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2019 1 UCT POSTGRADAUTE STUDENT COST OF ATTENDANCE AND FUNDING OUTLOOK 2019

UCT POSTGRADAUTE STUDENT COST OF ATTENDANCE AND …€¦ · AUTHORS: Gcinisizwe Dlamini, Reuben Dlamini, Thobani Gambu, De Waal Hugo, Thabo Mabuka, Sikozile Ncembu, Adli Peck, Brenda

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2019

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UCT POSTGRADAUTE STUDENT

COST OF ATTENDANCE

AND

FUNDING OUTLOOK

2019

Figure

1201

9

2019

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This report was produced by the EBE Postgraduate Student Council

Research Group (EBEPGSC Research Group 2018) in collaboration

with the UCT EBE Postgraduate Student Council (EBEPGSC). The

report aims to give an outlook on the University of Cape Town

postgraduate student Cost of Attendance (CoA) and funding outlook.

AUTHORS: Gcinisizwe Dlamini, Reuben Dlamini, Thobani Gambu, De

Waal Hugo, Thabo Mabuka, Sikozile Ncembu, Adli Peck, Brenda

Mehlo, Eugene Fotso Simo

EDITORS: Thabo Mabuka, De Waal Hugo, Eugene Fotso Simo

For any queries regarding this report. Please contact:

Email: [email protected]

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Contents

LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... 5

LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. 6

LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................ ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

1 CURRENT POSTGRADUATE FUNDING FRAMEWORK ................................................ 7

1.1 LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY LANDSCAPE .................................................................................. 7

1.1.1 OVERARCHING ISSUES ....................................................................................................... 7

1.1.2 NATIONAL FUNDING FORMULAS AND FRAMEWORKS ............................................................... 8

1.1.3 DEMOCRACY AND SUBSEQUENT PLANNED CHANGES ............................................................. 9

1.1.4 INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION AND GOALS ................................................................................. 11

1.1.5 REASSESSMENT AND EMERGENT ISSUES ........................................................................... 12

1.1.6 EARMARKED FUNDING ...................................................................................................... 13

1.1.7 NRF AND NEW WHITE PAPER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ............................................. 14

1.2 MAJOR THEMES AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................... 15

1.2.1 CONTRACTION OF GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE .................................................................. 15

1.2.2 STRATEGIC EXPANSION OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT .................................. 15

1.2.3 EQUITABLE FUNDING PARADIGMS ...................................................................................... 16

1.2.4 LINKAGE TO POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COST OF LIVING ....................................................... 17

1.2.5 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................ 18

2 HISTORY OF FUNDING MODELS IN SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES ........................ 19

2.1 THE HOLLOWAY FORMULA (1953) ..................................................................................... 19

2.2 THE VAN WYK DE VRIES FORMULA (1977) ......................................................................... 20

2.3 SAPSE FORMULA (1984) ................................................................................................ 21

2.4 THE NEW FUNDING FRAMEWORK (NFF) STRUCTURE ........................................................... 22

2.4.1 BLOCK GRANTS ............................................................................................................... 22

2.4.2 EARMARKED GRANTS ....................................................................................................... 23

2.5 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................ 23

3 UCT POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COST OF ATTENDANCE AND FUNDING OUTLOOK

.......................................................................................................................................... 24

3.1 UCT POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COST OF ATTENDANCE AND FUNDING OUTLOOK BACKGROUND .. 24

3.1.1 RESEARCH AND POSTGRADUATE DILEMMA IN SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES ........................ 24

3.1.2 DEFINITION OF UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COST OF ATTENDANCE

(LIVING) ................................................................................................................................... 27

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3.2 UCT STUDENT OVERALL POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COST OF LIVING OUTLOOK ......................... 30

3.2.1 COST OF ATTENDANCE FOR UCT HONOURS STUDENTS ....................................................... 30

3.2.2 COST OF ATTENDANCE FOR UCT MASTER’S STUDENTS ....................................................... 34

3.2.3 COST OF ATTENDANCE FOR UCT DOCTORAL STUDENTS ..................................................... 37

3.3 UCT STUDENT COST OF LIVING EXPENSES OUTLOOK ............................................................ 40

3.3.1 UCT POSTGRADUATE TUITION OUTLOOK............................................................................ 40

3.3.2 UCT POSTGRADUATE ACCOMMODATION ........................................................................... 41

3.3.3 UCT POSTGRADUATE TRANSPORT (TO AND FROM WORK AND VACATION) ............................. 47

3.3.4 UCT STUDENT FOOD COSTS ............................................................................................ 49

3.3.5 UCT STUDENT TOILETRIES COSTS .................................................................................... 50

3.3.6 DATA COSTS ................................................................................................................... 51

3.3.7 UCT MEDICAL COVER COSTS ........................................................................................... 52

3.3.8 UCT POSTGRADUATE DEPENDENTS’ COST ........................................................................ 53

UCT POSTGRADUATE FUNDING EXPERIENCES: THE REALITY ON THE GROUND ............................... 54

RECOMMENDATIONS (EBEPGSC RESEARCH GROUP) ................................................. 58

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 59

APPENDIX......................................................................................................................... 62

UCT FACULTY POSTGRADUATE TUITION RAW DATA (2015-2018) ................................................ 62

FACULTY OF COMMERCE .......................................................................................................... 62

FACULTY OF EBE .................................................................................................................... 64

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES ................................................................................................ 65

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES .......................................................................................................... 68

FACULTY OF LAW ..................................................................................................................... 70

FACULTY OF SCIENCE ............................................................................................................... 71

DATA USED IN EBEPGSC RESEARCH GROUP UCT POSTGRADUATE STUDENT COST OF LIVING MODEL

.............................................................................................................................................. 72

UCT POSTGRADUATE ACCOMMODATION ..................................................................... 74

UCT 3RD TIER RESIDENCES COSTS .......................................................................................... 74

UCT OFF CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION COSTS............................................................................. 75

UCT POSTGRADUATE TRANSPORT (TO AND FROM WORK) .......................................................... 76

UCT STUDENT TRANSPORT (VACATION) .................................................................................. 77

UCT STUDENT TOILETRIES .................................................................................................... 78

DATA COSTS ........................................................................................................................ 79

UCT POSTGRADUATE DEPENDENT COSTS ............................................................................... 80

UCT MEDICAL COVER .......................................................................................................... 81

UCT POSTGRADUATE FUNDING EXPERIENCES .......................................................................... 82

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List of Figures

Figure 8: UCT Honours average student cost of attendance between 2015-2020

........................................................................................................................ 31

Figure 9: Breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance

for UCT honours students (2015 -2018) .......................................................... 33

Figure 10: UCT Master’s average student cost of attendance between 2015-2020

........................................................................................................................ 34

Figure 11: Breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance

for UCT master’s students (2015 -2018) .......................................................... 36

Figure 12: UCT Doctoral average student cost of attendance between 2015-2020

........................................................................................................................ 37

Figure 13: Breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance

for UCT doctoral students (2015 -2018) ........................................................... 39

Figure 14: UCT average accommodation costs on and off campus (2015-2018)

........................................................................................................................ 42

Figure 15: UCT average rates of increase of accommodation cost on and off

campus (2015-2018) ....................................................................................... 42

Figure 16: UCT on campus accommodation costs (2015-2020) ...................... 43

Figure 17: UCT off campus accommodation costs (2015-2020) ...................... 45

Figure 18: Response by UCT postgraduates on their rental costs. .................. 46

Figure 19: UCT postgraduate transport costs (to and from work) (2015-2020) . 48

Figure 20: UCT postgraduate transport costs (vacation) (2015-2020) .............. 48

Figure 21: UCT accomodation ......................................................................... 49

Figure 22: UCT student toiletry costs (2015-2020) ........................................... 50

Figure 23: UCT student data costs (2015-2020) .............................................. 51

Figure 24: UCT student medical cover costs (2015-2020) ............................... 52

Figure 25: UCT postgraduate dependent costs (2015-2020) ........................... 53

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List of Tables Table 1: UCT honours average student cost of attendance breakdown between

2015-2020 ....................................................................................................... 32

Table 2: UCT Master’s average student cost of attendance breakdown between

2015-2020 ....................................................................................................... 35

Table 3: UCT Doctoral average student cost of attendance breakdown between

2015-2020 ....................................................................................................... 38

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1 Current postgraduate funding framework

The organisational and policy systems which govern postgraduate funding can

arguably be two sides of the same coin, as the institutions and actors which are

involved in postgraduate funding by and large derive their mandates from the

various elements which make up the funding legislative and policy environment.

The following sections therefore aim towards providing a pragmatic view of the

current framework by considering this system and some of the historical

developments which make up the current policy environment. It also aims to draw

out major themes and conclusions with respect to postgraduate funding.

1.1 Legislative and policy landscape 1.1.1 Overarching issues

There are several legislative and policy instruments which play a role in creating

the regulatory environment which governs postgraduate funding. At the same

time, essentially none of these documents are focused solely on this matter, and

so the true nature of the regulation is somewhat disseminated. In addition, there

have also been various developments and changes to this system in the past

decades, with these changes reflecting the changing nature of the higher

education landscape in South Africa. Indeed, the status quo of postgraduate

funding can only be understood in the context of these historical developments.

According to Cloete (2006) (referencing Johnstone, 1998), there have been five

themes or overarching concerns which have driven this process in the broader

higher education landscape over the last 30 years: Firstly, and most importantly,

the system has grappled with the numerous implications of diversification1 and

expansion of access to higher education with respect to enrolment and

participation – although many issues remain, the current arrangement is one far

removed from the apartheid-era university and technikon system. One of these

implications is of course changes to the funding framework. Secondly and

relatedly, there has been increased fiscal pressure on universities due to

1 This refers to changes to the national structure of higher education, including new institutional mandates and amalgamation of campuses into new institutions. This refers to changes to the national structure of higher education, including new institutional mandates and amalgamation of campuses into new institutions. 2 It is worth nothing here that a recent report names some South African universities, and Wits in particular, as having some of the highest rates of industry income worldwide.

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decreasing per-student government subsidies (in real terms). This idea is

repeated in several statements and data stemming from different parties – c.f.

Heher (2017), Cherry (1997) as well as DHET (2013a).

As such, there has been an increased reliance placed on non-governmental

sources of income (i.e. stemming from tuition fees as well as so-called third-

stream income2). In addition to placing increased strain on students and their

families, this development also affects the equitability of the system, as different

institutions are not able to attract the same amounts of third-stream funding for

largely historical reasons (Heher, 2017).

There have also been calls for increased accountability within the system from

staff and students, as well as in terms of the usage of taxpayer-funded resources.

Relatedly and finally, there have also been understandable demands made in

terms of greater quality and efficiency within the system. These themes have

arisen in the context of a number of explicit policy and legislative changes:

1.1.2 National funding formulas and frameworks

Internationally, there are three major funding frameworks used by governments

to determine the level and distribution of funding to higher education institutions –

incremental funding, formula-based or performance-based respectively (DHET,

2013a). In practice, a combination of these is typically used to address different

aspects of the funding landscape.

In South Africa, the system has largely been funded according to a formula-based

model. Introduced in 1982, the South African Post-Secondary Education

(SAPSE) funding formula built on the previous funding formulas which had been

used (Holloway and Van Wyk/De Vries, respectively3) (Steyn, 2002). It is

important to note that at this stage, only historically white institutions were funded

according to this process, whilst other institutions (including technikons) were

funded under a system of “negotiated budgets”. The cutting edge of this

distinction was felt in the increased government oversight associated with the

budgeting process, as opposed to the case of formula-based funding where

2 The following section provides more information on the distinctions between these. 2 The idea that higher education is both a private and public good, and that the cost should therefore be shared between student and state. 3 The following section provides more information on the distinctions between these.

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individual institutions had considerable autonomy in the use of funds provided

(Cloete, 2006).

By 1988 however the use of the funding formula had been extended to include

both technikons and historically black institutions (Steyn, 2002; Cloete, 2006). At

this stage, the formula took on the following form: central was an assessment of

“subsidy units”, a function of the number of enrolled and completing students as

well as factors for libraries, maintenance etc. These subsidy units were also

scaled depending on whether they were associated with either the humanities or

the natural sciences, reflecting the understanding that different fields of study

required different amounts of resources. Similarly, different levels of study were

also weighted differently (e.g. doctoral students attracted four times the funding

as undergraduates) (Steyn, 2002; Cloete, 2006).

These factors were then used to calculate gross funding totals which

hypothetically reflected the amount of subsidy required to fund institutional

activities. As a result of the cost-sharing principle4, however, the amount

ultimately disbursed was this gross value minus the amount of funding institutions

were able to source from student fees and third-stream income.

Lastly, very soon after the introduction of the formula, even these net values

exceeded the amount budgeted for higher education funding and so the amount

provided was scaled to match using so-called “a-factors” (Cloete, 2006). The

result (a recurring theme) was that institutions typically increased their tuition fees

to make up the difference – from 1988 to 1993 there was on average a 20% real

increase in fees in the South African higher education sector.

1.1.3 Democracy and subsequent planned changes

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With the transition to democracy, the 1996 Commission on Higher Education

(Cloete, 2006) and the subsequent 1997 White Paper, “A Programme for the

Transformation of Higher Education” (DE, 1997) set the scene for a number of

important changes to the overall funding landscape.

The initial thrust focused on a number of areas in which the SAPSE formula was

deemed to be deficient: a key assumption of the SAPSE formula – that market

forces and competition between universities would create a balanced university

sector producing the required stock of graduates – was rejected in favour of a

policy which would aim to manage enrolment in line with national developmental

objectives (Cloete, 2006; DE, 1997).

Furthermore, the direct linkage between enrolment numbers and funding created

an unsustainable incentive to increase student enrolment, and in practice skewed

enrolment towards certain fields of study (e.g. humanities over natural sciences)

as well as creating an incentive for the expansion of low-cost distance learning

programmes. Similarly, although postgraduate study received a higher formula

weighting, the economic reality was that undergraduate enrolment was financially

incentivised over postgraduate enrolment. Additionally, the formula did not have

any explicit mechanisms for addressing increased equity in terms of disadvantage

and access (Cloete, 2006; DE, 1997).

