Accommodation
The University of Cape Town has over 24000 students, but can only offer accommodation in a university residence to 6000 students. This means that there is heavy demand for accommodation. UCT is also host to over 4500 international students. The majority of these students stay off-campus therefore the demand for accommodation is high and by far exceeds availability.
If you applied for UCT residence accommodation and are still unsure as to whether your application was successful or not, please contact the Student Housing Office, tel +27 21 650 3010, fax +27 21 650 4014 or access the Student Housing website for further information. Please note that the International Office does not allocate on campus housing. In case you did not obtain UCT campus housing, IAPO can assist you in finding accommodation off campus, contact Ms Connie Williams, email: Cornelia.Williams@uct.ac.za, tel: +27 (0)21 650 2822.
The service IAPO provides is primarily with assistance in identifying suitable housing opportunities. We do not operate as real estate agents neither do we negotiate leases between students and landlords. Once the International Office identifies housing for a student, the student must liaise directly with the landlord regarding the lease, deposits, rent payments etc.
Students are advised to notify the International Office well in advance if assistance is required with finding accommodation. Requests to find housing a week or even days before a student’s arrival are not accepted as housing around the University is very limited and we require sufficient time to look for housing. Should we identify housing and a student decides not to take up the offer it is not guaranteed that housing will become available immediately however we will do our best to help wherever we can.
Landlords and letting agents list their properties with the International Office on a voluntary basis. Because of the variation in the quality of housing, it is highly recommended that you do not commit yourself to a property without seeing it first. It is a student’s own responsibility to ensure that they obtain as much information about property, before committing to it. Rental rates vary from year to year and a room in a shared flat will go for about R2500 - R3000 per month depending on a student’s needs. The cost of a room in a flat is less expensive in areas farther off from the UCT campus than areas close by however it is advisable to live closer to the University. Rental rates also vary from suburb to suburb. Most international students at UCT stay within proximity to the University in the, Observatory, Mowbray, Rosebank, Rondebosch, Newlands and Claremont suburbs.
Access the following links below, the information contained are guidelines and a housing request form.
Notice to landlords seeking tenants
The University of Cape Town's, International Academic Programmes Office is seeking accommodation for its international students. If you are a landlord and have a room or flat located within the UCT environs (Mowbray, Observatory, Rosebank, Rondebosch, Newlands, Claremont) that you would like to rent out to a student on a short / long-term basis or offer a home-stay option please contact:For further assistance with accommodation please contact:
Ms Connie Williams
International Student Administrator
email:Cornelia.Williams@uct.ac.za
Tel: +27 (0)21 6502822
Fax: +27 (0)21 6505667