Sol Plaatje University

Sol Plaatje University (SPU) is a public university established in 2014, the first entirely new South African university created since 1994 and the only university based in the Northern Cape province. It is named after Sol Plaatje, the writer and intellectual. SPU opened with 135 students in 2014 and has grown toward a stated target of roughly 7,500 students by the mid-2020s (a 2025 SPU factfile cites enrolment of over 7,000). The university occupies a "city campus" model in Kimberley, combining existing heritage buildings (e.g. the former Civic Centre, Oppenheimer Gardens precinct) with award-winning purpose-built structures — its central auditorium won Best Higher Education Building at the 2022 World Architecture Festival. SPU is a young, niche-focused institution particularly known for teacher education, ICT and data science, heritage studies/archaeology, and creative writing in African languages, alongside emerging programmes in natural and applied sciences and economic and management sciences.

Faculties & Programmes

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences: Retail Business Management (Diploma), Public Management (Postgraduate Diploma), Entrepreneurship (Postgraduate Diploma), Accounting, Economics-related career pathways, part-time Advanced/Postgraduate Diplomas; includes the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Research (CEDAR)
Faculty of Education: Bachelor of Education (BEd) across teaching phases/specialisations, Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), BEd Honours, Master of Education (MEd); departments of Mathematics, Science and Technology Teaching; Human Sciences Teaching; Education Studies; includes Centre for the Advancement of Rural and Inclusive Education Research (CARIER)
Faculty of Humanities: Bachelor of Arts (History, Archaeology, Heritage Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology), Higher Certificates in Court Interpreting and Heritage Studies, language modules (Sign Language, Creative Writing, Afrikaans, English, Setswana, isiXhosa), Master of Arts by research; includes Heritage Studies and Archaeology, Social Sciences, Department of Languages and Communication Studies, and Centre for Creative Writing and African Languages (CCWAL)
Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences: Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Computer Science and Information Technology (incl. Data Science), Mathematical Sciences, Physical and Earth Sciences (chemistry, geography, physics); Bachelor of Science in Data Science, Diploma in ICT, BSc Honours in Data Science; includes Centre for Applied Data Science, Centre for Global Change, Arid Region Water Research Centre

Bursaries That May Apply Here

Based on published eligibility criteria mentioning this institution or its type (public university/university of technology) — always confirm current eligibility directly with the bursary provider before applying.