MANCOSA Competitors

The Open University is an expert in flexible higher education that fits around your working life. We don’t make you choose between a degree and a salary – more than 76% of our students are in full or part time work, while 86% FTSE 100 companies have funded staff on OU courses. Employers including IBM, The Metropolitan Police, Unilever and many more recognise the value for money we provide, while students appreciate the range of affordable routes we offer. As a result, we are the largest academic institution in the UK, with nearly 180,000 current undergraduates, postgraduates and students on validated programmes - plus almost 1.8 million who have studied with us since our foundation in 1969. When you join the OU, you gain a vast international network of support from university staff, alumni and fellow students (including more than 15,000 overseas) with a truly global reach. Wherever you are based, we offer flexible study with structure and support and we have been rated in the top ten UK universities for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey since its foundation in 2005. Our commitment to distance learning and access to education enables us to cater for the widest range of students - not only those who are in paid work but also the retired, those returning to education, registered carers, single parents and more disabled people than any other UK-based university. Flexible, affordable, respected and connected. Don’t take our word for it: Listen to what our students say at www.youtube.com/user/OUlife or click on the ‘Recommendations’ tab at the top of this page.

The University of Pretoria is a multi-faculty research-intensive university that has remained among the top South African universities in research output and impact. UP is also the top producer of graduates in the country. With campuses in Pretoria and its surrounds, as well as in the country’s economic hub, Johannesburg, UP is conveniently situated within close proximity to government departments and major research agencies. Its nine faculties and business school offer a diverse range of degrees, diplomas and certificates, over 1 000 of which are postgraduate programmes. The vision is to be Africa’s leading research-intensive university, recognised internationally for its quality, relevance and impact. Relying on over a century of experience and well-established facilities, UP develops human capital and generates the knowledge and skills required to meet the many challenges of the world at large, within the context of a developing nation. With its identity firmly and proudly rooted in Africa, the University strives to develop the current and future potential of South Africa’s diverse population while remaining a recognised player in the global marketplace of knowledge production. The University’s commitment to equity and diversity is reflected in its changing student and staff profiles and is evident in UP’s multilingual student body and staff. As one of South Africa’s oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions, the University of Pretoria produces sought-after graduates who are well-rounded citizens shaped by its holistic approach to education. This is enabled by a wide range of campus activities and student societies including sports, arts and culture. It strives to teach its students to ‘make today matter’ by drawing on the experiences of yesterday and using the knowledge of today to improve tomorrow. University staff and students are sensitised that every action in the present shapes the future.

UCT is one of the leading higher education institutions on the African continent and has a tradition of academic excellence that is respected worldwide. Situated on spectacular Devil’s Peak, it is Africa’s oldest and foremost university. Three worldwide rankings have placed UCT among the world’s top 200 institutions, the only African university to have achieved this distinction. UCT is research-led; the premier academic meeting point between South Africa, the continent and the world, and committed to addressing the key issues of our natural world. Taking advantage of expanding global networks and UCT’s distinct vantage point in Africa, the university is committed, through innovative research and scholarship, to grapple with the key issues of our natural and social worlds. UCT aims to produce graduates whose qualifications are internationally recognised and locally applicable, underpinned by values of engaged citizenship and social justice. UCT will promote diversity and transformation within our institution and beyond, including growing the next generation of academics. Follow us on Twitter (@UCT_news) and Facebook (University of Cape Town).