The recommendations of the 1997 white paper were thus that the SAPSE formula

be dropped for a fundamentally different approach, including a focus on equity,

redress, development, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability as well as

retaining the shared cost principle (DE, 1997). In particular, there would be an

increased role played by government in terms of institutional planning and

national programme enrolment numbers (Cloete, 2006; DE, 1997).

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1.1.4 Initial implementation and goals

Although this policy was disseminated in 1997, it was not until after the 2000

report of the Council on Higher Education, “Towards a New Higher Education

landscape” (CHE, 2000) and the then-Department of Education’s 2001 “National

Plan for Higher Education in South Africa” (DE, 2001) that the policy became

cemented, being introduced in the new university sector in November 2003

(Heher, 2017). This new plan, however, only came into effect in 2004/5 and only

became fully functional from 2007/8 – the implementation of its requirements was

therefore gradually phased in over a number of years (DHET, 2013a).

In 2012, the NDP 2030 was published. Although it reiterated a number of other

policy guidelines when compared to the previous white papers and reports, of

particular relevance for this review was its vision for a university system with

increased knowledge output, increased graduation rates, the establishment and

operation of centres of excellence in research and innovation as well as a goal of

75% of university staff holding PhDs by 2030 (DHET, 2013a). At the same time,

a response to this plan from Higher Education South Africa (HESA), now

Universities South Africa, outlined a number of concerns (HESA, 2012):

Firstly, there was concern about the lack of targets for increasing the availability

of funding for universities with HESA further noting that the share of GDP destined

for higher education had fallen from 0.76% in 2000 to 0.69% in 2009. Secondly,

the planned increase in PhD qualifications would amount to an unrealistic

expansion of output barring a massive financial and infrastructural intervention.

In terms of research specifically, HESA noted that increasing outputs of research

at the time could not be sustained without further increased funding – whilst the

total amount of funding had increased, the amount of research output had

increased more rapidly, resulting in a lower subsidy per research output. Overall,

the consensus of HESA was that “much more input is needed about a stable

funding model” whilst also recommending that 1.5-2% of GDP should be allocated

for research and development expenditure.

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1.1.5 Reassessment and emergent issues

As part of the process of realising the NDP’s 2030 goals, 2013 saw the publication

of two additional documents which lay out visions and assessments of the

university sector: firstly, the DHET’s “Report of the Ministerial Committee for the

Review of the Funding of Universities” (DHET, 2013a) examined the role of

funding mechanisms in terms of their contribution to realising the goals of the

1997 white paper and the 2001 NPHE and made a number of recommendations

along these lines and in terms of the NDP. Secondly, the DHET also promulgated

the “White Paper for Post-School Education and Training (PSET)” (DHET, 2013b)

– although it had a relatively wide ambit, a number of policy statements are laid

out in terms of research and postgraduate funding.

The DHET report included an assessment of the effectiveness of the funding

framework: in particular, it highlighted the low completion rate of entrants into

masters and doctoral students – in 2013, 50% of masters candidates had not

graduated within 9 years. Furthermore, there was a consensus that the level of

government funding was not enough to meet the needs of the public university

system, with the proportion of university funding stemming from government

falling from 49% in 2000 to 41% in 2010 – the report highlighted that there was no

regulatory mechanism to determine the absolute amount of funding appropriate

(in contrast to the funding formula, which essentially determines the distribution

of funds). Even in the context of the cost-sharing principle, the report

acknowledges that the real value of government subsidies should not be allowed

to be eroded as there is a limit to which universities can raise funding from student

fees and third-stream sources (DHET, 2013a).

On the other hand, the report also highlighted the successful use of ring-fenced

funding incentives as the most significant driver for the observed increase in

research outputs since 2005 – although this did not necessarily lead to a

concomitant increase in masters and doctoral graduates, and with its opacity

potentially leading to a degree of abuse in terms of incentivising, inter alia,

quantity over quality in terms of outputs (DHET, 2013a).

In terms of the PSET white paper, there was also a recognition that the number

of enrolments in masters and doctoral programmes was too low, with these

accounting for only 5% and 1% of students respectively in 2011. The white paper

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also recognises the necessity of increasing the number and quality of masters

and doctoral graduates in order to achieve developmental goals dependent on a

research and innovation culture. In this context, the white paper sets out that the

role of the DHET as one of managing the distribution of funds and of generating

support for postgraduate students and researchers, as well as facilitating the

implementation of a more stable funding model for institutions which conduct

research (DHET, 2013b).

The PSET white paper also acknowledged the role that increased doctoral

outputs will play in ensuring that universities remain adequately staffed into the

future – it noted that the rapid expansion of enrolment in the university system had

not been matched by an equivalent increase in the number of academics. Lastly,

the white paper referred to the importance that student financial aid plays within

the higher education landscape in terms of improving accessibility and equity,

although it couches this within the context of cost sharing and the possibility of

graduate service programmes (DHET, 2013b).

1.1.6 Earmarked funding It is important to note the other major funding mechanism for universities –

earmarked funding. This funding is provided for specific purposes as designated

by the minister of higher education (Heher, 2017). This accounts for

approximately 25% of the total funding disbursed to universities from government

(with about half of this going towards funding NSFAS) (DHET, 2013a). The

remainder of the funding is, in principle, to be used for the expansion and

development of infrastructure and capacity as opposed to meeting running costs,

with these purposes generally still within the ambit of overarching policy goals

(DE, 1997). At the same time, the 1997 white paper refers to the use of such

funding for “expanded postgraduate training”, upon application by institutions

(DE, 1997) – with the DHET’s 2013 report providing further elaboration on the use

of this mechanism for “specific research projects” (DHET, 2013a).

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1.1.7 NRF and new white paper for science and technology

Most recently there have been two policy developments which are touch on the

funding of postgraduate and research funding. Firstly, there is the NRF

amendment bill which seeks largely to centralise policy-related decision-making

powers with the ministry rather than delegate these to the NRF itself. Relatedly,

the bill also seeks to slightly modify the objectives of the NRF – its activities now

work within the broader ambit of contributing to national development. The link

between national development and research support and funding is made

implicitly in the new formulation. It appears therefore that the NRF will in future be

more strongly associated with broader policy and developmental objectives, as

determined through ministerial action, although the practical ramifications of

these changes are less clear.

Secondly, in 2017 the Department of Science and Technology (DST) published

their “White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation” (DST, 2017). This

report seeks largely to define national science, technology and innovation (STI)

policy in the context of emerging global trends. The ambit is therefore quite wide,

including not only policy guidance for the university system, but also private-

sector research as well as innovation at the small or grassroots level. As such

there are only a few points which speak directly to the funding of university-based

postgraduate research:

Firstly, it again highlights the important contribution of mechanisms such as the

SARChI chairs and NRF Centres of Excellence – it should be noted that a large

function of these instruments relates to the provision of funding to specific

strategic programmes and skill areas. Secondly, it notes that DST aims to provide

more bursaries to expand enrolment in postgraduate programmes, with the key

requirement that bursaries should compare favourably with entry-level salaries to

promote the retention of graduates in higher education. In this context it also

highlights that in many cases, the limiting factor remains a lack of supervisory

capacity – particularly for the case of PhDs, there is not enough capacity to reach

the goals of the NDP in this regard (as predicted by HESA five years earlier). To

this end, the report concludes that more direct support should be given towards

obtaining PhDs (including from “latent” sources such as research staff).

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There is also a commitment to developing policies which evaluate the direction

and value of research with respect to developmental goals and prioritise funding

in this way – with a focus on engineering and science research. Overall, to achieve

these goals, the report commits to increasing government expenditure on

research and development almost two-fold from 0.8% of GDP to 1.5%.

1.2 Major themes and conclusions 1.2.1 Contraction of government expenditure

The first takeaway from the above discussion must be that there has been a

consistent erosion in overall government expenditure on the university system

since the advent of democracy. The implications of this have been thoroughly

witnessed and debated in the context of undergraduate students and the effects

on tuition fees. Concessions made by government along these lines have,

however, caused ripple effects into other sectors of the higher education

landscape – this appears to have come at the cost of a contraction in funding

available for postgraduate study and research (as well as TVET colleges).

Overall, however, the root cause is clear inasmuch several government policy

documents note that the decrease of subsidy and other funding being provided to

higher education is broadly responsible for the lack of progress being made

towards e.g. the NDP’s goals. Although there may be some potential for much-

lauded increases in “efficiency” and reprioritisation of funding within the higher

education budget, the ground truth appears to simply be that the levels of current

government subsidy are not high enough to achieve the kind of system expansion

envisaged by the policy landscape – this remains true within the sub-unit of

postgraduate study and research activities.

1.2.2 Strategic expansion of research activities for

development

Bearing these practical difficulties in mind, the overarching policy direction for

research and associated postgraduate studies is consistent and clear: that the

research system should be systematically expanded in line with broader strategic

objectives (including the diversification). The most important change has been the

increased focus on the value of research activities and associated skills in the

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context of national development as the specific articulation of the strategy. There

is a tacit implication that certain study fields (STEM, generally) are more valuable

in this context, although the policy typically adds caveats around the “supporting

role” of the humanities, social sciences and the integration of indigenous

knowledge systems. It is not clear to what degree, this is simply verbal or

represents a meaningful commitment.

Nevertheless, it is also clear that, apart from a few institutions, most universities

currently have relatively low research outputs (CHE, 2000), and similarly low

numbers of postgraduate students. There is a recognition that increased support

to postgraduate students, particularly masters and PhD, is required to increase

these outputs, as students play a key role in research activities. There are also

numerous mechanisms which can contribute to this support, but it should be

noted that a mere redistribution of current funding is not, in principle, sustainable

nor enough to achieve the stated policy and developmental goals in this regard.

1.2.3 Equitable funding paradigms

An additional lens is one of equity. The first and most obvious constituent of this

is a need to ensure that the face of research and academia is more reflective of

the nation in terms or race, gender and disability (several the above policy

instruments refer also to urban/rural and household income as additional

categories along these lines). Whilst progress has been made, it is also clear that

there is an important role for directed funding and incentivisation to play in the

pursuit of these goals – there is a recognition that in many cases graduates are

disincentivised from postgraduate study due to the economic opportunity cost

compared to a career in the private sector.

Secondly, there is also a broader question relating to equitability of the subsidy

system. It is not clear whether there are mechanisms to determine an appropriate

level of government allocation to higher education as opposed to the mere

distribution of funding between institutions. A recurring theme in the above

discussion is that the overall sustainability of the higher education landscape is

contingent on finding a solution to this problem and that it may require large-scale

changes such as those suggested by the Heher Commission due to overarching

fiscal constraints.

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1.2.4 Linkage to postgraduate student cost of living

These higher-level policy and legislation-related discussions may seem

somewhat removed from the reality of postgraduate funding. Since the decisions

around these policies are distributed across a number of documents and tend to

make sweeping and relatively vague proclamations, this disconnect is

understandable. Fundamentally, however, there is a strong relationship between

them – on two of the fronts discussed above.

Firstly, any changes to the real budgetary provision to the higher education

system will in turn affect tuition fees, although the results may differ slightly

between institutions. Institutions are limited in terms of how much third-stream

income they can access, and so a change in subsidy tends to be reflected in an

opposite change in student fees. As tuition is essentially a large contributor to the

cost of attendance, this cost is sensitive to changes made on this level. At the

same time changes to the NSFAS system made in the wake of Fees Must Fall

protests do not affect postgraduates.

Secondly, there are several channels through which government provides funding

assistance to students through bursaries and grants. Whilst changes to the higher

education budget affect all students to some degree, changes to bursary and

grant allocations affect a sub-section of students – according to Heher (2017) the

NRF for example funds only 10% of postgraduate students (and not at full cost).

By funding through mechanisms such as the NRF, there is significantly more

scope for providing targeted assistance in line with national policy objectives. At

the same time, the recent reprioritisation of higher education and research funding

has meant that many of these programmes have been forced to make do with

less, which does not bode well for the achievement of said objectives.

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1.2.5 Conclusions

Overall then, we see that national-level policy decisions and legislation can have,

and have had, a significant influence on the postgraduate student cost of

attendance, with these impacts affecting the enrolment of graduates into

postgraduate studies. At the same time, these kinds of ground-level realities and

decisions do not feature heavily in discussions about the system, in the small

number of occasions where postgraduates and research are mentioned in

policies and legislation relating to higher education. There are clear opportunities

to make positive changes to the system if the dynamics of students costs of

attendance are better understood.

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2 History of funding models in South African

Universities

The funding of universities in South Africa, is largely influenced by the institutions’

graduate throughput, research performance, and student intake. Since the 1950s,

there have been four frameworks that have informed funding for universities,

which are discussed below.

2.1 The Holloway formula (1953)

The Holloway formula informed the funding of universities in the period 1953 to

1970s (Styger, 2014). This followed from the implementation of the Holloway

Commission which was tasked to investigate Funding in Higher Education,

particularly the financial implications of providing separate universities for black

people (Styger, 2014). The Holloway Commission led to the following formula

which informed Funding for Higher Education institutions.

𝐹(𝐻) = 𝑆𝑏 + 𝑆𝑠 + 𝐴

Where,

Sb is referred to as the basic teaching determination, which includes the salaries

of academic staff and librarians

Ss standard teaching determination

A is standard tuition fees

The factor Sb encompassed the remuneration of basic academic staff, as well as

remuneration of librarians. This factor was independent of the number of students

in the institution or the size of the institution. The Ss included the other

remuneration of other academic staff and was heavily dependent on the number

of modules offered by the different academic faculties. The Ss factor also included

the number of laboratory modules which would help fund equipment, the

remuneration of administration staff computed as a factor based on the number

of academics. This factor also catered for other university expenditure. Finally, A

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was the standard tuition fees from students. This factor was subtracted from the

other factors, which then gave a final funding value for (F(H)) for the institution.

