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

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PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - Personherebb9 - 10-28-2022

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-usa/phd/?lang=en#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20it%20cost,program%2C%20specialisation%20and%20the%20university.
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.

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - jsd - 10-28-2022

I know UNISA has distance learning options, do the other as well? I thought I remembered hearing something about distance learning being pretty limited with SA universities, and UNISA was an exception
Ah, nevermind, you I skipped the portion of your list that calls out where they don't have online options.

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - Personherebb9 - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 11:07 AM)jsd Wrote: I know UNISA has distance learning options, do the other as well? I thought I remembered hearing something about distance learning being pretty limited with SA universities, and UNISA was an exception
Ah, nevermind, you I skipped the portion of your list that calls out where they don't have online options.
Ah yes. All public South African Universities work in a kind of "agreement" to keep online degrees under UNISA. That does not make a degree from UNISA any less valuable than say UCT, but since all public universities are accredited through CHE (Council of Higher Education), it just makes the validity and integrity of online degrees easier to keep it under 1 university. 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.

However. I would SERIOUSLY consider doing two years abroad for a PhD/1 year abroad for masters at UCT. I lived next to the campus for a few years and it's honestly amazing. The campus is built on the side of a mountain, with views of the city, the ocean, mountain ranges. The campus is very famously used for its aesthetics (featuring in series/movies such as black mirror, kissing booth, escape room, etc). The buildings itself give off like a "dark academia" vibe. It almost feels like attending hogwarts in the mountains??

Given the p/a cost of $1290 for a PhD, you could complete an entire PhD from a top 150 school for less than $2600. In terms of living expenses. South Africa is also considerably cheaper compared to America. 

(Living expenses) 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. You would only need like $1000 p/m to live comfortably. (Assuming you have no family). $2000/3000 would be luxury living. If you were to attend a relatively similarly ranked school in the USA, your total cost for a PhD would on average be around $160k - $200k. 

Hence why I would seriously consider doing a few years study abroad. 

(If this is something you would consider here's a few steps you could take)
1) Get your current degree evaluated by SAQA (Usually as long as your degree comes from a governmentally recognized and accredited institution the evaluation goes smoothly.)
2) Receive your degree evaluation and your South African degree equivalent National Qualification Framework (NQF lvl). (120-credit hour Bachelors would be the equivalent to NQF lvl 8)
3) If you wanted to apply for a Masters, you would need a minimum of an NQF lvl 8 equivalent, however sometimes exceptions are made for NQF lvl 7 equivalent (3-year degree.)
PhD would require an NQF lvl 9 for admissions (Masters equivalent).
3b) Be wary, SOME PhD and doctorate programs in South Africa, do require your masters to have some form of dissertation or thesis. Usually exceptions are granted on a case-by case bases. PhD applications also usually requires you to submit a PhD research thesis proposal. SOME universities also requires you to privately contact one of the relevant professors at the university, in order to appoint them as your PhD supervisor/advisor. Professors are very open to working with PhD students and a simple email to the professor is usually all that's needed.
4) Check application/registration dates. South Africa is VERY strict on their application processes. For reference, (undergrad) applications, have to be submitted at least 6-12 months before enrollment (depends on university). Postgrad applications don't follow the same timeline, however I believe international applications have to be submitted even sooner than residential applications. (School years generally start in January/February (I believe postgrad is usually around March))
5) Get accepted and enroll. 

(Note: As far as grading goes, South Africa is VERY strict on grading. It is not easy to get distinctions (>80%). Professors and Educators are not lenient on grading and there is no such thing as "retaking" an exam or "extra-credit". If you fail, you fail. You would have to retake the entire course/class the next year. Also note that South Africa rarely, if ever uses the American system of "multiple choice" exams. Most exams are (3/4 hours) of a series of questions that need (1/2 paragraphs) of in-depth explanation. ALSO NOTE that South Africa usually put A LOT of weight on final exams. For reference; As a senior in high school your final examination per class/subject is worth 75% of your year CGPA. Meaning if you fail that one exam (even if you got 100% on every other assignment that year), you will fail. University level classes follow a similar marking system.)

For any information, please do contact me. Smile

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - ss20ts - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 11:53 AM)Personherebb9 Wrote: 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.

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - Sdmj33 - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 03:49 AM)Personherebb9 Wrote: 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-usa/phd/?lang=en#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20it%20cost,program%2C%20specialisation%20and%20the%20university.
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.
The UNISA website is really annoying to navigate, I'm trying to find the tuition for the MBA program. Could you help me with that, please?

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - bjcheung77 - 10-28-2022

UNISA has been talked about before, they're an awesome program and length of the program is comparable to ones here, the pricing also has shot up for non South African permanent residents or citizens. They're a great option, but I would also keep options open in other countries as well. I've kept them in my list of doctoral program options too...

