Varsity College is now part of Emeris. This institution has been rebranded. Visit the official Emeris website for the latest information.

Private College Accredited Open

Varsity College (The IIE)

Johannesburg, Gauteng

Varsity College was established in 1991 as a private higher education brand and grew to operate 8 campuses across South Africa (including Cape Town, Durban North, Durban Westville, Pretoria, Waterfall-Midrand, Sandton, Pietermaritzburg and Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth). It operated as an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd (The IIE), which is registered with South Africa's Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (registration number 2007/HE07/002; company registration 1987/004754/07). The IIE is a subsidiary of ADvTECH Ltd, a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and is described as South Africa's largest registered and accredited private provider of higher education. All IIE qualifications, including those formerly badged Varsity College, are accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). IMPORTANT CURRENT STATUS: As of the 2026 academic year, Varsity College merged with fellow ADvTECH/IIE brands IIE MSA (formerly Monash South Africa), Vega School and the School of Hospitality and Service Management (HSM) to form a single unified brand called Emeris. ADvTECH publicly announced this consolidation in September 2025. The former varsitycollege.co.za domain now redirects to www.emeris.ac.za, and the combined entity operates 12 campuses across 7 cities in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape, plus an online platform.

Qualifications & Programmes

  • IIE Higher Certificate in Mobile Application and Web Development – NQF 5, 1 year full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Accounting – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Commerce – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Commerce in Digital Marketing – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Commerce in Law – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Business Administration (Online) – NQF 7, 4 years part-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Application Development – NQF 7, 3-4 years
  • IIE Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Game Design and Development – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Arts – NQF 7, 3-4 years
  • IIE Bachelor of Arts in Law – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Social Science – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Laws (LLB) – NQF 8, 4 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Public Health – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Hospitality Management – NQF 7, 3 years full-time
  • IIE Higher Certificate in Hospitality Management – NQF 5, 1 year full-time
  • IIE Higher Certificate in Legal Studies – NQF 5, 1-2 years
  • IIE Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education – NQF 5, 1-2 years
  • IIE Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase Teaching – NQF 7, 4-6 years
  • IIE Bachelor of Business Science Honours – NQF 8, 1 year full-time
  • IIE Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Management – NQF 8, 1-2 years
  • IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting – NQF 8, 1 year full-time
  • IIE Postgraduate Diploma in Data Analytics – NQF 8, 1-2 years
  • IIE Master of Business Administration (Online) – NQF 9, 2 years part-time