PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school.

[KSoul]

To be completely honest, if you were just able to keep a remote job (part-time) in the USA while doing your postgrad studies at UCT. 

Most American companies would not go for this. There are legal issues with overseas employees that they would have to deal with and most don't want to deal with the hassle.

What are you basing this on? I have several colleagues living in South America and Europe while having remote jobs in the US. My parents work with some of the largest companies in the world (e.g. Google, Genentech, Deloitte, Facebook), and per their experience, 'most companies' perspective is off. 

OP, thanks for all the information. My father has talked about moving to SA over the years for his Ph.D.; however, my mother talked him out of that option. Cape Town remains a holiday destination.

[ss20ts]

To be completely honest, if you were just able to keep a remote job (part-time) in the USA while doing your postgrad studies at UCT. 

Most American companies would not go for this. There are legal issues with overseas employees that they would have to deal with and most don't want to deal with the hassle.

What are you basing this on? I have several colleagues living in South America and Europe while having remote jobs in the US. My parents work with some of the largest companies in the world (e.g. Google, Genentech, Deloitte, Facebook), and per their experience, 'most companies' perspective is off. 

The people you mention most likely didn't leave the US and move overseas to attend college and take their job with them. That's what the OP is suggesting. Moving overseas and taking your remote job with you is far more difficult than it sounds. I have a great deal of remote work experience as I have worked remotely for years as has my husband. 

Americans can't just move overseas and work. There are legal and visa issues involved. Many contracts have stipulations in them about where the work will be conducted. This is frequently the case with government contracts. When Americans do move overseas with their current employer, there is a great deal of work happening behind the scenes with HR and legal to get this pushed through.

[KSoul]

To be completely honest, if you were just able to keep a remote job (part-time) in the USA while doing your postgrad studies at UCT. 

Most American companies would not go for this. There are legal issues with overseas employees that they would have to deal with and most don't want to deal with the hassle.

What are you basing this on? I have several colleagues living in South America and Europe while having remote jobs in the US. My parents work with some of the largest companies in the world (e.g. Google, Genentech, Deloitte, Facebook), and per their experience, 'most companies' perspective is off. 

The people you mention most likely didn't leave the US and move overseas to attend college and take their job with them. That's what the OP is suggesting. Moving overseas and taking your remote job with you is far more difficult than it sounds. I have a great deal of remote work experience as I have worked remotely for years as has my husband. 

Americans can't just move overseas and work. There are legal and visa issues involved. Many contracts have stipulations in them about where the work will be conducted. This is frequently the case with government contracts. When Americans do move overseas with their current employer, there is a great deal of work happening behind the scenes with HR and legal to get this pushed through.

Respect your experiences and the difficulties you've seen. Our family has moved worldwide (non-military) while getting paid by US companies. Whether attending a university in that country or not seems like a non-factor in the OP's suggestion. However, I would not want to promote that the process is easy but doable. Picking the right company would be key. My sister works for P&G, and they promote the ability to travel the world while in a remote position. They start with one month, which expands per your interest and aspirations. She's lived in Germany (1 year), Poland (8 months), France (4 months),  and soon-to-be Singapore (goal 1 year), while her pay comes from the US.

[Personherebb9]

To be completely honest, if you were just able to keep a remote job (part-time) in the USA while doing your postgrad studies at UCT. 

Most American companies would not go for this. There are legal issues with overseas employees that they would have to deal with and most don't want to deal with the hassle.

What are you basing this on? I have several colleagues living in South America and Europe while having remote jobs in the US. My parents work with some of the largest companies in the world (e.g. Google, Genentech, Deloitte, Facebook), and per their experience, 'most companies' perspective is off. 

OP, thanks for all the information. My father has talked about moving to SA over the years for his Ph.D.; however, my mother talked him out of that option. Cape Town remains a holiday destination.

Yeah, to be honest even I have relatives that currently have remote jobs from the USA, that currently live in South Africa. So I wouldn't say it's impossible. Even if you are able to do just freelance work or something like that. If you can just source $1000 p/m you'll be more than fine in this country (assuming you have no dependents.)

Cape Town is great, I don't live there anymore but did for quite a while. Cape Town doesn't even feel part of South Africa it's so different, I honestly love that place so much. I think it's currently ranked the 11th best city to live in, in the world. Frequently keeping a spot within the top10/15 every year. (Beating out cities such as London, Manchester, NYC.)
https://www.goodthingsguy.com/environmen...out%20tops!

Definitely a worthy place to do a year abroad.

[Dumber]

As a South African, I felt like it is my moral obligation to inform everyone on this Forum of how cheap South African postgrad qualifications are.

