- Region
- Africa
- Term
- Fall, Spring
- Student Year
- Sophomore, Junior, Senior
- Courses Offered By
- College of Arts and Letters, College of Engineering, College of Science, Keough School of Global Affairs
Situated in the Western Cape province of South Africa, Stellenbosch University (SU) is a public research university holding the title of one of the oldest universities in Sub-Saharan Africa. With ten faculties, SU is a comprehensive university with an active residential and student life, including almost 4,000 international students. Just 45 minutes outside of metropolitan Cape Town, Stellenbosch delivers the “college-town” feel while sitting alongside some of South Africa’s most beautiful landscapes and vineyards.
Participating in the South Africa program allows Notre Dame students the opportunity to study and live directly with their peers at SU through this exchange program. You will attend classes at Stellenbosch and live with both local and fellow international students in student flats. Coursework introduces you to South African society and history by exploring topics such as transitional justice, social identity and inequality, agriculture, and the role of gender from a South African perspective. If interested, you also have the option to take an Afrikaans or an isiXhosa language course. Though best suited for students in the College of Arts and Letters, opportunities may be available for students in the College of Science and the College of Engineering. Attending Stellenbosch University also grants you access to their amazing facilities including a comprehensive underground library, a music conservatory, open-air amphitheater, and a student center stocked with all the essentials. Affectionately known as “maties,” students can join a wide variety of student organizations, organized sports, and social clubs.
Stellenbosch’s close proximity to Cape Town allows students to explore the varied landscapes of South Africa through numerous organized excursions. You can join university trips to Oudtshoorn, planned outings in and around Cape Town such as the Robben Island, Table Mountain, and the Langa suburb, savor a wine weekend in Stellenbosch, and much more! If you want to organize your own adventure, there’s something for everyone in and around Stellenbosch. Ideally situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands, you’ll enjoy a climate of hot, dry summers and mild winters in a diverse world of cultures and languages.