FAQ

In South Africa, registered private institutions that offer higher education may not call themselves private universities, and are referred to as private higher education institutions. In the future, once legislation allows for it, STADIO will apply for private university status.

Most private higher education institutions in South Africa have a narrow focus, usually offering a range of qualifications in a single field. LISOF specialised in fashion; Prestige Academy focused on business, IT and design studies; Southern Business School specialised in commerce and law; whilst Embury was a specialist teacher training institution. Also, institutions usually either offer qualifications on a campus or through distance learning.

With the establishment of STADIO, we can now offer students a wide range of qualifications through various modes of delivery, on campus or from where ever you are, with innovative online capability supporting both modes.

STADIO is owned by STADIO Holdings Limited, an investment holdings company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). STADIO Holdings started as a subsidiary of the private schooling group Curro Holdings, but STADIO Holdings unbundled from Curro in 2017. STADIO Holdings also owns 100% of AFDA (www.afda.co.za) and 83,9% of Milpark Education (www.milpark.ac.za).

STADIO currently has 10 academic schools:

• School of Administration & Management

• School of Arts & Humanities

• School of Commerce 

• School of Education

• School of Engineering & Architecture 

• School of Fashion 

• School of Information Technology 

• School of Law 

• School of Media & Design 

• School of Policing & Law Enforcement 

CONTACT LEARNING CAMPUSES IN SOUTH AFRICA:

• Bellville (Cape Town) 

• Centurion (Pretoria) 

• Musgrave (Durban) 

• Waterfall (Midrand)

DISTANCE LEARNING CAMPUS AND DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IN SOUTH AFRICA:

• Krugersdorp (Johannesburg) 

DISTANCE LEARNING SUPPORT CENTRES IN SOUTH AFRICA:

• George (Southern Cape)

• Limpopo (Polokwane)

DISTANCE LEARNING SUPPORT CENTRES IN NAMIBIA:

• Windhoek Distance Learning Support Office (Namibia)

• Ongwediva Distance Learning Support Office (Namibia)

Yes, we plan to open another mega campus in Durbanville in the Western Cape. Stay tuned to our social media for updates!

Only institutions that are registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) can offer higher education in South Africa. In March 2020, South Africa had 26 registered public universities (such as Wits, UNISA and UJ), 102 registered private higher education institutions, and 34 provisionally registered private higher education institutions. The details of all private higher education institutions appear on a register, which you can find on the DHET website (www.dhet.gov.za), under Resources >> Registers.

All higher education institutions, whether they are public or private, go through the same process of accreditation for their qualifications at the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). For example, a Bachelor’s degree offered at Wits and a Bachelor’s degree offered at STADIO went through the same curriculum scrutiny at the HEQC and both institutions are subject to the same quality assurance process on an ongoing basis.

No. Only public universities get subsidies from government. Private higher education institutions rely solely on tuition fees to offer their qualifications to students.

No because NSFAS funding is available only to students who want to study at public universities. Many governments around the world provide funding to students directly, who can then choose to study at a registered private or public university. However, the South African government does not fund students who want to study at a private higher education institution.

Traditional public universities in South Africa focus mainly on offering degrees to undergraduate students, rather than also offering higher certificates and diplomas. Also, postgraduate studies are a major focus area for traditional universities, whereas most private higher education institutions offer limited postgraduate opportunities.

The status of your qualification remains unchanged. You achieved a formal qualification from a registered private higher education institution, and you should be very proud of the heritage of your institution.

STADIO is not a financial services or credit provider, so we do not offer student loans. However, to make it as easy as possible for you to study with us, we do offer monthly payment plans. We also offer discounts for upfront payments.

You may view them here: https://stadio.ac.za/student-funding

STADIO endeavours to promote its mission of widening access to higher education. In doing so, STADIO seeks to provide support and acknowledgement to deserving new and existing students by way of the award of bursaries to a limited number of students on an annual basis. These bursaries have already been awarded based on, inter alia, financial need and academic merit. As bursaries become available, we will publish the application details on our website and social media.

All higher education institutions, whether they are public or private, go through the same process of accreditation for their qualifications at the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). For example, a Bachelor’s degree offered at Wits and a Bachelor’s degree offered at STADIO went through the same curriculum scrutiny at the HEQC and both institutions are subject to the same quality assurance process on an ongoing basis. Your future employer may look up the SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) to verify the validity of the qualification.