Study in Africa

Diverse natural attractions, from game parks and deserts to escarpments and tropical rainforests, combined with some world-class universities in the south and north, are all good reasons to study in Africa. The continent’s many political and economic development models should also be of interest to students in those fields, while richly varied cultures and multi-ethnic cities with their plethora of languages (South Africa alone has 11 official languages) almost guarantee that anyone choosing to study in Africa will learn a lot more than just what they signed up for!

Top universities in Africa

Egypt and South Africa both feature in the QS World University Rankings for 2011/12, with the University of Cape Town number one in the list of top universities in Africa.

South Africa in particular is an attractive option for international students, due to its well developed infrastructure and partnerships with world-class universities around the world. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), South Africa hosted about 61,000 international students in 2009, of which two-thirds came from other African countries that are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). South Africa currently ranks 11^th worldwide as a host country for international students.

In the north of the continent, the American University in Cairo is Egypt’s highest entry in the QS World University Rankings for 2011/12, and its MBA program also makes it into the QS Global 200 Business Schools Report. Other notable universities in Egypt include Cairo University, Al Azhar University, Ain Shams University and Alexandria University.

And what about the rest of Africa? Well, with the African Development Bank reporting that the African economy is growing faster than any other continent, it may not be too long before we add other countries to the list of desirable places to study in Africa.

In the meantime, read our country guides for more detailed information about studying in Africa.