Private colleges

Written by Mohapi · Last updated 15 August 2026 · How these figures are checked

Private higher education institutions set their own entry requirements. They are frequently more accessible than public university minimums, which is genuinely useful if your APS came in lower than you hoped, and is also exactly why this part of the sector attracts operators who should not be trusted with your money.

Both halves of that sentence are true at once. There are excellent private institutions in South Africa producing well-regarded graduates. There are also colleges that will take three years of fees for a qualification that is not registered anywhere. The difference is not visible from the advert, the campus, or how professional the sales consultant sounds. It is only visible if you check.

What "private" actually means here

A private higher education institution is one that is not a public university, university of technology or public TVET college. It funds itself from fees rather than from the state.

What it is not is unregulated. Under the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997, a private institution must be registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training before it may offer higher education programmes or award qualifications. Its programmes must be accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education, and registered on the NQF by SAQA.

So a properly registered private institution is offering the same nationally recognised qualifications, at the same NQF levels, as a public university. A Diploma at NQF level 6 from a registered private college is a Diploma at NQF level 6. That is the point of the framework.

Entry requirements are set by the institution

This is the practical difference that matters if your marks are the problem.

Public universities publish minimum APS scores and then, for competitive programmes, select well above them because places are capped. Private institutions set their own admission criteria, and because they are not rationing a fixed state-funded intake in the same way, those criteria are often lower and the selection pressure is lower.

In practice that means admission is frequently possible where your APS falls short of a public university, and that a place may still be available after public applications have closed.

Two things that does not mean:

• It does not mean there are no requirements. The statutory minimum for the type of qualification still applies. You need the right kind of NSC pass for a degree, a diploma or a higher certificate, and that is national, not institutional. A college promising you degree entry without the matching pass is describing something that cannot happen.
• It does not mean the qualification is easier. Entry and exit are different gates. An accredited qualification has to meet the same standards regardless of who taught it.

What private institutions are often good at

• Smaller classes. A first-year lecture at a large public university can hold several hundred people. Being known by name matters more than prospectuses admit, particularly if you found school hard.
• More intakes. Many run more than one start date a year, so missing a deadline does not automatically cost you twelve months.
• Industry-shaped programmes. Especially in design, IT, hospitality, film and business, where course content can be revised faster than at a large public institution.
• Support structures. Fee-funded institutions have a direct interest in you not dropping out, and it often shows in the academic support.

What to be clear-eyed about

Questions to ask before you sign

1. What is your DHET registration number, and are you registered or provisionally registered?
2. Is this specific qualification CHE-accredited, and what is its SAQA ID?
3. What NQF level is it, and how many credits?
4. What is the total cost to completion, including registration, materials and exam fees?
5. What happens to my fees if I fail a module, or withdraw in month three?
6. Where do your graduates from this programme end up, and can I speak to one?
7. If the institution closes, what happens to my studies and my record?

Ask the last one. It is uncomfortable and it is reasonable, and the answer tells you a great deal about how the institution thinks about its students.