2.2 The Van Wyk de Vries formula (1977)

The Van Wyk de Vries Commission was implemented in 1968, with the aim of

improving the Holloway formula (Styger, 2014). The Van Wyk de Vries formula

shown below was implemented in 1977.

𝐹(𝑉𝑊) = 𝑔. (𝑆𝑑𝑒𝑝 + 𝑆𝑎𝑑𝑚 + 𝐿𝑖𝑏 + 𝐿𝑎𝑏 + 𝑅𝑒𝑠 + 𝑅𝑇 + 𝐶𝑆 + 𝑀𝐵)

Where

g is the contribution ratio from government which factors the economies of scale

of an institution. This factor ranges from 0.75 to 0.85. This factor compensated for

factor A in the Holloway formula, which deducted funding based on student tuition.

Sdep is the remuneration of academic staff.

Sadm is the remuneration of administration staff, plus a fixed ratio of Sdep.

Lib is the amount dedicated to the library, which included a fixed fraction of Sdep.

The remuneration was determined through weighted student-lecturer and

student-support staff ratios. The weighted number of students per faculty

determined the amount allocated to journals and books.

Lab is the amount dedicated to laboratories based on the weighted number of

students in each faculty.

Res is the amount dedicated to research in the institution, which was based as a

ratio of Sdep.

RT this is the amount dedicated to teaching activity costs, which is computed from

the weighted number of students.

CS this is the amount dedicated to computer facilities, computed based on the

weighted number of students.

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MB this is the amount dedicated to building maintenance, campus property and

furniture, determined from the total number of students in the institution.

The challenges of the both the models above, the Holloway and the Van Wyk de

Vries model is that they did not account for inflation (Steyn & de Villiers, 2007).

2.3 SAPSE formula (1984)

The SAPSE formula made a very important assumption which is that students are

the ones in a better position to decide which courses to enroll for at academic

institutions (Steyn & de Villiers, 2007). Therefore, the SAPSE formula was

enrollment driven.

𝐹(𝑆𝐴𝑃𝑆𝐸) = 𝑎 ∙ 𝑔 ∙ 𝑅

Where,

a is the government contribution ratio based on the government’s ability to fund

the subsidy

g is a ratio that accounts for that institutions can fund their expenditure through

student tuition

R is the basic amount that an institution requires to function.

The factor R included a wide range of items. This provided for additional

equipment that was needed by the institution, subsidies for buildings,

maintenance of infrastructure, furniture, equipment and the provision of student

housing. Also, included in this factor were both academic and administration staff

remuneration costs, as well as books and journals.

The SAPSE equation has been praised for also rewarding institutions for research

output, such as research papers. In addition to this, funding for institutions also

increased based on the student qualification studies, whether undergraduate

level or PhD. However, from this report, it is unclear from the formula, which factor

accounts for this. Another upside of the SAPSE equation is that the costs

mentioned in R, were adjusted annually to account for inflation.

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2.4 The New Funding Framework (NFF)

structure

The NFF was implemented in the financial year 2004/2005. The NFF structure is

a function of two items, block grants and earmarked grants.

2.4.1 Block grants

Teaching inputs which contributed to Block grants, are determined based on

student enrolment, and the student qualification types. Block grants are also a

function of the institutions research output, which are determined by the following

manner:

𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡

= 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 + 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑑 + 3

∙ 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑑

The research output in every institution is normalized per permanent academic

staff. The Department of Higher Education grants a guideline ranging from 1.1 to

2.5 units. Each institution is granted a normal research output score, with highly

productive institutions being given a high normal research score per financial

year. A score of 2.4 was recorded for UCT in the financial year 2013/2014 to

2015/2016 (Styger, 2014).

Another contribution to Block grants is based on teaching output, which

investigates the number of graduates per qualification. This is further weighted

based on the qualification type of each graduates, with higher qualification

graduates receiving a high weighting ratio.

Other forms of grants to institutions include institutional factors. These institutional

factors include the fraction of black and colored students, of which a value higher

than 0.4 will result into a grant being granted. Another institutional factor is the

number of students enrolled in the institution. This factor adjusts for the

economies of scale for each institution.

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2.4.2 Earmarked grants

The purpose of Earmarked grants is to focus on specific institutional areas. This

includes, and not limited to: infrastructure development, National Student

Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), interest and payment of loans prior to 1 April

1991.

2.5 Conclusions

Over time, the funding models of Higher Education in South Africa have been

improved to consider inflation in the institutional costs, and to reward research

and teaching outputs for institutions. Thus, the funding of an institution is largely

dependent on two activities: teaching activities, and research activities.

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3 UCT Postgraduate student cost of attendance

and Funding outlook

3.1 UCT postgraduate student cost of

attendance and funding outlook background

3.1.1 Research and postgraduate dilemma in South African

universities

Increased calls for transformation in South Africa’s higher education sector have

increased the pressure on a system already straining under a broader demand

for increased throughput and access. Current university resources are limited and

outweighed by the growing demand within this key sector, which is regarded as a

pillar for the creation of a sustainable society (Branson et al., 2009). It is therefore

of paramount importance to understand some of the elements such as the student

cost of attendance (living) and funding in South African universities to help inform

decisions and strategies towards increasing and improving access to meet the

growing demand and creating ways that allow for university sustainability.

Postgraduate studies have generally been relegated in the debates on funding in

South Africa. This is reflected by the budget allocation by government towards

postgraduate funding as well as the low enrolment by students compared to the

youth population in South Africa (DHET, 2018; National Treasury, 2018).

Societally, postgraduate studies are largely not regarded as a necessary skill

considering that the ratio of bachelor’s degrees to population is still low (CHE,

2009)– a bachelor’s degree still adequately allows access into government/private

job sector where there is improved quality of life due to the increased income from

these sectors vs funding in universities. Hence there is generally a lack of debate

and investigation towards postgraduate studying in South Africa, where the

system is largely driven by research interests and now recently access to cheaper

research labour. This is reflected by the number of companies shutting down their

Research and Development departments and outsourcing this to universities

(Kahn, 2007). This issue is not only limited to research but also the higher

education teaching space. The debate of postgraduate students being perceived

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as cheap labour for private companies and universities is not only a South African

one but global and a relatively old debate (Russell, 1968; Couvee, 2012).

There is pressure on students who come from the low-middle class (which makes

up the majority of South Africa (World Bank, 2018) as they are regarded as

investments by their families, who must often make sacrifices in terms of their

household budgets and necessities to fund these students in Higher Education.

When these students attain their undergraduate degrees, they then bear the

responsibility of supporting that low-middle class as funders of their cost of

attendance. This makes it difficult for these students to access postgraduate

education. In the cases where they do, part of their funding also goes towards

dependents. This has come to be known as black tax because most people in the

low middle class in South Africa are black (Magubane, 2016; SACBC, 2016). The

dire consequences of this conundrum are a system which lacks integration,

management and overarching scope towards research and postgraduates.

The impact can be seen by the low university output, delayed postgraduate time

of completion in universities and high dropout rates (Styger et al., 2015). The Fees

Must Fall movement which came into effect in South African universities in 2015

focused more on undergraduates, with most of the demands being focused on

undergraduate study (Ndelu et al., 2017). The push and pull of this movement led

to the policy change where National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)

loans were converted into grants (Zwane, 2018), whilst the National Research

Fund (NRF) took a more drastic policy change towards postgraduate funding: not

only did NRF decrease their funding but also outsourced their system

administration towards universities (NRF, 2018). This has the potential to

increase strain on the already pressured universities, but also introduces new

systematic exclusion in access to funding in the postgraduate space by the

administrative pressure on the funding application process.

The University of Cape Town (UCT), located in Cape Town, was founded in 1829.

It is the oldest higher education institution in South Africa (UCT, 2019a) and is

regarded as the best university in Africa holding a ranking of 200 in the QS World

university ranking (QS, 2019) and 156 in the Times Higher Education World

University Rankings (Timeshighereducation, 2019). It has emerged as a power

house of research and postgraduate studies in Africa. Although UCT is still one

of the better performing universities in Africa with a notable reputation, it still faces

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its own challenges with regards to funding, highlighted during the protest’s era

(Ndelu et al., 2017). The need to understand postgraduate student cost of living

and funding is an important starting point to ensuring that the university can

strategize in the bottom-up approach towards budgeting, as well as enabling

accurate benchmarks of university performance towards postgraduate access

and sustainability. UCT has an active strategic planning framework from the

period of 2016 to 2020 (UCT, 2016a). This framework has 5 goals in which 2 are

most relevant to postgraduate research. These goals being:

• “Goal 1: To forge a new inclusive identity that reflects a more representative profile of

students and staff, and the cultures, values, heritage and epistemologies of the diversity

of UCT’s staff and students.”

• “Goal 3: To advance UCT as a research-intensive university that makes a distinctive

contribution to knowledge, locally and globally.” (UCT, 2016a)

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3.1.2 Definition of University of Cape Town postgraduate

student cost of attendance (living)

Student cost of living generally enshrines its core definition within constitutional

rights that accompany human rights particularly in the education sector. The

definition is of a general nature and is summarized below:

“Cost of Attendance (COA) is the total estimated price for one year of

university before financial aid is applied: It includes tuition and fees, housing,

food, and other additionals” (Baum & Ma, 2014)

Although the term “cost of attendance” is used, this cost may be viewed as a cost

required for living “cost of living.” UCT does not have a specific policy definition

with regards to the term “student cost of attendance (living).” UCT takes its

definitions of CoA based on funders such as NRF and NSFAS, however it does

have a set recognition of the expenses which students may incur highlighted in

its website (UCT, 2019b). This is with regards to which expenses the term

encompasses, considering that different model students incur different expenses

and expenses vary with some regulating towards necessity with regards to

constitutional rights and others being non-population representative therefore not

as pertinent. To first understand cost of attendance in South Africa or at the

University of Cape Town, a clear definition needs to be made which is inclusive,

relevant and representative to the expense students face on the ground. An ideal

definition would include all model student expenses. This is, however,

problematic as CoA is used for university budgeting and therefore the “bare

bones” approach is generally taken as funds are limited. Therefore, a more

important approach in the development of the definition is consideration of all

model students with a focus, firstly, on expenses which are constitutional rights.

Expenses which do not meet this criterion can then be considered in terms of

relevance and necessity.

Generally, postgraduates incur the same costs as undergraduates. These costs

include tuition, registration fees, accommodation, transport costs (to and from

work), transport costs (vacation), food costs, toiletries, data costs (internet),

dependents, medical aid. Postgraduates are generally older than undergraduates

and some in the stages of starting families (CHE, 2009), particularly with

reference to postgraduates studying towards doctoral and postdoctoral research.

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Therefore, cost of living for such postgraduates does not only include their own

CoA but dependant costs as well. Dependents also include costs incurred by

students who come from low-middle class income households. In this report all

these costs were considered and are defined as the following:

• Tuition – Costs associated with registered course as outline in the UCT Fees Handbook

(UCT, 2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018a).

• Registration fees – Cost of registration fees at UCT as outlined by the UCT Fees

handbook (UCT, 2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018a).

• Accommodation – The commissioning or rental of a place by a student to reside during

their studies at UCT.

• Transport costs (to and from work) – Cost of travelling to and from work in attendance of

registered course.

• Transport costs (vacation) – Cost of travelling during the vacation period of the UCT

Calendar

• Food costs – Cost of meals that is in line with UCT First tier residences. (UCT, 2015,

2016b, 2017a, 2018a).

• Toiletries – Cost of essentials required for oral, body, laundry, accommodation hygiene

• Data costs – The cost of access to at least 3 gigabytes per month of data in an

accommodation for registered research work.

• Medical aid – Cost of medical aid required for pre-registration of international students.

• Dependents – Cost of dependents on UCT postgraduates.

• Total cost of attendance – The summation of all expenses mentioned in the points above

to give a single value representative of all costs.

A more detailed breakdown of these costs is given below. In this report, model

students were defined, and the following criteria considered:

• UCT Faculty – The University has 6 faculties, and these are Faculty of Engineering & the

Built Environment (EBE), Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of

Science, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Law.

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• UCT Career – The university has 4 main categories of postgraduates which are honours,

masters, doctorial and postdoctoral. In this outlook only honours, masters and doctorial

were considered as post doctorial are sometimes considered as UCT staff.

• Course – This refers to the postgraduate available courses at UCT as outline by the UCT

fees handbooks.

• Country – This refers to whether a student is South African which includes permanent

residences or Non-South African.

• Gender – This refers to whether a student is male or female.

• Accommodation location – This refers to on campus accommodation (also known as 3rd

tier residences as outlined in the UCT fees handbook (UCT, 2015, 2016b, 2017a,

2018a)) and off campus accommodation in the proximity of UCT which covers

Rondebosch, Rosebank, Mowbray Claremont and Observatory.

• Dependents – This refers to the student’s dependents costs that the student has

responsibility towards.

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3.2 UCT student overall postgraduate student

cost of living outlook

The average UCT honours, masters and doctoral cost of living outlook was

produced by creating a model UCT student based on weighted averages. The

honours, masters and doctorial tuition for each faculty for the year 2015 to 2018

were extracted from UCT (2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018a) and an unweighted

average of this was calculated. To estimate a weighted model with regards to

country, UCT (2017b) provides that there are 18 % international students relative

to local. This data was used to weight the average for registration fees as well as

medical aid costs. UCT (2017b) also stated that out of the 27000 students at UCT

only 6600 students can be accommodated on campus which is 24%. Although

this value might be an over estimate for postgraduates, this percentage

distribution on and off campus was used to weight the accommodation costs,

transport costs (to and from work) to provide a UCT average. For gender, UCT

(2016c) stated that there were 56 % females relative to males. This percentage

distribution in gender was used to give a UCT weighted average of toiletry costs.

It should be noted that females incur more expenses than males with addition of

R 3000 towards toiletries, while international students have a higher cost of

attendance than locals due to the addition of registration fees (R 3750), visa

application (unaccounted) and medical aid costs (R 4400). Therefore, the most

expensive model student is a non-South African female and the least expensive

model student is a South African male.

