Stenden South Africa is a private higher education institution located in Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, on the site of the former Grand Hotel, whose rooms are used as a working learning hotel for students. It was established in 2001/2002 and operates as an international branch campus of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), part of a network that also includes campuses in the Netherlands, Thailand, and Indonesia. Despite the 2018 merger of Stenden University and NHL University of Applied Sciences into NHL Stenden in the Netherlands, the Port Alfred campus continues to operate under the Stenden South Africa name and remains active, with intakes advertised for 2026 (January and July). The institution is registered with South Africa's Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997, with registration certificate no. 2002/HE10/001. Its degrees are accredited via the Higher Education Quality Committee and registered with SAQA. The institution follows a student-centred, real-world learning pedagogy (Problem-Based, Case-Based and Design-Based Learning) built around its own operating learning hotel (MyPond Hotel) and industry partnerships, and describes its international, travel-based approach as a modern take on the historical 'Grand Tour'.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) in Hospitality Management – NQF Level 7, 3 years full-time, 390 credits, SAQA qualification ID 63710
- Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Disaster Relief Management – NQF Level 8, SAQA qualification ID 90536