Varsity College (Varsity College): Courses, Prospectus and Applications for 2027

Varsity College is one of South Africa's best-known private higher education brands. It opened in 1991 and is owned by the JSE-listed education group ADvTECH. All of its qualifications are awarded by The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE), which is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution (registration number 2007/HE07/002). IIE programmes are accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education and registered on the NQF by SAQA. The IIE is also accredited internationally by the British Accreditation Council.

In September 2025 ADvTECH announced that The IIE's Varsity College, IIE MSA, Vega School and the School of Hospitality and Service Management would come together under one new name, Emeris, from 2026. The old varsitycollege.co.za address now forwards to emeris.ac.za, and the former Varsity College campuses operate as Emeris campuses. Your qualification is still an IIE qualification, so the accreditation and the value of the degree stay the same.

Across the merged group there are more than 90 accredited programmes, from one-year higher certificates to PhDs. Teaching is organised into these faculties and schools:
- Faculty of Commerce, including the School of Finance and Accounting and hospitality management
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Science and Technology, with the School of Computer Science and the School of Engineering, Science and Health
- Vega School for design, brand and digital marketing

Varsity College became known for its BCom, LLB, BA, BEd and IT degrees, small classes and active campus life with strong sport. The merged group adds ECSA-endorsed engineering degrees, public health and water management from the former MSA, and Vega's design and brand programmes.

Study modes:
- Full-time contact classes on campus, mostly with a January or February intake
- Emeris Online for distance study, with more than 50 online programmes and January or July intakes for many of them, supported by tutors, learner guides and an online library
- Some postgraduate programmes are offered part-time

Campuses are in Sandton, Rosebank, Waterfall (Midrand), Ruimsig (Roodepoort), Pretoria (Lynnwood), Durban North, Westville, Umhlanga, Pietermaritzburg, Nelson Mandela Bay (Walmer, Gqeberha) and two in Cape Town (Newlands and the City campus in De Waterkant). ADvTECH has also invested in a large new Sandton campus, opening from 2026, that brings the former Varsity College Sandton and Vega Johannesburg students together.

Student support includes academic support, wellbeing services, career services and work integrated learning built into many programmes. Lecturers include working professionals, and a large share of academic staff hold master's or doctoral degrees.

Fees and funding: Tuition for 2027 is published in campus-specific fee schedules. As a guide, a first-year BCom costs about R79 920 to R118 080 depending on campus, and online programmes start from about R24 840 a year. You can pay upfront, in 10 monthly instalments, or over 24 months through the Emeris Extender plan. A Fee Support Programme offers reduced fees to a limited number of students from households earning under R1 million a year, and there are academic, sport and other scholarships and bursaries. Loans are available through partners such as Capitec and Student Hero.

How to apply: Apply online through the Emeris portal and pay the R500 application fee for full-time undergraduate study. You will need a copy of your ID or passport and your latest school results (or a transcript and certificate for postgraduate study). After receiving an offer, you accept it online and pay a R3 000 pre-registration fee, which counts towards tuition. For the 2027 intake, undergraduate contact applications close on 30 October 2026, and later applications carry a R2 000 late fee. Entry is based on the type of NSC pass and specific subject percentages rather than an APS score.

Useful documents (official PDFs):
- emeris fee schedule 2027 dbn cpt pta ruimsig rosebank final: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/arkoewgi/emeris-fee-schedule-2027-dbn_cpt_pta_ruimsig_rosebank-final.pdf
- emeris fee schedule 2027 sdn final: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/bfwhs2gi/emeris-fee-schedule-2027-sdn-final.pdf
- emeris fee schedule 2027 wfl final: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/htaf3zr0/emeris-fee-schedule-2027-wfl-final.pdf
- emeris fee schedule 2027 nmb pmb final: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/4sopvz41/emeris-fee-schedule-2027-nmb_pmb-final.pdf
- emeris fee schedule 2027 distance final: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/jivdtdhx/emeris_fee-schedule-2027-distance-final.pdf
- emeris fee schedule 2027 postgrad: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/ypvnsacq/emeris_fee-schedule-2027-postgrad_.pdf
- emeris feeplusscheduleplus2027 pgrc final: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/oxjarut1/emeris_feeplusscheduleplus2027-pgrc-final_.pdf
- emeris extender brochure: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/dd4lyzux/emeris-extender-brochure.pdf
- fee support programme terms and conditions 2027 final emeris: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/nooapu53/fee-support-programme-terms-and-conditions-2027-final-emeris.pdf
- iie bachelor of commerce full time fact sheet 2026: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/nrslkc3i/iie-bachelor-of-commerce-full-time-fact-sheet-2026.pdf
- iie bachelor of commerce distance fact sheet 2026: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/ivhnuppf/iie-bachelor-of-commerce-distance-fact-sheet-2026.pdf
- academic calendar 2026 v2: https://www.emeris.ac.za/media/g3wbfvmx/academic-calendar-2026-v2.pdf