3.2.1 Cost of attendance for UCT honours students

Figure 8 shows the average total cost of attendance for honours at UCT increased

from R139 400 in 2015 to R 167 700 in 2018 and it is expected to increase in 2019

to R 174 300. In general, the cost of UCT honours is increasing at an average

rate of 6% (R9000) per year which is slightly above the country inflation rate.

Table 1 shows a more detailed breakdown of the UCT honours costs. Figure 9

shows the breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance

in each year for the year 2015 to 2019. Figure 9 shows that for the year 2018,

41% of the total cost attendance for honours at UCT goes towards

accommodation followed by tuition at 32%, food costs at 13%, transport at 6%

and the remainder being less than 3%. Over the years from 2015 to 2018,

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accommodation contribution towards the total cost of attendance for honours at

UCT has increased from 39% to 41% while tuition has decreased from 34% to

31%. This is due to the rate of increase in accommodation costs being higher than

that of tuition, although both expenses increased over the years (2015-2018).

Figure 8: UCT Honours average student cost of attendance between 2015-2020

116529

124352

134898

140535

149744

159602

100000

110000

120000

130000

140000

150000

160000

170000

To

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da

nce

pe

r ye

ar

(ZA

R)

Year

UCT Honours average cost of attendance

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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Table 1: UCT honours average student cost of attendance breakdown between 2015-2020

Expenses per year (ZAR) 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Tuition 47500 47500 50200 52000 53600 55200 Registration fee 590 590 630 675 707 740 Accommodation 54800 58600 63800 68100 73200 78700 Transport Costs (To and from work) 8890 9310 9970 10500 11100 11600 Transport Costs (Vacation) 1910 2000 2140 2250 2370 2490 Food Costs 17300 17300 19100 21800 23600 25500 Toiletries 4230 4430 4740 5000 5260 5530 Data Costs 3620 3630 3650 3660 3670 3685 Dependents 0 0 0 0 0 0

Medical aid 557 634 718 797 894 1003 Total Costs per year (ZAR) 139000 144000 155000 165000 174000 184000 Total Costs per month (ZAR) 11600 12000 12900 13700 14500 15400 Rate of increase (%) 3 8 6 6 6 Rate of increase (R) 4490 11000 9810 9550 10200

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Tuition 34%

Registration fee1%

Accommodation 39%

Transport Costs (To and from

work)6%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

1% Food Costs13%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 0%

2015 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 33%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 41%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

1%Food Costs

12%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 3% Dependents

0%Medical aid

0%

2016 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 32%

Registration fee1%

Accommodation 41%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

6%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

1%

Food Costs13%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 2%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 1%

2018 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 32%

Registration fee1%

Accommodation 41%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

1%

Food Costs12%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 2%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 1%

2017 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Figure 9: Breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance for UCT honours students (2015 -2018)

“More than 40 % of UCT student’s costs are accommodation costs and 30 % are tuition fees.”

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3.2.2 Cost of attendance for UCT master’s students

Figure 10 shows the average total cost of attendance for masters at UCT

increased from R124 000 in 2015 to R 153 400 in 2018 and it is expected to

increase in 2019 to R 164 800. In general, the cost of UCT masters is increasing

at an average rate of 7% (R10 600) per year. The total cost of attendance for

masters at UCT is less than that for honours due to less coursework in masters

and therefore fewer tuition fees. Table 2 shows a more detailed breakdown of the

average UCT masters expenses. Figure 11 shows the breakdown of the costs as

a percentage of the total cost of attendance for the year 2015 to 2019. Figure 11

shows that for the year 2018, 44% of the total cost attendance for masters at UCT

goes towards accommodation followed by tuition at 27%, food costs at 14%,

transport costs (to and from work at 7% and the remainder being less than 2%.

Over the years from 2015 to 2018, accommodation contribution towards the total

cost of attendance for masters at UCT has remained at about 44% while tuition

has increased from 26% to 27%. This is due that the rate of increase in tuition

costs being higher than that of accommodation, although both expenses

increased over the years.

Figure 10: UCT Master’s average student cost of attendance between 2015-2020

116529

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134898

140535

149744

159602

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110000

120000

130000

140000

150000

160000

170000

To

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(ZA

R)

Year

UCT Master's average coost of attendance

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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Table 2: UCT Master’s average student cost of attendance breakdown between 2015-2020

Expenses per year (ZAR) 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Tuition 32000 32600 36000 40700 44100 47700 Registration fee 590 590 630 675 707 740 Accommodation 49300 49300 54300 59700 63700 67900 Transport Costs (To and from work) 0 0 0 0 0 0

Transport Costs (Vacation) 1900 2000 2140 2250 2370 2490 Food Costs 17300 17300 19100 21800 23600 25500 Toiletries 4230 4430 4740 5000 5260 5530 Data Costs 3620 3630 3650 3660 3670 3690 Dependents 0 0 0 0 0 0 Medical aid 557 634 718 797 894 1000 Total Costs per year (ZAR) 110000 110000 121000 135000 144000 155000 Total Costs per month (ZAR) 9130 9210 10100 11200 12000 12900 Rate of increase (%) 1 10 11 7 7 Rate of increase (R) 914 10700 13300 9680 10400

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Tuition 26%

Registration fee1%

Accommodation 44%

Transport Costs (To and from

work)7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs14%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 0%

2015 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 25%

Registration fee1%

Accommodation 45%

Transport Costs (To and from

work)7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs13%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 1%

2016 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 26%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 45%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs14%

Toiletries3%

Data Cost

s 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 0%

2017 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 27%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 44%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs14%

Toiletries3%

Data Costs 2% Dependents

0% Medical aid 1%

2018 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Figure 11: Breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance for UCT master’s students (2015 -2018)

“Student accommodation and tuition costs are both increasing at 8 % to10 % and 5 % to 10 % respectively.”

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3.2.3 Cost of attendance for UCT doctoral students

Figure 12 shows the average total cost of attendance for doctoral at UCT

increased from R117 000 in 2015 to R 140 535 in 2018 and it is expected to

increase in 2019 to R 149 744. In general, the cost of UCT doctoral is increasing

at an average rate of 7% (R 8 600) per year. The total cost of attendance for

doctoral at UCT is less than that for masters and honours due to less coursework

and supervision requirements, resulting in fewer tuition fees. Table 3 shows a

more detailed breakdown of the average UCT doctoral expenses. Figure 13

shows the breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance

for the year 2015 to 2019. Figure 5 shows that for the year 2018, 48% of the total

cost attendance for doctoral studies at UCT goes towards accommodation

followed by tuition at 20%, food costs at 15%, transport costs (to and from work)

at 7% and the remainder being less than 4%. Over the years from 2015 to 2018,

accommodation contribution towards the total cost of attendance for doctorate at

UCT has increased from 47% to 48% while tuition has decreased from 22% to

20%. This is due that the rate of increase in accommodation costs being higher

than that of tuition although both expenses are increasing over the years.

Figure 12: UCT Doctoral average student cost of attendance between 2015-2020

116529

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120000

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170000

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(ZA

R)

Year

UCT Doctoral average coost of attendance

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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Table 3: UCT Doctoral average student cost of attendance breakdown between 2015-2020

Expenses per year (ZAR) 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Tuition 24600 27900 30100 27800 29000 30300

Registration fee 590 590 630 675 707 740 Accommodation 54800 58600 63800 68100 73200 78700 Transport Costs (To and from work) 8890 9310 9970 10500 11100 11600 Transport Costs (Vacation) 1900 2000 2140 2250 2370 2490 Food Costs 17300 17300 19100 21800 23600 25500 Toiletries 4230 4430 4740 5000 5260 5530 Data Costs 3620 3630 3650 3660 3670 3690 Dependents 0 0 0 0 0 0 Medical aid 557 634 718 797 894 1000 Total Costs per year (ZAR) 117000 124000 135000 141000 150000 160000 Total Costs per month (ZAR) 9710 10400 11200 11700 12500 13300 Rate of increase (%) 7 8 4 7 7 Rate of increase (R) 7820 10500 5640 9210 9900

2019

39

Tuition 21%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 47%

Transport Costs (To and from

work)8%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs15%

Toiletries4%

Data Costs 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 0%

2015 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 22%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 47%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs14%

Toiletries4%

Data Costs 3% Dependents

0%Medical aid

1%

2016 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 22%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 47%

Transport Costs (To and from work)

7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs14%

Toiletries4%

Data Costs 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 1%

2017 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Tuition 20%

Registration fee0%

Accommodation 48%

Transport Costs (To and from

work)7%

Transport Costs (Vacation)

2%

Food Costs15%

Toiletries4%

Data Costs 3%

Dependents0%

Medical aid 1%

2018 expenses

Tuition

Registration fee

Accommodation

Transport Costs (To and from work)

Transport Costs (Vacation)

Food Costs

Toiletries

Data Costs

Dependents

Medical aid

Figure 13: Breakdown of the costs as a percentage of the total cost of attendance for UCT doctoral students (2015 -2018)

“ 15 % of UCT student’s costs are food costs.”

2019

40

3.3 UCT student cost of living expenses outlook

The information on UCT postgraduate tuition for honours, masters and doctoral for each Faculty for the year 2015 to 2018 was extracted from the fees handbook (UCT student fees

handbook,2015-2018) (UCT, 2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018a). From this data, an average of each of the career and a rate of change of tuition costs was calculated (Data presented in

Appendix). The average rate of change of tuition costs for the year 2015 to 2018 were then used to predict the average tuition costs for the year 2019 and 2020. It must be noted that

tuition rate of changes at UCT are subject to UCT decisions therefore this model approach is limited in taking to account previous decisions in the hope of making accurate predictions

of future tuition costs.

3.3.1 UCT Postgraduate tuition outlook

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Co

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(ZA

R p

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UCT Faculty honours costs

Commerce Engineering Health Humanities

Law Science UCT

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

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70000

80000

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Co

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(ZA

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UCT Faculty Masters costs

Commerce EBE Health Sciences

Humanities Sciences Law

UCT

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70000

80000

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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Co

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UCT Faculty PhD costs

Commerce EBE Health Sciences

Humanities Science UCT

The UCT average for an honours course at UCT ranged from R 47500 in 2015 to R

52 000 in 2018. The outlook shows that Health Sciences and EBE honours average

costs are above the UCT average and are expected to increase drastically above

average with the EBE Faculty being the most expensive and fastest increasing at a

rate of 6% per year. Health Sciences shows a drastic change from being at average

between 2015 to 2017 and going above average in 2018. The Commerce faculty

showed a decrease in its average honours tuition between the year 2017 and 2018,

decreasing at a rate of 2% per year.

The UCT average for a master’s course at UCT ranged from R 32 000 in 2015 to

R 40 700 in 2018. Commerce and EBE master’s course are above average while

the rest are 15% below average. The Faculty of Humanities and Commerce have

the highest average rates of master’s tuition change at 19% and 10% per year,

respectively. Generally, all faculties are increasing their master’s tuition at

average rates of change above 5% per year.

The UCT average for a doctorate ranged from R 24 600 in 2015 to R 27 800 in

2018. All Faculties have the same tuition costs for doctoral courses except for the

Commerce faculty whose cost for a doctoral course is 125% above the UCT

average. The UCT doctoral tuition costs have been increasing at a rate of 5% per

year.

2019

41

3.3.2 UCT Postgraduate accommodation

Cape Town is regarded as the city with one of the highest costs of living in South

Africa. This is largely due to real estate and property costs in the city (SACN,

2016). The accommodation costs are almost double that of other South African

cities. Generally, there are few regulations on rental prices, with most being

market regulated. Accommodation costs in Cape Town increase at a rate of 8%

to 10% per annum which is twice that of the average national inflation rate

(Properties 24, 2019). In 2016 during the Fees Must Fall protests, one of the big

outcries was related to student housing at UCT. That outcry led to the publishing

of some of the accommodation statistics in the UCT (2017b). UCT (2017b) states

that out of the 27000 students at UCT only 6600 students can be accommodated

on campus, i.e. 24%. For postgraduates, most students stay off-campus as their

age is considered as “older” or mature enough to stay off-campus or off the

premises of campus, therefore most of the student housing is allocated to

undergraduates. There are however third-tier UCT residences which offer

postgraduate accommodation.

UCT accommodation for students can be broken down into two types, off-campus

and on-campus accommodation. On-campus accommodation refers to

residences that are on UCT premises and are owned and regulated by the

university. Data on on-campus accommodation for third-tier residences were

obtained from the UCT (2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018). Off-campus refers to any

accommodation housing students from UCT which are not owned or regulated by

the university. Off-campus accommodation for the year 2016-2018 was obtained

from the OCSAS (2019). In this report, off-campus accommodation close to UCT

was considered. This included accommodation in Rondebosch, Rosebank,

Mowbray, Claremont and Observatory. A more detailed breakdown of

accommodation costs (off and on campus) is given below. Figure 14 and Figure

15 show the average UCT accommodation costs (off and on campus) and rates

of increase for the year 2015 to 2018. In 2018 the average accommodation costs

for on campus was R 59 700 while for off campus It was R 70 800. UCT on

campus accommodation costs have been growing at a rate of 10% per year since

2016 while off campus accommodation costs are at an average rate of 8% per

year.

2019

42

Figure 14: UCT average accommodation costs on and off campus (2015-2018)

Figure 15: UCT average rates of increase of accommodation cost on and off campus (2015-2018)

56,62961,553

66,90570,793

49,330 49,33054,265

59,696

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

2015 2016 2017 2018

Ave

rag

e c

ost

(ZA

R p

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ar)

Years

UCT average accomodation cost (2015-2018)

Off Campus

On Campus

UCT

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

11%

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Ra

te o

f in

cre

ase

Time interval

UCT average rates of increase of accomodation cost

On-Campus Accomodation

Off-Campus Accomodation

2019

43

3.3.2.1 UCT ON-CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION

Figure 16 shows the UCT on campus accommodation residence costs for year

2015 to 2018. The outlook shows that although 15 out of the 24 residences remain

below the UCT on campus accommodation average there are residences which

are even higher than the UCT off-campus accommodation average. These

residences are JP Duminy, Edwin Hart Annex and TB Davie at values of (R71

900, R89 000, R114 00), R76 600, R76 400 respectively for the year 2018.

