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Exchange studies in Africa

Change perspectives and spend a semester at a partner university in Africa. Africa is a huge and multicultural continent, with over 2000 languages, big differences between modern cities and rural areas, and enormous natural resources.

Higher Education in Africa

The higher education systems vary greatly across African countries and universities. Click on each respective university further down on this page for more detailed information.

Language Skills

Students need strong English skills to be able to study at African partner universities. See under each respective university for more information about required language tests, if any.

Scholarships

Information about scholarships for studies abroad is available here.

GU-wide exchange spots

In the following countries, the University of Gothenburg has agreements at central level, which means that most of the university's students can apply for exchange spots there. However, this does not apply to all students, and the possibility of going on central, GU-wide agreements differs between the different faculties. You need to check what applies at your faculty, and that the institution offers courses in your subject area.

Note that the number of exchange spots to the African partner universities varies from year to year and depends on how many students from each partner university choose to come to GU. Some years we are not able to offer any places at all to the African partner universities. Before each application round, we publish the universities that can be applied for below. Check carefully that the universities you want to apply to are listed here before submitting your exchange application.

South Africa

Gqeberha

Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, is a city located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The metropolitan area Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Bay has about 1.2 million inhabitants and since the 1990s it is one of Gothenburg's global municipalities.

In Gqeberha, the University of Gothenburg has exchange spots at Nelson Mandela University.

NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

NMU has about 27,000 students divided into 6 campuses in Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay. It is a young university founded in 2005 through a merger of three other universities; PE Technikon, University of Port Elizabeth and Vista University.

Link to Nelson Mandela University

Also note that Nelson Mandela University requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Calculate your GPA here.

Teaching Language

English

Subjects/Courses

NMU offers a variety of courses in English for incoming exchange students.

Information about courses is available here.

Please note: Courses within Medicine are not open for exchange students.

Full time studies

60 credits per semester is equivalent to 30 hec

Academic Calendar

Autumn Semester: July - November
Spring Semester: February - June

Language Requirements

Good knowledge in English. Special language certificate is not required.

Housing

Exchange students can apply for on-campus housing.

More information about housing

Insurance

All exchange students covered by the StudentUT Insurance but must sign and pay for a nationally approved insurance in South Africa.

More information can be found here.

Study support

Students with disabilities find more information regarding additional support here.

Fees

Please note that there may be various fees, such as administrative fees for the exchange.

Accommodation providers may sometimes require that a deposit or the full rent be paid in advance. You need to check what applies in your specific case.

Självklart — här är översättningen till engelska:

Safety
On this page you will find a list of safety information and questions to consider if you are travelling to a country that differs significantly from Sweden.
Make sure to read before your exchange!

Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch is a city located in the Western Cape Province , about 5 miles east of Cape Town. Stellenbosch is a rather small city, according to the number of inhabitants, so student life is noticeable. The city is located a well-known wine district so for the food and wine-minded there is a lot to discover. Beautiful scenery invites you to various sports and outdoor activities.

STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY

Stellenbosch University was founded in 1918 and has about 30,000 students. It is a highly regarded university in South Africa and offers courses in a variety of subject areas at its 10 faculties.

More information for exchange students can be found here.

Please note that Stellenbosch University requires the following: Students should have completed 2 years/4 semesters of study at the home university with an average of 65% for their studies.

Teaching Language

English & Afrikaans

Subjects/Courses

Stellenbosch offers a wide range of courses in English.

More information about courses can be found here.

Restrictions: Medicine and Military courses are NOT open for exchange students.

Full time Studies

60 credits per semester are equivalent to 30 hec

Academic Calendar

Autumn Semester: July - December
Spring Semester: February - June

Language Requirements

Good knowledge in English. Special language certificate is not required.

Housing

Exchange students can apply for accommodation through the university but housing is not guaranteed.

Ghana

Cape Coast

Cape Coast is a coastal city in Ghana with 200,000 inhabitants. In and around the city, there are many beautiful beaches, and just an hour’s drive away is Kakum National Park, a rainforest nature reserve.

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) was founded in 1962 and today consists of five faculties:

School of Graduate Studies
College of Health and Allied Sciences
College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences
College of Humanities and Legal Studies
College of Education Studies

In 2021, the University of Cape Coast was ranked number one among all universities in Ghana and West Africa by Times Higher Education World University Rankings and is also in the Top 5 in all of Africa.

The University of Cape Coast requires a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Calculate your GPA here.

Here you can find more information for exchange students.

Courses

UCC offers a wide range of courses in English.

See the current course catalogue here.

Note: Courses within the following fields are not open for exchange students:

Law
Medicine

Full-time Studies

15 credits = 30 hec

Academic Calendar

Note: It is very important to be aware that the semester dates at UCC vary and can change from year to year.

Students need to be prepared for changes and remain flexible. It is recommended to choose the spring semester, as it carries less risk of schedule changes.

(Fall semester: November – March)

Spring semester: Late April – late August

Language Requirements
Good proficiency in English. No language test required.

Housing
Exchange students can apply for shared housing through the university.

Insurance
Exchange students are covered by Kammarkollegiet’s “Student UT” insurance. No local insurance is required.

Additional Support
Students with disabilities can find more information on additional support here.

Fees
Please note that there may be various fees, such as administrative fees for the exchange.

Accommodation providers may sometimes require that a deposit or the full rent be paid in advance. You need to check what applies in your specific case.

Safety
On this page you will find a list of safety information and questions to consider if you are travelling to a country that differs significantly from Sweden.
Make sure to read before your exchange!

Contact

For questions about GU-wide exchange spots, please contact International Centre.

Exchange spots at your faculty and department

Below you can see if there are exchange agreements between your department/faculty and other universities in Africa. If the tab is empty, there are no agreements in your subject area.

Contact

For questions about exchange spots within your study field, please contact the international coordinator at your faculty or department.