University of Cape Town Course Information Guide The University of Cape Town (UCT) application asks students to provide a preliminary selection of the courses they wish to enroll in at UCT. Please review this document before completing the UCT application (instructions outlined in the UCT Application Instructions document). The courses students select will be reviewed by UCT department heads and considered alongside their transcript in deciding to grant pre-approval for enrollment into these courses. Students can make changes to their course selection after beginning at UCT during a short add/drop period, however the add/drop period is very short and often stressful. This guide is intended to provide further information related to courses available to study abroad students at UCT. Notes to keep in mind when selecting UCT courses on the online application: • It is best to enter 4 courses on the UCT application. This is the maximum number of courses you can select. • Consult with your home school advisor to determine how course credit will transfer back to your home school. Have the courses you list on your application, and additional courses, pre-approved before you submit your application. • Write down the courses you list on your application. You will not be able to access these after you submit your application. • CIEE recommends enrolling in no more than one 3000-level course due to the large amount of independent course work required for these courses.
UCT Course Handbooks (Catalogues) You can find the course handbooks here: https://uct.ac.za/students/study-uct-handbooks/handbooks • Please note that the following year’s handbook will not be available until January of that year. If the handbook you need is not yet available, you should use the current handbook. There are additional courses specifically intended for study abroad students – specifically in the Music and Fine Arts departments. These are not found in the UCT Course Handbooks; however they are included in the UCT application by searching for courses using the appropriate department code.
Courses available to Semester Study Abroad Students Select courses ending in “F” for the February – June term or “S” for the July – November term. • F = first semester in South Africa, which is the spring semester in the U.S. system. These courses are only offered during the February – June term (e.g., HST1234F). • S = second semester in South Africa, which is the fall semester in the U.S. system. These courses are only offered during the July – November term (e.g., HST1234S). • Study Abroad Students are only able to take courses with the above endings. Study abroad students are unable to take courses ending in W, H, Z, or X. • Students can enroll in any undergraduate course for which they met the equivalent pre-requisites, except for courses offered in the Health Sciences department. Health Sciences and graduate level courses are not available to study abroad students.
Updated August 2023