Conversely, the least costing residence is Linkoping at a value of R 36 300 in

2018. Some of the residences seem regulated as they have the same cost per

annum and increasing at the same rate. These residences are Forest Hill (F), Ex-

Air, Harold Cressy Hall, Inglewood, one of the Edwin Hart Annex residences and

North Grande. Their value was R 52 700 for the year 2018. The exact figures can

be found in the Appendix: UCT Accommodation.

Figure 16: UCT on campus accommodation costs (2015-2020)

-15000

5000

25000

45000

65000

85000

105000

125000

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

UCT On-campus accomodation costs

Amalinda House Avenue Road 8 Edwin Hart Annex Edwin Hart Annex

Ex-Air Forest Hill (F) North Grande Harold Cressy Hall

Inglewood JP Duminy JP Duminy JP Duminy

JP Duminy Linkoping Obz Square Rondeberg Flats

Rondeberg Flats TB Davie TB Davie TB Davie

TB Davie Woodbine Road Woodbine Road Average

2019

44

3.3.2.2 UCT OFF-CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION

Figure 17 shows the UCT off campus accommodation residence costs for year

2015 to 2018. Figure 14 was produced from data extracted from the OCSAS

(2019) website and this data can be found in Appendix: UCT Accommodation.

The outlook on UCT off campus accommodation shows that Rondebosch and

Rosebank costs are expected to decrease below the UCT off-campus

accommodation average which is higher than the on-campus average at a value

of R 70 800 in 2018. The Observatory area which has been below average for the

year 2015 to 2017 exceeded the average in 2018 and is expected to increase

drastically in 2019 and 2020. This maybe partly due to the market shift in

competition in that area with the introduction of the CampusKey accommodation

in 2017. Their costs range from R 80 000 to R 115000 according to CampusKey

(2018). Interestingly their prices for the same services in Bloemfontein range from

R 47 600 to R 76 500 while in Port Elizabeth from R 47 600 to R 80 000 and in

Pretoria R 60 500 to R 99 000. This shows the impact of location in

accommodation costs and market regulation. There are several student housing

projects currently under construction in Observatory and Rondebosch. Student

off campus accommodation pricing in areas around UCT is not regulated by

specific policy but by market demand, this market being largely students from

UCT. Claremont is the most expensive area of student residence at a value of R

91 300 per annum in 2018. Mowbray was the cheapest area of residence at a

value of R 60 600 per annum in 2018.

2019

45

Figure 17: UCT off campus accommodation costs (2015-2020)

0

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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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UCT Off campus accomodation costs

Rondebosch Rosebank Mowbray Observatory Claremont UCT

2019

46

3.3.2.3 THE HARSH REALITY ON THE GROUND

A survey was conducted to study the prices that postgraduate students pay for

their accommodation. This study was done at the UCT EBE faculty and the survey

had 37 responses and Figure 15 shows the results of that survey. The survey

showed that 42 % of the postgraduates who responded to the survey pay between

R 4 000 to R 5 000 per month (R 48 000 to R 60 000 per annum), 25 % said they

pay between R 5 000 to R 6 000 per month (R 60 000 to R 72 000 per annum),

19 % said they pay R 6 000 to 8 000 (R 72 000 to R 96 000 per annum), 6 % said

they pay R 3 000 to R 4 000 (R 36 000 to R 48 000 per annum).

With the rental prices of off-campus accommodation going up at an average rate

of 8% per year, it is expected that percentage of students in the higher rental cost

bracket will increase. This has major implications with respect to funding.

Accommodation has been shown in Section 3.2 to contribute between 39 % to 48

% of the student cost of attendance. The accommodation expense is a threat to

funding and its increase will mean decreased potential for student access towards

postgraduate studies.

Figure 18: Response by UCT postgraduates on their rental costs.

5%

6%

42%

25%

19%

3%

How much do UCT postgraduates pay for their accomodation?

2000 to 3000

3000 to 4000

4000 to 5000

5000 to 6000

6000 to 8000

to 9700

2019

47

3.3.3 UCT Postgraduate Transport (to and from work and

vacation)

Transport to and from work space is important for access to facilities and

resources to conduct the work that is required. For this cost in this report it was

assumed that all off-campus accommodation requires transport to and from work.

UCT has a Jammies shuttle service which covers all the UCT residences. During

postgraduate studies, most students need access to their work space for facilities

such as laboratories, internet access, written research resources such as books

and journals, as well as access to supervision. A survey was conducted to

ascertain how much postgraduates at UCT spend on their transport costs per

week. This study was done at the UCT EBE faculty and the survey had 37

responses and the raw data is presented in Appendix: UCT transport (to and from

work). From this survey it was calculated that UCT postgraduate students spend

an average of R 350 per week on transportation costs to and from work. This data

was then extrapolated for the previous year’s using the average South African

inflation rate for the years 2015 to 2018 obtained from Trading Economics, (2019).

The average of the inflation rate for the period 2015 to 2018 was obtained to be

5.17 % and this was used to predict the costs for 2019 and 2020. This data is

shown in Figure 16. The cost of transportation costs to and from research work

for UCT postgraduate students for year 2018 was R 11 800. This transportation

costs included fuel costs, taxi cost or cab (e.g. Uber or Taxify) costs.

UCT attracts students from all over the world and country and the UCT Calendar

has vacation periods to allow students time to break from studies. Breaks in

research work are equally as important and postgraduates not originally from

Cape Town generally travel home to be with their families. Travelling home has

an incurred cost and to calculate this only travel within South Africa and SADC

was considered. 2 trips per year were considered for intra South African travel

and 1 per year for SADC. A trip being a journey from UCT to home and back to

UCT. Grey hound prices were considered extracted from Grey Hound (2019)This

data is given in Appendix: UCT Transport (vacation). The cost of transportation

for vacation purpose for 2018 was calculated to be an average of R 2 300. This

data was then extrapolated for the previous year using the average South African

inflation rate for the years 2015 to 2018 obtained from Trading Economics, (2019).

The average of the inflation rate for the period 2015 to 2018 was obtained to be

2019

48

5.17 % and this was used to predict the costs for 2019 and 2020. The results are

shown in Figure 20.

Figure 19: UCT postgraduate transport costs (to and from work) (2015-2020)

Figure 20: UCT postgraduate transport costs (vacation) (2015-2020)

11,76612,322

13,19113,913

14,63315,389

0

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12000

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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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Year

UCT Postgraduate Transport costs (to and from work)

19061996

21362253

23702492

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UCT PostgraduateTransport costs (vacation)

2019

49

3.3.4 UCT Student Food costs

The UCT food costs were extracted from the UCT 1st tier residences 3 meal option

for the year 2015 to 2018 UCT (2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018). This data is show in

Figure 18. Figure 18 shows that the food cost in 1st tier residents at UCT in 2018

was R 21 800 per year this is R 1820 per month. The average rate of increase for

food costs in UCT 1st residences is 8.2 % which is above the average South

African inflation rate.

Figure 21: UCT student food costs.(2015-2020)

17300 17300

19,100

21800

23583

25512

0

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15000

20000

25000

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Co

s (

ZA

R/p

er)

Year

UCT Student Food costs

2019

50

3.3.5 UCT Student Toiletries costs

This report considered gender in the toiletries with the inclusion of feminine care.

The raw data of the considered materials for toiletries including oral, body,

laundry, kitchen and house, bathroom, feminine care hygiene. The raw data for

these costs for 2018 is displayed in Appendix: UCT student toiletries. This data

was then extrapolated for the previous year using the average South African

inflation rate for the years 2015 to 2018 obtained from Trading Economics (2019).

The average of the inflation rate for the period 2015 to 2018 was obtained to be

5.17% and this was used to predict the costs for 2019 and 2020.The result of the

extrapolation and prediction is given in Figure 22. The costs for UCT student male

toiletries was R 3 000 per year while that for females it was R 6 560 per year.

Female toiletry costs are twice that of male costs. Toiletry cost contribute to less

5% of the student cost of attendance.

Figure 22: UCT student toiletry costs (2015-2020)

2543 26632851 3007 3162 3326

55535816

62266567

69067263

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UCT student toiletry costs

Male Female

2019

51

3.3.6 Data costs

Access to Information Communication Technology (ICT) is increasing in Africa.

ICT has played a significant role in transformation of society in particularly to

research and innovation. For postgraduate students access to internet is vital for

their research. UCT provides unlimited wireless internet which covers most of its

campus with a strong signal known as UCT Eduroam. However, UCT Eduroam

does not cover off-campus residences. Therefore, postgraduates living off

campus need to outsource their data from market providers general Vodacom,

MTN, Cell C and Telkom. Data from these 4 network providers were extracted

from Vodacom (2019), MTN (2019), Cell C (2019) and Telkom (2019). This data

is given in Appendix: Data Costs. This data was then extrapolated for the previous

year using the average South African inflation rate for the years 2015 to 2018

obtained from Trading Economics (2019). An assumption was made that

postgraduates need about 3 GB per month for research work and the cost of

average for 3 GB from the 4 internet providers in 2018 was R 3 700 per year. The

average rate increase for data costs was found to be 0.35 %. The average rate of

increase for data cost was then used to extrapolate for the period 2015 to 2018

and predict the costs for 2019 and 2020.The result of the extrapolation and

prediction is given in Figure 23.

Figure 23: UCT student data costs (2015-2020)

3622

3634

3647

3659

3672

3685

3590

3600

3610

3620

3630

3640

3650

3660

3670

3680

3690

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Co

st

(ZA

R/y

ea

r)

Year

UCT Student Data costs

2019

52

3.3.7 UCT Medical Cover costs

For international students at UCT, medical aid is mandatory for their pre-

registration with the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO). There

are 3 main medical aid schemes recommended by UCT (2016d, 2017c, 2018b).

These are Comp Care medical scheme, Discovery Health medical scheme (This

scheme was not recommended for the year 2017 and 2018) and Momentum

health medical scheme. Data from UCT (2016d, 2017c, 2018b) was used to used

calculated an average UCT medical cover cost. The raw data extracted from the

UCT (2016d, 2017c, 2018b).is given in Appendix: UCT Medical Cover. Figure 24

shows the average UCT Medical Cover costs. For 2018 the UCT medical cover

costs were R 4 430 and the average rate of change of medical cover costs is at a

rate of 12.2% per annum.

Figure 24: UCT student medical cover costs (2015-2020)

3092

3520

3990

4428

4967

5571

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2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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UCT Student Medical Cover costs

2019

53

3.3.8 UCT Postgraduate dependents’ cost

As outlined in Section 1.1 dependents’ costs are a reality for postgraduates at

UCT. To ascertain this cost in the UCT postgraduate space, a survey was carried

to study to find out how many students have dependents and their dependents’

costs. This study was done at the UCT EBE faculty and the survey had 37

responses. The raw data of the responses is given in Appendix: UCT

Postgraduate Dependent costs. Of the 37 responses 62% said they have

dependents while 38% said they did not. The average UCT postgraduate

dependent cost was found to be R 15 700 per dependent per year. This data was

then extrapolated for the previous year using the average South African inflation

rate for the years 2015 to 2018 obtained from Trading Economics (2019). The

average of the inflation rate for the period 2015 to 2018 was obtained to be 5.17%

and this was used to predict the costs for 2019 and 2020.The result of the

extrapolation and prediction is given in Figure 25.

Figure 25: UCT postgraduate dependent costs (2015-2020)

1331713946

1492915747

1656117417

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2019

54

UCT postgraduate funding experiences: The reality on the ground

97%

3%

Is funding enough?

No Yes

73%

8%

11%

5%3%

Most challenging expense?

Accomodation (Rent) Food

Tuition Internet

Transport

2019

55

81%

11%

8%

How do you subsidize your funding?

Part time job Family/Friendly support Loan

18%

4%

39%

17%

22%

Salary from part time job in ZAR per month?

0-1000 1000-2000 2000-3000

3000-4000 5000-10000

2019

56

13%

27%

47%

10%

3%

Time spent on part time job?

0 -5 5-10 10-20 20-30 30-40

2019

57

It is important to not only understand the student cost of attendance but also the

funding of postgraduates which are meant to meet this cost of attendance. To do

this a survey was carried out to find out if funding is enough for postgraduates at

UCT, the most challenging expenses UCT postgraduates face, how

postgraduates at UCT subsidize for their funding if the funding is not enough, how

much do they raise from their subsidizing activities and how much time do they

spend in their subsidizing activities. This survey was conducted in the UCT EBE

Faculty and received 37 responses. The raw data of the responses is given in

Appendix: UCT Postgraduate funding experiences.

From the response, 97% said funding was not enough while 3% said it was. 73%

said accommodation was the most challenging expense followed by Tuition at

11% then Food costs at 8%. This correlates with the order of contribution of these

expenses toward the cost of attendance highlighted in Section 3.2. 81% of the

postgraduate students said they subsidise their funding using a part time job

which was mostly tutoring, 11% from friendly or family support and 8% from a

loan. 39% make between R 3000 to R 4000 per month from their subsidising

activities while 22% make between R 5000 to R 10 000, 18% make between R 0

to R 1000 and 17% between R 3000 to R 4000. 47% spend between 10 to 20

hours working in their subsidizing activity, 27% between 5 to 10 hours, 13 %

between 0 to 5 hours, 10% between 20 to 30 hours and 3% between 30 to 40

hours.

This outlook shows the need for more funding but also that postgraduate at UCT

are working to subsidise their own funding for their cost of attendance. The

worrying corollary of this is the time spent by UCT postgraduates in working in

their subsidising activities, as this takes time from their registered research work

and increases the risk of delayed completion. This pressure on UCT

postgraduates may be one of the causes for the observed high dropout rates and

delayed course completions. Accommodation costs remain the biggest threat to

postgraduate funding at UCT with tuition adding on to the pressure as the second

highest costs for UCT postgraduates.

