
| Rhodes University (RU) | 2026 applications link for RU RU 2026 Prospectus | 1 May 2025 | 30 September 2025 | R100 |
| University of South Africa (UNISA) | 2026 applications link for UNISA Unisa 2026 Prospectus | 1 September 2025 | 1 January 2026 | R135 |
| North-West University (NWU) | 2026 applications link for NWU NWU 2026 Prospectus | 2 April 2025 | 28 June 2025 / 30 August 2025 | FREE |
| University of the Free State (UFS) | 2026 applications link for UFS UFS 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | FREE |
| Nelson Mandela University (NMU) | 2026 applications link for NMU NMU 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | Varies by programme | FREE (SA citizens) / R500 (International) |
| Durban University of Technology (DUT) | 2026 applications link for DUT DUT 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | R250 (SA) / R300 (International) |
| University of Limpopo (UL) | 2026 applications link for UL UL 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | R200 (SA) / R750 (International) |
| Walter Sisulu University (WSU) | 2026 applications link for WSU WSU 2026 Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 (Health), 31 October 2025 (Other) | FREE |
| University of Fort Hare (UFH) | 2026 applications link for UFH UFH 2026 Prospectus | 1 June 2025 | 30 September 2025 | FREE (online) / R120 (manual SA) / R500 (manual International) |
| Central University of Technology (CUT) | 2026 application link for CUT 2026 CUT Prospectus | 13 May 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) | 2026 application link for MUT 2026 MUT Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| Sol Plaatje University (SPU) | 2026 application link for SPU 2026 SPU Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) | 2026 application link for TUT 2026 TUT Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| University of Mpumalanga (UMP) | 2026 application link for UMP 2026 UMP Prospectus | 1 June 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| University of Venda (UNIVEN) | 2026 application link for UNIVEN 2026 UNIVEN Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| University of Zululand (UNIZULU) | 2026 application link for UNIZULU 2026 UNIZULU Prospectus | 1 April 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |
| Vaal University of Technology (VUT) | 2026 application link for VUT 2026 VUT Prospectus | 1 May 2025 | 30 September 2025 | |