Here's a few pros of doing your postgrad degree through a South African University.
1) According to South African policy in regards to Higher Education, the minimum period of study towards a masters is 1 year, with a recommendation of 2 years (PhD minimum: 2 years, recommended: 4 years). Meaning you are able to complete your entire masters, start to finish, in one year, compared to two years for a standard masters in the US (PhD 2 years.).
2) COST: Just to give you an idea the TOTAL COST to finish an ENTIRE (may vary depending on the years you take to complete) PhD at UNISA (University of South Africa) is R27 250 P/A or equivalent to $1504,94. And no I did not mistype that. Masters are also very cheap compared to American standards. (The average cost of a PhD in the USA is between $28 000 and $55 000 P/A) https://www.idp.com/middleeast/study-in-...university.
3) South African public universities are the foreign equivalent to RA universities in America. (Any UNI recognized by CHE).

Here's a list of Universities I would recommend (from knowing the reputation of the Universities.)
1a) UCT: Here are some rankings: (1st in Africa); (THE: 160th world ranking); (QS: 237th world ranking); (US news & world reports: 109th world ranking);(Center for World University Rankings: 270th world ranking); (ShanghaiRanking's; 201-300 world ranking)
1b)UCT is widely regarded (at least in Africa) to be the "Harvard" of the Southern Hemisphere. UCT has a p/a cost of R23 370 or the equivalent to $1290,66 for a PhD, just to put finances into perspective. 
1c) UCT, however does not offer online degrees (only short courses). For that cost though, I would consider doing a year abroad to study so cheaply at a Top international school.
1d) Link- https://uct.ac.za/
2) Stellenbosch University (Similar rankings to UCT, known for also having the world's best choir)- No online programs
3) University of Witwatersrand (WITS)- No online programs
4) UNISA, Public University that does offer Online Degrees as mentioned before. (UNISA also follows a system for Recognition of Prior Learning).

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Other than unisa, what other 
South Africa institutions offer online education to non-south Africans?

[Personherebb9]

For anyone interested in online studies through UNISA, please refer to this page for international student policies:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/...rnational1

This page to get your degree evaluated (SAQA) :
https://www.saqa.org.za/

Here is a website where you can track what degrees are usually accepted per country (in South Africa):
https://mb.usaf.ac.za/

Here is the list of American degrees usually accepted:
https://mb.usaf.ac.za/united-states-of-america/

Qualification:
High School Graduation Diploma accompanied by certificate of eligibility for admission to study at any US university with a valid senior college accreditation issued by any of the following accreditation bodies:

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE)
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC)
North West Commission on College and Universities (NWCCU)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC-ACSCU)

Note that many of these names are outdated (DETC is now DEAC; NEASC-CIHE is now NECHE; NCA-HLC is now just HLC; et.) However they should still work 100% fine.
(Note that even if your degree comes from an NA school, as long as it is accredited by one of the accrediting bodies listed above and it's listed on the CHEA's page (Council for Higher Education Accreditation), NA/RA doesn't really matter.)
*I know of someone that did a degree through UoPeople and their degree got evaluated with no issues. (Note UoPeople is accredited by DEAC)

[ashkir]

Thank you everyone for sharing! This is great information!

I believe UP (University of Pretoria) offers a few postgraduate diplomas completely online, but I'm not aware of other PUBLIC universities offering full degrees.

University of Pretoria is where Elon Musk went before he decided to go to school in Canada (then transferred to UPenn). The current richest person in the world went to a South African University.

Pretoria seems to have 8 week classes with 6 start dates per year with pay per class. https://online.up.ac.za/ Application fee is $30. The classes range from 4000 to 10000 RAND to be an equiv of around $250-$600 US. 

The online PGDip in Public Health for example comes to $2400 US

[ss20ts]

Respect your experiences and the difficulties you've seen. Our family has moved worldwide (non-military) while getting paid by US companies. Whether attending a university in that country or not seems like a non-factor in the OP's suggestion. However, I would not want to promote that the process is easy but doable. Picking the right company would be key. My sister works for P&G, and they promote the ability to travel the world while in a remote position. They start with one month, which expands per your interest and aspirations. She's lived in Germany (1 year), Poland (8 months), France (4 months),  and soon-to-be Singapore (goal 1 year), while her pay comes from the US.

Moving so one can attend a college is much different than an employer relocating you.

---

Thank you everyone for sharing! This is great information!

I believe UP (University of Pretoria) offers a few postgraduate diplomas completely online, but I'm not aware of other PUBLIC universities offering full degrees.

University of Pretoria is where Elon Musk went before he decided to go to school in Canada (then transferred to UPenn). The current richest person in the world went to a South African University.

He is from South Africa. He was born into a rich family. I wouldn't say he's the poster child for the university.

