Do you want to apply for a university in South Africa for 2026 studies, but do not have an application fee? Don’t worry.
On this page, you will find a list of all those universities in South Africa, that do not require any application fee at all.
If you have ever tried applying at South African universities, you would have realised that some universities charge an application fee. This fee can range between R150 to R300, which can be expensive for some students who want to apply at multiple universities.
University application fees are charged so that:
- Students who are serious can apply.
- Universities can have financial resources to administer the application process, as this can be costly.
Some universities do not charge for application fees when you apply online, such as the University of Johannesburg.
Learners who submit hard copy online application at universities, make the application process very costly for universities. Just think about it, capturing all the data from 100s of hard copy may require time and extra staff to put all the details on the system. That’s why these are mostly costly.
List of Universities Open for 2026 Applications With No Application Fee
In this section, we have identified all the universities which do not require any application fees:
- Central University of Technology (CUT): no application fees
- Nelson Mandela University (NMU): no application fees
- North-West University (NWU): no application fees
- Sol Plaatje University (SPU): no application fees
- University of the Free State (UFS): no application fees
- University of Johannesburg (UJ): R200 fee is charged for hardcopy application forms
- University of the Western Cape (UWC): no application fees
- Walter Sisulu University (WSU):no application fees
The rest of universities not listed here will charge you application fees when you apply. Please confirm withe the universities before applying. Check all application dates for all universities in South Africa here
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