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - arad - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 02:23 PM)Sdmj33 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 03:49 AM)Personherebb9 Wrote: 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-usa/phd/?lang=en#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20it%20cost,program%2C%20specialisation%20and%20the%20university.
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.
The UNISA website is really annoying to navigate, I'm trying to find the tuition for the MBA program. Could you help me with that, please?

https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/sbl/default/Programmes/MBA-%E2%80%93-Master-of-Business-Administration

208000 african rand  = 11500 USD

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - Personherebb9 - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 02:23 PM)Sdmj33 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 03:49 AM)Personherebb9 Wrote: 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-usa/phd/?lang=en#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20it%20cost,program%2C%20specialisation%20and%20the%20university.
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.
The UNISA website is really annoying to navigate, I'm trying to find the tuition for the MBA program. Could you help me with that, please?
As far as South African university websites go, UNISA is definitely the least organized and very confusing. Since the MBA falls under a different school under UNISA (Graduate School of Business) the prices are considerably different. 

The total fees (Total for First and Second year for an MBA): R208 480/$11481,57.
As per website: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/sbl/default/Programmes/MBA-%E2%80%93-Master-of-Business-Administration

The main reason for such a drastic difference is price is simply because MBA degrees in South Africa aren't as common compared to the USA. Basically every American university offers an MBA and thus its very common. In South Africa its most common to get a MCom degree (Master of Commerce (Insert business major)), with an "MBA" degree being a kind of foreign degree, hence they are much much more expensive and usually much harder to get accepted into.

Let me know if you need more help Smile

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - Sdmj33 - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 03:10 PM)Personherebb9 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 02:23 PM)Sdmj33 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 03:49 AM)Personherebb9 Wrote: 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-usa/phd/?lang=en#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20it%20cost,program%2C%20specialisation%20and%20the%20university.
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.
The UNISA website is really annoying to navigate, I'm trying to find the tuition for the MBA program. Could you help me with that, please?
As far as South African university websites go, UNISA is definitely the least organized and very confusing. Since the MBA falls under a different school under UNISA (Graduate School of Business) the prices are considerably different. 

The total fees (Total for First and Second year for an MBA): R208 480/$11481,57.
As per website: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/sbl/default/Programmes/MBA-%E2%80%93-Master-of-Business-Administration

The main reason for such a drastic difference is price is simply because MBA degrees in South Africa aren't as common compared to the USA. Basically every American university offers an MBA and thus its very common. In South Africa its most common to get a MCom degree (Master of Commerce (Insert business major)), with an "MBA" degree being a kind of foreign degree, hence they are much much more expensive and usually much harder to get accepted into.

Let me know if you need more help Smile
How cheap would an MA or an M.Com be?

RE: PhD for as little as $1290,66 p/a at a top 150 school. - Personherebb9 - 10-28-2022

(10-28-2022, 07:25 PM)Sdmj33 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 03:10 PM)Personherebb9 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 02:23 PM)Sdmj33 Wrote:
(10-28-2022, 03:49 AM)Personherebb9 Wrote: 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-usa/phd/?lang=en#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20it%20cost,program%2C%20specialisation%20and%20the%20university.
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.
The UNISA website is really annoying to navigate, I'm trying to find the tuition for the MBA program. Could you help me with that, please?
As far as South African university websites go, UNISA is definitely the least organized and very confusing. Since the MBA falls under a different school under UNISA (Graduate School of Business) the prices are considerably different. 

The total fees (Total for First and Second year for an MBA): R208 480/$11481,57.
As per website: https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/sbl/default/Programmes/MBA-%E2%80%93-Master-of-Business-Administration

The main reason for such a drastic difference is price is simply because MBA degrees in South Africa aren't as common compared to the USA. Basically every American university offers an MBA and thus its very common. In South Africa its most common to get a MCom degree (Master of Commerce (Insert business major)), with an "MBA" degree being a kind of foreign degree, hence they are much much more expensive and usually much harder to get accepted into.

Let me know if you need more help Smile
How cheap would an MA or an M.Com be?

Refer to this link for a list of master/PhD qualifications offered by UNISA:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Apply-for-admission/Master%27s-&-doctoral-degrees/Qualifications/All-qualifications

Refer to this link for the prescribed fees:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Register-to-study-through-Unisa/Master%27s-&-doctoral-degrees/Calculate-your-study-fees/Prescribed-student-fees-per-year:-master%27s-degrees

It’s hard to tell you exactly what it will cost, since 1) I have no idea what concentration of business degree you want. 2) Every degree has a different set of required modules, which could affect cost.
Remember UNISA also uses (RPL) Recognition of Prior Learning, so definitely do reach out to find out if any of your work experience, can be translated into classss.