[ashkir]

Respect your experiences and the difficulties you've seen. Our family has moved worldwide (non-military) while getting paid by US companies. Whether attending a university in that country or not seems like a non-factor in the OP's suggestion. However, I would not want to promote that the process is easy but doable. Picking the right company would be key. My sister works for P&G, and they promote the ability to travel the world while in a remote position. They start with one month, which expands per your interest and aspirations. She's lived in Germany (1 year), Poland (8 months), France (4 months),  and soon-to-be Singapore (goal 1 year), while her pay comes from the US.

Moving so one can attend a college is much different than an employer relocating you.

---

Thank you everyone for sharing! This is great information!

I believe UP (University of Pretoria) offers a few postgraduate diplomas completely online, but I'm not aware of other PUBLIC universities offering full degrees.

University of Pretoria is where Elon Musk went before he decided to go to school in Canada (then transferred to UPenn). The current richest person in the world went to a South African University.

He is from South Africa. He was born into a rich family. I wouldn't say he's the poster child for the university.

nonetheless, it does give University of Pretoria some recognition among people outside of South Africa. A rich family sent their kids there. Rich families don't send their kids to random campuses that have questionable accreditations.

[Personherebb9]

As a South African, I felt like it is my moral obligation to inform everyone on this Forum of how cheap South African postgrad qualifications are.

Here's a few pros of doing your postgrad degree through a South African University.
1) According to South African policy in regards to Higher Education, the minimum period of study towards a masters is 1 year, with a recommendation of 2 years (PhD minimum: 2 years, recommended: 4 years). Meaning you are able to complete your entire masters, start to finish, in one year, compared to two years for a standard masters in the US (PhD 2 years.).
2) COST: Just to give you an idea the TOTAL COST to finish an ENTIRE (may vary depending on the years you take to complete) PhD at UNISA (University of South Africa) is R27 250 P/A or equivalent to $1504,94. And no I did not mistype that. Masters are also very cheap compared to American standards. (The average cost of a PhD in the USA is between $28 000 and $55 000 P/A) https://www.idp.com/middleeast/study-in-...university.
3) South African public universities are the foreign equivalent to RA universities in America. (Any UNI recognized by CHE).

Here's a list of Universities I would recommend (from knowing the reputation of the Universities.)
1a) UCT: Here are some rankings: (1st in Africa); (THE: 160th world ranking); (QS: 237th world ranking); (US news & world reports: 109th world ranking);(Center for World University Rankings: 270th world ranking); (ShanghaiRanking's; 201-300 world ranking)
1b)UCT is widely regarded (at least in Africa) to be the "Harvard" of the Southern Hemisphere. UCT has a p/a cost of R23 370 or the equivalent to $1290,66 for a PhD, just to put finances into perspective. 
1c) UCT, however does not offer online degrees (only short courses). For that cost though, I would consider doing a year abroad to study so cheaply at a Top international school.
1d) Link- https://uct.ac.za/
2) Stellenbosch University (Similar rankings to UCT, known for also having the world's best choir)- No online programs
3) University of Witwatersrand (WITS)- No online programs
4) UNISA, Public University that does offer Online Degrees as mentioned before. (UNISA also follows a system for Recognition of Prior Learning).

Feel free to ask me any questions.

Other than unisa, what other 
South Africa institutions offer online education to non-south Africans?

As mentioned somewhere on this thread. All South African PUBLIC universities are "related", they all work with each other (I think there is only like 14/15ish) through CHE (Council of Higher Education). For the most part CHE has tried to maintain online degrees through UNISA exclusively. This is mostly because it is much easier to regulate the online academic integrity of these online degrees, if they only have to worry about one university supplying them. Please note that UNISA, while they offer MANY online programs, is not exclusively an online university such as Excelsior, TESU, COSC, etc. But they do also offer in-person classes in lectures if you wanted to explore in-person or blended learning through them. 

Universities such University of Pretoria offers a few postgraduate diplomas online, UCT offers a few short courses and diplomas online, but other than that online degrees are mostly kept under UNISA. There are a few online PRIVATE universities, however I would NOT recommend attending them. While they hold the same accreditation as public universities, they are definitely frowned down upon and not respected, they are also SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. We like to call them "Buy-my-degree" institutions. The only private university I could consciously recommend is IIE MSA, while they hold CHE accreditation and are registered with SAQA, they follow the British degree system, it is unclear whether or not their degrees can be completed online, however it is known for IIE schools usually offer distance learning options. (They offer up to masters level.)

If you're looking at cheap alternatives and don't want to consider UNISA, I would recommend looking towards Europe, however many European countries often still charge international students a lot. The only one I could really suggest is (IU) International University of Applied Sciences (Germany), they offer up to masters, with distance education options. IDK what the tuition would be as an American, but as a South African we get discounted tuition.