2019

58

Recommendations (EBEPGSC Research Group)

▪ A clear UCT policy definition of what “UCT postgraduate cost of attendance (living)” means or encompasses is needed urgently. This internal university policy definition must be in line with funding bodies such as NRF however it must also be representative of the needs of students particularly with student costs which will be regarded as necessities.

▪ A review on UCT postgraduate tuition needs to be conducted. There needs

to be a clear outline of how tuition costs are calculated and what they cover. This should be published to all stakeholders of the university to show transparency of what students are paying for.

▪ Tuition should be looked at as a potential variable to reduce UCT

postgraduate cost of attendance. There must be sensitivity in the approach of rates of increase in tuition.

▪ UCT must try to provide a supportive role in postgraduate part time jobs by

creating a space which allows for this subsidizing source of funding.

▪ The NRF and bursary limits for student working hours are already being violated by students. There needs to be a review to this policy as it does not reflect what is happening on the ground. Although it is meant to protect students from losing focus from their registered research work, this policy will be difficult to adhere to considering the need for subsidized funding through part time jobs.

▪ A re-look into UCT On-campus accommodation rates of increase

comparative with market price increase off-campus around UCT. Currently, UCT On-campus accommodation rates of increase are higher than that of the market related price increase off campus.

▪ A consolidated effort by UCT towards reducing accommodation prices

increases around UCT by approaching the local government towards the regulation of student accommodation. UCT is a big market for the real estate industry around UCT. This must be used as a bargaining chip for lower affordable student housing. Accommodation costs remain the biggest threat to UCT’s funding. Over 43 % of UCT’s funding goes towards paying student accommodation costs. It is not only for the student that this issue must be addressed but for university sustainability and access.

2019

59

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CHE. 2009. Higher Education Monitor Postgraduate Studies in South Africa: A Statistical Profile. Pretoria.

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Cherry, M. 1997. South Africa reforms university funding. Nature, 387:327.

Cloete, N., Maassen, P., Fehnel, R., Moja, T., Gibbon, T. and Perold, H. 2006. Transformation in Higher Education.

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2019

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Appendix

UCT Faculty postgraduate tuition raw data

(2015-2018) This data is extracted from UCT (2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018a)

Faculty of Commerce

Tuition (Per year of study)

2015 2016 2017 2018

Faculty

Bachelor of Commerce Honours

specialising in Accounting 62780.00 62780.00 68890.00 67500.00

specialising in Actuarial Science 36590.00 36590.00 39530.00 42700.00

specialising in Economics 56880.00 56880.00 61470.00 59040.00

specialising in FAPM 56880.00 56880.00 61470.00 66420.00

specialising in Finance 40510.00 40510.00 43770.00 51610.00

specialising in Quantitative Finance 42750.00

specialising in Information Systems 58160.00 58160.00 49190.00

specialising in Management Information Systems 58160.00 58160.00 62820.00 50880.00

2nd year 50880.00

specialising in Organisational Psychology Change Management 46530.00 46530.00 50260.00 54290.00

specialising in Statistics 45090.00 45090.00 48700.00 52600.00

specialising in Taxation 58390.00 58390.00 52380.00

Tax Technical & Compliance 1st Year 56620.00

Tax Technical & Compliance 2nd Year 11520.00

Tax Opinion & Consulting 1st Year 56530.00

Tax Opinion & Consulting 2nd Year 11520.00

Master of Commerce, Master of Business Science or MPhil where appropriate:

specialising in Accounting 74500.00

specialising in Accounting Education (1st Year) 55610.00

specialising in Actuarial Science by Coursework 80730.00 80730.00 88550.00 95640.00

specialising in Economics 44240.00 44240.00 47810.00 51660.00

specialising in Economics Development (1st Year) 25280.00 25280.00 27320.00

specialising in Economics Development (2nd Year) 8370.00 8370.00 9040.00

specialising in Applied Economics (1st Year) 25280.00 25280.00 27320.00 29520.00

specialising in Applied Economics (2nd Year) 8370.00 8370.00 9040.00 9770.00

specialising in Economics Science (1st Year) 37920.00 37920.00 40980.00

specialising in Economics Science (2nd Year) 31600.00 31600.00 34150.00

specialising in Economics & Demography 28320.00 28320.00

Dissertation 6320.00 6320.00

specialising in Finance (Financial Management) 60920.00 60920.00 65810.00 71090.00

specialising in Financial reporting, analysis and governance 1st year 42870.00

2019

63

2nd year - option 1 29020.00

2nd year- option 2 15460.00

specialising in Finance (Financial & Risk Management) 70790.00 70790.00 68130.00

specialising in Finance (Investment Management) 67750.00 67750.00 73200.00 79070.00

specialising in Finance (Corporate Finance and Valuation) 82610.00

specialising in Information Systems (Coursework) 40740.00 40740.00 44000.00 57290.00

Dissertation 8370.00 8370.00 9040.00

specialising in Mathematical Finance 88660.00 70180.00 75870.00 81980.00

specialising in Organisational Psychology (Coursework) 44580.00 44580.00 48150.00

specialising in Demography 26100.00 26100.00 28220.00 30510.00

specialising in Programme Evaluation 44580.00 44580.00 48150.00 52020.00

specialising in Taxation (South African Taxation) (1st Year) 48460.00 48460.00 52340.00 56530.00

specialising in Taxation (South African Taxation) (2nd Year) 59820.00 42040.00 64630.00 20750.00

specialising in Taxation (International Taxation) 66300.00 66300.00 64630.00 77370.00

Master of Commerce in Risk Management of Financial Markets 73600.00

Master’s in philosophy 22990.00

Master’s in philosophy in People Management 44610.00 44610.00 48200.00 52070.00

Master’s in philosophy in Development Policy Practice 140000.00

140000.00

151200.00

163310.00

Master of Development Policy & Practice 198320.00

Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology 52010.00

Thesis (per year) 16520.00 19280.00

Masters by Dissertation 18840.00

Doctor of Philosophy

specialising in Information Systems 37630.00

specialising in Economics (with Coursework) 85700.00

PhD in Philosophy in Economics (with Coursework) Coursework Year 1 56880.00 73400.00 79320.00

2019

64

Faculty of EBE

Tuition (Per year of study)

2015 2016 2017 2018

Faculty

Engineering & the Build Environment

BSc (Hons) (Geographical Info Systems) 58 170 58 170 62 830 67 920

BSc (Hons) (Construction Management) 54 560 53 960 58 280 63 740

BSc (Hons) (Property Studies) 47 550 45 430 49 070 52 520

BSc (Hons) (Quantity Surveying) 55 350 54 750 59 130 64 670

BSc (Hons) (Materials Science) 54 750 57 900 62 540 69 780

Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Hons) 49 720 49 720 53 700 58 060

Bachelor of Nuclear Power (Hons) 55 470 59 910 64 820

Bachelor of City Planning (Hons) 56 720 61 260 66 240

Master’s by Dissertation only (180 credits) 25 200 27 800 30 030 32 440

Master’s by Dissertation only (120 credits) and Coursework (1st Year) 26 920 26 920 29 080 31 410

Master’s by Dissertation only (120 credits) and Coursework (2nd Year) 22 950 22 950 24 790 31 410

Master of Architecture (Professional) 55 580 55 580 60 030 64840

Master of City & Regional Planning (1st Year) 56 710 56 710 61 250 66150

Master of City & Regional Planning (2nd Year) 36 100 36 100 38 990 42 110

Master of Geotechnical Engineering 50 040 54 050 58 380

Master of Transport Studies (1st Year) 64 190 69 330 74 880

Master of Transport Studies (2nd Year) 8 140 8 790 9 500

Master of City Planning & Urban Design (1st Year) 56 710

Master of City Planning & Urban Design (2nd Year) 38 380

Master of Science in Property Studies 84 410 84 410 91 630 98 960

Master of Science in Project Management 75 240 75 240 81 260 87 760

Master of Landscape Architecture (1st Year) 59 400 59 400 64 150 69 290

Master of Landscape Architecture (2nd Year) R35 870 35 870 38 740 41 840

MPhil In Conservation of Built Environment (1st Year) 28 570 28 570 30 860 33 330

MPhil In Conservation of Built Environment (2nd Year) 24 620 24 620 26 590 28 720

MPhil (Transport Studies) 65 870 65 600 70 850 76 520

MPhil (Urban Infrastructure Design & Man.) 65 870 65 870 71 140 76 480

Doctoral (PhD) 16 520 16 520 17 850 19 280

2019

65

Faculty of Health Sciences

Tuition (Per year of study)

2015 2016 2017 2018

Faculty

Health Sciences

BMedSc (Honours) 45790.00 R45 790 49 460 53 420

BMedSc (Honours) specialising in Medical Physics 48 490 48 630

BMedSc (Honours) in Nutrition & Dietetics

1st Year 61430.00 R61 430 66 590 71 750

2nd Year 36130.00 R36 130 39 040 42 190

MPhil specialising in Addictions Mental Health 10550.00 R10 550

Coursework (per year)

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) . 4760.00 R4 760

MPhil specialising in Biokinetics 31990.00 R31 990 34 320 37 120

Coursework (per year) 15620.00 R15 620 16 870 18 220

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

MPhil specialising in Biomedical Forensic Science 38020.00 R38 020 41 730 45 110

Coursework (per year) 15620.00 15 620 16 870 18 220

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

MPhil specialising in Clinical Paediatric Surgery 10550.00 R10 550 11 400 12 320

Coursework (per year) 4760.00 4 760 5 150 5 570

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

MPhil specialising in Clinical Pharmacology 23460.00 R23 460 25 350 27 400

Coursework (per year) 15620.00 25 280 27 310

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

MPhil specialising in Clinical Research Administration 39770.00 R31 220 43 050 50 850

Coursework (per year) 15620.00 R15 620 16 870 18 220

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

MPhil specialising in Forensic Mental Health 31220.00

Coursework (per year) 15620.00

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

MPhil specialising in Intellectual Disability 23400.00 R23 400 25 280 27 310

Coursework (per year) 23400.00 R23 400 25 280 27 310

Minor Dissertation (90 credits)

MPhil specialising in Liaison Mental Health 10550.00 R10 550 11 400 12 320

Coursework (per year)

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 4760.00 R4 760 5 150 5 570

MPhil specialising in Maternal & Child Health

1st Year (Coursework) . 19350.00 R19 350 21 620

2nd Year (Coursework) 17290.00 17 290 21 620

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 R15 620 16 870 18 220

MPhil specialising in Occupational Health

2019

66

Coursework (per year) 31220.00 R31 220 24 830 26 820

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 R15 620 16 870 18 220

MPhil specialising in Paediatric Forensic Pathology

Coursework (per year) 10550.00 R10 550 11 400 12 320

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 4760.00 R4 760 5 150 5 570

MPhil specialising in Paediatric Pathology

Coursework (per year) 10550.00 R10 550 11 400 12 320

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 4760.00 4 760 5 150 5 570

MPhil specialising in Palliative Medicine

Coursework (per year) 23400.00 R23 400 25 280 27 310

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 R23 400 R25 280 27 310

MPhil specialising in Sport & Exercise Medicine

1st Year (Coursework) 15620.00 R15 620 R16 870 18 220

2nd Year (Coursework) 10430.00 R10 430 R11 270 12 180

3rd Year (Coursework) 10430.00 R10 430 R11 270 12 180

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 R15 620 R16 870 18 220

MPhil specialising in Exercise and Sports Physiotherapy

Coursework (per year) 31410.00 R31 410

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 R15 620

MPhil in Emergency Medicine

(Clinical Emergency Care Stream)

37980

1st Year 21835.00 21835 R16 960 27 303

2nd Year 11760.00 11 760 R16 960 33175

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 15 620 R16 870 18 220

MPhil in Emergency Medicine

(African Emergency Care Stream)

1st Year 17915.00 17915 R8 480

2nd Year 7840.00 7 840 R21 200

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 23 400 R25 280

MPhil in Emergency Medicine

(Patient Safety & Clin Decision-making Stream A)

1st Year 14380.00 14 380 R12 720 33175

2nd Year 14380.00 14 380 R21 200

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 15 620 R16 870 18 220

MPhil in Emergency Medicine

(Patient Safety & Clin Decision-making Stream B)

1st Year 14380.00 14 380 R12 720 28380

2nd Year 7190.00 7190 R12 720

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 23 400 R25 280 27 303

MPhil in Health Innovation

Coursework (per year) 39590.00 25 640 R34 190

Electives R11 130

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 15 620 R16 860

MPhil in Health Innovation Coursework (per year) 34 190

2019

67

Electives +/_ 11 130

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 16 860

Master of Public Health

(All streams except Health Economics)

Coursework (10 courses @ R3 430 each) 34300.00 34 300 R37 100 44 100

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 15 620 R16 870 18 220

Master of Public Health (Health Economics)

Coursework (8 courses @ R3 430 each) 27440.00 27 440 R29 680 35 280

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 23 400 R25 280 30 040

MMed (Speciality training)

Training per year (Years 1 – 4) 10960.00 10 960 R11 840 14 070

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 7750.00 7 750 R8 370 9 950

MPhil (Sub-speciality training)

Training per year (Years 1 & 2) 10550.00 10 550 R11 400 13 550

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 4760.00 4 760 R5 150 6 130

MSc in Exercise and Sports Physiotherapy

Coursework (per year)

R33 970 36 720

Minor Dissertation (60 credits)

R16 870 18 220

MMedSc specialising in Biomedical Engineering

Compulsory coursework 34460.00 34 880 R33 230 35 900

Electives variable depending on choice

10 000 R10 800 11 680

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 23 400 R25 280 27 310

MMedSc specialising in Genetic Counselling

Coursework (per year) 46470.00 47 180 R50 990 55 090

Minor Dissertation (60 credits) 15620.00 15 620 R16 870 18 220

MSc in Nursing (by coursework and dissertation)

Compulsory coursework 13140.00 13 140 R14 200 15 350

Electives variable depending on choice

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 23 400 R25 280 27 310

MSc in Occupational Therapy (by coursework and dissertation)

Coursework (per year) 28305.00 28305 30605 33100

Minor Dissertation (90 credits) 23400.00 23 400 25 280 27 310

MSc in Nursing in Child Nursing

1st Year (Coursework) 27190.00 27190 29 380 31 750

2nd Year (Coursework) 11440.00 11 440 12 360 13 350

Research-related Independent Study 11730.00 11 730 12 670 13 690

Professional Master’s in Paediatric Neurosurgery

Coursework 39230.00 39 230 42 380 45 790

Research Report 11720.00 11 720 12 660 13 680

MPhil by Research & Dissertation (per year) 22990.00 22 990 24 830 26 820

MSc(Med) by Research & Dissertation (per year) 26180.00 26 180 28 280 30 550

MSc by Research & Dissertation (per year) 24340.00 24 340 26 290 28 400

PhD (per year) 16520.00 16 520 17 850 19 280

MD (per year) 16520.00 16 520 17 850 19 280

2019

68

Faculty of humanities

Tuition (Per year of study)

2015 2016 2017 2018

Faculty

Humanities

Honours Honours Honours

4 Honours courses + research essay 33 900 33 900 36 650 39 600

BEd Hons (6 Honours courses) 41 520

BEd Hons (4 Honours courses) 29 280 31 640 34 200

BA Hons in Drama

4 Honours courses + research essay 33 900 33 890 36 630 38 400

BMus Hons specialising in Dance Studies 37 050 37 050 40 020 43 230

BMus Hons specialising in Performance (Music) 35490 36 060 37 790 42 100

BMus Hons specialising in Musicology 35660 33 900 36 650 39 600

BMus Hons specialising in Composition 33 810 33 810 36 530 39 460

Master’s by Coursework

4 Master’s course work courses 30 640 30 640 R33 120 35 800

Minor dissertation 13 990 13 990 16 320

Masters in Education (M.Ed)

4 Master’s course work courses 35 800

Minor dissertation 16 320

Research Master’s 22 990 22 990 24 830 26 820

Master of Library & Information Science

2 Master’s course work courses 30 540

Minor dissertation 13 990

Master of Fine Art

By dissertation 22 990 22 990 24 830 26 820

Master of Music by Composition & Dissertation 51 980

Composition 30 560 30 560 33 010

Dissertation 13 990 13 990

Master of Music by Performance & Dissertation 55 000

1st Year Recitals 16 560 22 040 23 820

2nd Year Recitals 16 560 11 080 11 980

Minor Dissertation 13 990 13 990 15 110

Masters in Theatre & Performance

2 Master’s course work courses 36 740 24 900 26 900

Minor dissertation 29 730 32 110 34 680

Masters in Applied Drama and Theatre studies

5 Master’s course work courses 52 350 56 570

Masters in Television Production or Media Theory & Practice

4 master’s course work courses 30 640 33 120 35 800

Research Project. 29 730 32 110 16 320

2019

69

Master’s in music specialising in Choreography 22 990 24 830

Master of Music specialising

2 master’s course work courses 41 250 44 560

Master of Music specialising in Choreograph and Dissertation

2 master’s course work courses 27 980 30 220

Master of Music by Dissertation 24 830 26 820

MMus by Coursework and Dissertation 52 120

MMus by Performance, Coursework and Dissertation 53 560

MMus (Dance) by Performance & Dissertation 48 130

MMus(Dance) by Choreography & Dissertation 32 650

Doctoral (PhD) (per year) 16 520 16 520 17 850 19 280

2019

70

Faculty of Law

Tuition (Per year of study)

2015 2016 2017 2018

Faculty

Law

LLM/MPhil by Coursework and Dissertation

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Dissertation 7 210 7 210 7790 8 420

Master of Laws in Commercial Law

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 R7 000

Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in Intellectual Property Law

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in International Trade Law

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in Labour Law

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in Private Law & Human Rights*

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in Shipping Law

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in Tax Law

Coursework (4 courses) 57 440 57 440 62 040 67 040

Research Project 5 970 5 970 6 450 7 000

LLM/MPhil by Dissertation only 13 640 13 640 14 740 15 920

Master of Laws in Environmental Law*

Coursework (4 courses) 62 040 67 040

Research Project R6 450 7 000

Master of Laws in Marine & Environmental Law*

Coursework (4 courses) 62 040 67 040

Research Project R6 450 7 000

2019

71

Faculty of Science

Tuition (Per year of study)

2015 2016 2017 2018

Faculty

Science

Bachelor of Science Honours 45 500 45 500 49 500 52 800

Per year of study

Master of Science & MPhil

MSc by Dissertation only 23 000 23 000 25 000 27 000

MSc by Coursework & Dissertation

Coursework (full year) 45 500 45 500 50 500 53 000

Coursework (half year) 23 000 23 000 25 000

Dissertation 23 000 23 000 25 000 27 000

Doctoral (PhD) (per year) 16 520 16 520 17 850 19 280

2019

72

Data used in EBEPGSC Research Group UCT postgraduate

student cost of living model

Call on Column 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 rate (ave)

Commerce !Honors!Average 51997 51997 53848 48204 48686 49173 -2%

Commerce !Honors!Lower 43005 43005 44463 31117 31429 31743 -9%

Commerce !Honors!Upper 60989 60989 63233 65291 66800 68344 2%

Engineering & the Build Environment!Honors!Average 53350 54015 58340 63469 67286 71334 6%

Engineering & the Build Environment!Honors!Lower 49414 49632 53606 57865 61027 64362 5%

Engineering & the Build Environment!Honors!Upper 57286 58398 63074 69072 73552 78323 6%

Health Sciences!Honors!Average 47783 47960 50930 55787 58780 61934 5%

Health Sciences!Honors!Lower 35016 37530 39469 40865 43029 45307 5%

Health Sciences!Honors!Upper 60551 58390 62391 70708 74624 78757 6%

Humanities!Honors!Average 35904 33984 36559 39513 40871 42275 3%

Humanities!Honors!Lower 33150 31539 34051 36626 37929 39277 4%

Humanities!Honors!Upper 38658 36430 39066 42399 43813 45275 3%

Law!Honors!Average

Law!Honors!Lower

Law!Honors!Upper

Science!Honors!Average 48325 49267 51150 52800 54383 56014 3%

Science!Honors!Lower 48325 49267 51150 52800 54383 56014 3%

Science!Honors!Upper 48325 49267 51150 52800 54383 56014 3%

UCT!Honors!Average 47472 47445 50165 51955 53555 55205 3%

UCT!Honors!Lower 41782 42194 44548 43855 44587 45331 2%

UCT!Honors!Upper 53162 52695 55783 60054 62584 65221 4%

Commerce !MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 45633 44660 51172 60858 67223 74254 10%

Commerce !MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 15956 15152 19672 16255 16657 17069 2%

Commerce !MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 75310 74169 82671 105461 118648 133485 13%

Engineering & the Build Environment!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 47789 46412 50163 54536 57066 59714 5%

Engineering & the Build Environment!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 27895 24816 26789 29603 30335 31085 2%

Engineering & the Build Environment!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 67684 68007 73537 79470 83887 88550 6%

Health Sciences!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 18790 18279 20185 23305 25105 27043 8%

Health Sciences!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 9107 9008 10220 11762 12839 14014 9%

Health Sciences!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 28473 27551 30149 34848 37378 40091 7%

Humanities!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 20618 26687 29372 34814 41548 49583 19%

Humanities!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 13423 15998 18831 21542 25224 29536 17%

Humanities!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 27813 37376 39913 48086 57968 69880 21%

Law!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 30819 30819 33455 34761 36204 37707 4%

Law!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 4817 4817 5421 4544 4589 4635 -1%

Law!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 56822 56822 61489 64978 67986 71134 5%

Science!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 28625 28625 31375 35667 38435 41418 8%

Science!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 17375 17375 18625 20656 21902 23223 6%

Science!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 39875 39875 44125 50678 54987 59662 9%

2019

73

UCT!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Average 32046 32580 35954 40657 44059 47745 8%

UCT!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Lower 14762 14528 16593 17393 18405 19476 6%

UCT!MCom, Mbus, Mphil, MSc!Upper 49330 50633 55314 63920 69768 76151 9%

Commerce !PhD!Average 56880 73400 79320 61665 64718 67921 5%

Commerce !PhD!Lower 56880 73400 79320 27674 27951 28231 -9%

Commerce !PhD!Upper 56880 73400 79320 95656 114055 135992 19%

Engineering & the Build Environment!PhD!Average 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Engineering & the Build Environment!PhD!Lower 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Engineering & the Build Environment!PhD!Upper 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Health Sciences!PhD!Average 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Health Sciences!PhD!Lower 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Health Sciences!PhD!Upper 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Humanities!PhD!Average 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Humanities!PhD!Lower 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Humanities!PhD!Upper 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Law!PhD!Average

Law!PhD!Lower

Law!PhD!Upper

Science!PhD!Average 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Science!PhD!Lower 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

Science!PhD!Upper 16520 16520 17850 19280 20312 21400 5%

UCT!PhD!Average 24592 27896 30144 27757 29013 30326 5%

UCT!PhD!Lower 24592 27896 30144 20959 21168 21380 -3%

UCT!PhD!Upper 24592 27896 30144 34555 38716 43379 12%

UCT!PhD!Upper 18134 18795 20309 20975 20975 20975

2019

74

UCT Postgraduate Accommodation

UCT 3rd tier residences costs UCT 3rd tier residences extracted from the UCT (2015, 2016b, 2017a, 2018a)

UCT 3rd tier accomodation

Prices in Rands (2015)

Rate of increase(2015-2016)

Prices in Rands (2016)

Rate of increase (2016-2017)

Prices in Rands (2017)

Rate of increase (2017-2018)

Prices in Rands (2018)

Price in Rands (2019-Prediction)

Price in Rands (2020-Prediction)

Bound with respect to on campus

Amalinda House

44400 0

44400 0.0991 48,800 0.1004 53700 57282 61103

Average

Avenue Road 8

44400 0

44400 0.0991 48,800 0.1004 53700 57282 61103

Average

Edwin Hart Annex

59300 0

59300 0.1012 65,300 0.0995 71800 76589 81698 Upper

Edwin Hart Annex

40900 0

40900 0.1002 45,000 0.1000 49500 52802 56324 Lower

Ex-Air 4080

0 0 4080

0 0.1005 44,900 0.1002 49400 52695 56210 Lower

Forest Hill (F) 4080

0 0 4080

0 0.1005 44,900 0.1002 49400 52695 56210 Lower

North Grange

40800 0

40800 0.1005 44,900 0.1002 49400 52695 56210 Lower

Harold Cressy Hall

40800 0

40800 0.1005 44,900 0.1002 49400 52695 56210 Lower

Inglewood 4440

0 0 4440

0 0.0991 48,800 0.1004 53700 57282 61103 Average

J P Duminy 5570

0 0 5570

0 0.1005 61,300 0.0995 67400 71896 76691 Upper

J P Duminy 5240

0 0 5240

0 0.0992 57,600 0.1007 63400 67629 72140 Average

J P Duminy 6890

0 0 6890

0 0.1001 75,800 0.1003 83400 88963 94897 Upper+

J P Duminy 8830

0 0 8830

0 0.0997 97,100 0.0999 10680

0 113924 121523 Upper+

Linkoping 3000

0 0 3000

0 0.1000 33,000 0.1000 36300 38721 41304 Lower+

Obz Square 4660

0 0 4660

0 0.0987 51,200 0.1016 56400 60162 64175 Average

Rondeberg Flats

59300 0

59300 0.1012 65,300 0.0995 71800 76589 81698 Upper

Rondeberg Flats

54200 0

54200 0.0996 59,600 0.0990 65500 69869 74529

Average

T B Davie 5920

0 0 5920

0 0.0997 65,100 0.0998 71600 76376 81470 Upper

2019

75

T B Davie 4080

0 0 4080

0 0.1005 44,900 0.1002 49400 52695 56210 Lower

T B Davie 5410

0 0 5410

0 0.0998 59,500 0.1008 65500 69869 74529 Average

T B Davie 4080

0 0 4080

0 0.1005 44,900 0.1002 49400 52695 56210 Lower

Woodbine Road

41600 0

41600 0.1010 45,800 0.0983 50300 53655 57234 Lower

Woodbine Road

46100 0

46100 0.0998 50,700 0.1006 55800 59522 63492

Average

Average 49,33

0 0.000 49,33

0 0.1000 54,265 0.1001 59,69

6 63677 67925 Average

UCT off campus accommodation costs

UCT off campus accommodation (Data extracted from OCAS website sensitive

data was filtered and only the average of the areas is displayed).

UCT off-campus accommodation

Prices in Rands (2015) pm

Prices in Rands (2015) pa

Rate of increase (2015-2016)

Prices in Rands (2016) pm

Prices in Rands (2016) pa

Rondebosch 4722.955779 56675.46935 0.0870 5133.647586 61603.77103

Rosebank 5035.515733 60426.1888 0.0870 5473.386667 65680.64

Mowbray 4416.276233 52995.3148 0.0870 4800.300253 57603.60304

Observatory 4230.968702 50771.62442 0.0870 4598.879024 55186.54829

Claremont 5189.536 62274.432 0.0870 5640.8 67689.6

Average per year R56,629 R56,629 0.0870 R61,553 R61,553

UCT off-campus accommodation

Rate of increase (2016-2017)

Prices in Rands (2017) pm

Prices in Rands (2017) pa

Rate of increase (2017-2018)

Prices in Rands (2018) pm

Prices in Rands (2018) pa

Prices in Rands (2019) pa

Prices in Rands (2020) pa

Rondebosch 0.0870 R5,580 R66,960.6

2 -0.070 R5,191 R62,290.9

1 R67,108.5

7 R72,298.8

4

Rosebank 0.0870 R5,949 R71,392.0

0 -0.065 R5,564 R66,772.9

1 R71,937.2

2 R77,500.9

4

Mowbray 0.0870 R5,218 R62,612.6

1 -0.032 R5,053 R60,640.0

0 R65,329.9

8 R70,382.6

9

Observatory 0.0870 R4,999 R59,985.3

8 0.325 R6,623 R79,477.5

0 R85,624.4

0 R92,246.7

1

Claremont 0.0870 R6,131 R73,575.6

5 0.152 R7,065 R84,784.6

2 R91,341.9

7 R98,406.4

9

Average per year 0.0870 R66,905 R66,905 0.058 R70,793 R70,793

R76,268.43

R82,167.13

2019

76

UCT Postgraduate Transport (to and from

work)

Data obtained from the EBE postgraduate student cost of living survey (2018)

Number of participants Cost of transport per week (ZAR)

1 150

2 450

3 120

4 500

5 250

6 400

7 250

8 300

9 200

10 500

11 250

12 75

13 120

14 200

15 700

16 70

17 500

18 200

19 500

20 150

21 500

22 600

23 1500

24 100

25 500

26 400

27 150

28 50

29 400

30 350

Average 348

2019

77

UCT Student Transport (vacation)

Data extracted from Grey Hound (2019).

Destination Trips/year Cost/trip Total

WC WC 4

RSA

EC 2 R486.67 R1,946.67

FS 2 R480.00 R1,920.00

NC 2

NW 2

KZN 2 R650.00 R2,600.00

MPL 2 R860.00 R3,440.00

GP 2 R600.00 R2,400.00

LMP 2 R800.00 R3,200.00

SADC

LES 2 R500.00 R2,000.00

SWZ 2

NAM 1 R700.00 R1,400.00

BOTS 1 R870.00 R1,740.00

ZIM 1 R1,150.00 R2,300.00

MOZ 1 R920.00 R1,840.00

ZAM 1

OTHER

Total R2,253.33

2019

78

UCT Student Toiletries Data extracted from Clicks (2019).

No./year

price/unit total

oral

toothbrush 4 R21.6

6 R86.6

5

toothpaste 6 R20.9

9 R125.

94

dental floss 6 R56.9

9 R341.

94

mouth wash 6 R50.9

9 R305.

94

body

deodorant 6 R17.9

0 R107.

40

soap/shower gel 12 R29.9

9 R359.

88

shampoo/conditioner 6 R24.9

0 R149.

40

moisturiser 4 R59.9

9 R239.

96

laundry washing powder 4

R58.00

R232.00

fabric softner 6 R27.9

9 R167.

94

kitchen/house

dish soap 4 R28.0

0 R112.

00

cleaning consumables 4 R34.9

9 R139.

96

dish cloth 2 R16.9

9 R33.9

8

bathroom

pot cleaner 6 R23.9

9 R143.

94

freshner 2 R39.9

9 R79.9

8

handwash 4 R24.9

9 R99.9

6

toilet paper 4 R69.9

9 R279.

96

Feminine care sanitary pads 24

R24.00

R576.00

sanitary tampons 12

R12.00

R144.00

make-up (concealer, blush, eye liner, pencil, eye shadows, lip stick, lip gloss, face soap and face creams, make up remover)) 4

R419.00

R1,676.00

Medication (folic acid tablet, pain killers, 12

R97.00

R1,164.00

Total (male)

R3,006.83

Total (Female)

R6,566.83

2019

79

Data costs Extracted from Vodacom (2019), MTN (2019), Cell C (2019) and Telkom (2019)

Cost per month (2017) (ZAR)

Data amount (Gb)

Cost per month (2018) (ZAR)

Data amount (Gb)

Internet providers

Vodacom 299 3 299 3

MTN 330 3 330 3

Cell C 299 3 299 3

Telkom 299 10 301 10

Average 304 19 305 19

Cost per year 3647

3659

2019

80

UCT Postgraduate Dependent costs

Response from UCT EBE Student cost of living survey (2018)

Number of participants

How many financial dependents do you have?

How much do you spend on financial dependents per month?

1 0 0

Amount (ZAR) per dependent

2 1 1500 1500

3 3 600 200

4 4 5000 1250

5 0 0

6 0 0

7 0 0

8 0 0

9 3 2000 667

10 0 0

11 0 0

12 0 0

13 1 2500 2500

14 1 4500 4500

15 0 0

16 0 0

17 1 0 0

18 0 0

19 0 0

20 1 1500 1500

21 0 0

22 0 0

23 0 0

24 0 0

25 2 2000 1000

26 5 500 100

27 0 0

28 0 0

29 3 5000 1667

30 0 0

31 2 1000 500

32 3 6000 2000

33 0 0

34 0 0

35 1 1500 1500

2019

81

36 5 4000 800

37 0 0

Average 1312

UCT Medical Cover

Data extracted from the UCT (2016d, 2017c, 2018b)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

COMPCARE MEDICAL SCHEME (ZAR per year) 3420 3960 4416

DISCOVERY HEALTH MEDICAL SCHEME (ZAR per year) 3480

MOMENTUM HEALTH MEDICAL SCHEME (ZAR per year) 3660 4020 4440

Average (ZAR per year) 3092 3520 3990 4428 4967 5571

rate of increase (%) 13.4 11.0

Average increase rate (%) 12.2

2019

82

UCT Postgraduate funding experiences

Response from UCT EBE Student cost of living survey (2018)

Timestamp

Which department are you in?

Are you full time/part time

Are you on a bursary/scholarship/sponsored funding?

How much do you spend on transport to and from your UCT research work place per week? (This includes Uber, Taxify, petrol costs etc)

How much do you spend on rent per month?

10/8/2018 5:28:

21

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R 150 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 12:14

:11

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R450 R 2000 to R 3000

10/18/2018 12:14

:24

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

Full time

Yes R120

10/18/2018 12:15

:02

Electrical Engineering

Full time

No R500 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 12:16

:55

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R 250 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 12:17

:20

Mechanical Engineering

Full time

Yes 400 R 6000 to R 8000

10/18/2018 12:18

:10

Electrical Engineering

Full time

No R0 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 12:18

:42

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes 250 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 12:21

:01

Mechanical Engineering

Full time

Yes 300 per week R 5000 to R 6000

10/18/2018 12:21

:23

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R200 R 5000 to R 6000

10/18/2018 12:38

:05

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes R500 R 4000 to R 5000

2019

83

10/18/2018 12:44

:43

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes 250 R 5000 to R 6000

10/18/2018 12:54

:45

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes R75 9700

10/18/2018 12:57

:16

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes R0 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 13:27

:18

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes

R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 13:35

:36

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

Full time

No R 120 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 13:41

:36

Electrical Engineering

Yes 200 R 5000 to R

6000

10/18/2018 14:09

:13

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes 700 R 6000 to R 8000

10/18/2018 14:13

:00

Construction Economics and Management

Part time

No Don't know R 5000 to R 6000

10/18/2018 14:37

:39

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes Use Jammie shuttle during the to-fro.Take Taxify when leaving campus very late. Walk down few times

R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 14:58

:32

Electrical Engineering

Full time

No R70 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 15:35

:05

Mechanical Engineering

Full time

Yes R500 R 4000 to R 5000

10/18/2018 16:12

:53

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R160 during holidays when Jammies are not operating frequently.

R 5000 to R 6000

10/18/2018 17:15

:16

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes 200 R 5000 to R 6000

10/18/2018 18:27

:51

Civil Engineering

Full time

Yes 500 R 6000 to R 8000

10/18/2018

Electrical Engineering

Full time

No 150 R 3000 to R 4000

2019

84

19:14:45

10/19/2018 7:57:

12

Mechanical Engineering

Full time

Yes R500 R 5000 to R 6000

10/19/2018 10:26

:58

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes 600 R 5000 to R 6000

10/19/2018 10:46

:33

Construction Economics and Management

Part time

Yes R1500 R 2000 to R 3000

10/19/2018 11:22

:50

Civil Engineering

Full time

No R100 R 6000 to R 8000

10/19/2018 11:52

:50

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes 500 R 6000 to R 8000

10/20/2018 19:36

:38

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R400 R 6000 to R 8000

10/22/2018 3:35:

43

Chemical Engineering

Full time

No 0 R 4000 to R 5000

10/22/2018 9:36:

59

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes R150 R 3000 to R 4000

10/22/2018 13:49

:52

Electrical Engineering

Part time

Yes 50 R 4000 to R 5000

10/22/2018 14:01

:04

Chemical Engineering

Full time

Yes 400 R 6000 to R 8000

10/25/2018 12:55

:02

Electrical Engineering

Full time

No 350 R 4000 to R 5000

2019

85

Timestamp Which department are you

in? How many financial dependents do you have?

How much do you spend on financial dependents per month?

What is the most challenging expense relative to your budget.

If you are on a bursary/scholarship/sponsored funding, is the funding enough to cover all your living expenses?

10/8/2018 5:28:21

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Accomodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:14:11

Chemical Engineering 1 R1500 Accomodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:14:24

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

3 R600 Food No

10/18/2018 12:15:02

Electrical Engineering 4 R5000 Accomodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:16:55

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Accomodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:17:20

Mechanical Engineering 0 0 Accomodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:18:10

Electrical Engineering 0 0 Tuition No

10/18/2018 12:18:42

Civil Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:21:01

Mechanical Engineering 3 2000 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:21:23

Chemical Engineering

Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:38:05

Civil Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:44:43

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:54:45

Civil Engineering 1 2500 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 12:57:16

Civil Engineering 1 R4500 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 13:27:18

Civil Engineering

Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 13:35:36

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

0 0 Tuition

10/18/2018 13:41:36

Electrical Engineering 1

Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 14:09:13

Civil Engineering 0

Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 14:13:00

Construction Economics and Management

0 0 Tuition No

10/18/2018 14:37:39

Civil Engineering 1 R1500 Internet No

10/18/2018 14:58:32

Electrical Engineering 0 R0 Food

10/18/2018 15:35:05

Mechanical Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

2019

86

10/18/2018 16:12:53

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 17:15:16

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/18/2018 18:27:51

Civil Engineering 2 2000 Internet No

10/18/2018 19:14:45

Electrical Engineering 5 500 Accommodation ie Rent

10/19/2018 7:57:12

Mechanical Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/19/2018 10:26:58

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Transport No

10/19/2018 10:46:33

Construction Economics and Management

3 5000 Food No

10/19/2018 11:22:50

Civil Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/19/2018 11:52:50

Chemical Engineering 2 1000 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/20/2018 19:36:38

Chemical Engineering 3 R6000 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/22/2018 3:35:43

Chemical Engineering 0 0 Accommodation ie Rent

Yes

10/22/2018 9:36:59

Chemical Engineering 0 R 0

No

10/22/2018 13:49:52

Electrical Engineering 1 1500 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/22/2018 14:01:04

Chemical Engineering 5 4000 Accommodation ie Rent

No

10/25/2018 12:55:02

Electrical Engineering 0

Tuition No

Timestamp

Which department are you in?

If you are on a bursary/scholarship/sponsored funding/self funding and it does not cover all your expenses. How do you subsidize your expenses?

How much is the subsidy from your other activities other than your funding per month?

How much time do you spend on activities to raise money to cover living expenses other than your registered research work (Hours per week)?

10/8/2018

5:28:21

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

R 3400 12 hours

2019

87

10/18/2018

12:14:11

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support

R2500 9

10/18/2018

12:14:24

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support, Loan

R100 - R400 5 hours

10/18/2018

12:15:02

Electrical Engineering

Loan R3000 4Hrs

10/18/2018

12:16:55

Chemical Engineering

Family/Friendly support R 2500 9

10/18/2018

12:17:20

Mechanical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

7000 20

10/18/2018

12:18:10

Electrical Engineering

R0 0

10/18/2018

12:18:42

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

3000 40

10/18/2018

12:21:01

Mechanical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), 3 part time jobs

about R3000/ month 20 -30 hours /week

10/18/2018

12:21:23

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

R3000 10

10/18/2018

12:38:05

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support, tutoring and industry work for the university

its quite similar, report writing, concrete tests, reference editing etc

14

10/18/2018

12:44:43

Chemical Engineering

Family/Friendly support 7000 0

10/18/2018

12:54:45

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support

1000 3

10/18/2018

12:57:16

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support

Variable 6-8

10/18/2018

13:27:18

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Tutoring

2000 6

10/18/2018

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

Family/Friendly support 0 0

2019

88

13:35:36

10/18/2018

13:41:36

Electrical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Tutoring

2000 20

10/18/2018

14:09:13

Civil Engineering

Family/Friendly support

10/18/2018

14:13:00

Construction Economics and Management

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

0 0

10/18/2018

14:37:39

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Taking tutorials on campus.

R2360 9

10/18/2018

14:58:32

Electrical Engineering

17 hours per week

10/18/2018

15:35:05

Mechanical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

R600 2

10/18/2018

16:12:53

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support

On average R5000/ month

15 hours/ week, on average

10/18/2018

17:15:16

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

3500 20

10/18/2018

18:27:51

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Loan

3000 30

10/18/2018

19:14:45

Electrical Engineering

5000 15

10/19/2018

7:57:12

Mechanical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

Contributes around 45% of my monthly expenses

10

10/19/2018

10:26:58

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

1600 15

10/19/2018

10:46:33

Construction Economics and Management

Loan None None

10/19/2018

11:22:50

Civil Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support, Loan

100% 20

2019

89

10/19/2018

11:52:50

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support

10000 10

10/20/2018

19:36:38

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

R3000 12 hours

10/22/2018

3:35:43

Chemical Engineering

10/22/2018

9:36:59

Chemical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Part time jobs

R5000 - R8000 (It varies)

5 - 15 hours

10/22/2018

13:49:52

Electrical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below)

40

10/22/2018

14:01:04

Chemical Engineering

Loan 1000 15 HOURS

10/25/2018

12:55:02

Electrical Engineering

Part time job/ Full time job (If ticked please state job type by commenting below), Family/Friendly support

9500 20

Timestamp

Which department are you in?

Comments (State Job type from question 10 if ticked and any comments about funding in EBE):

10/8/2018 5:28:

21

Chemical Engineering

Job: tutoring

10/18/20

18 12:14:11

Chemical Engineering

Tutoring

10/18/20

18 12:14:24

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

10/18/20

18 12:15:02

Electrical Engineering

Tutoring

10/18/20

18 12:16:55

Chemical Engineering

2019

90

10/18/20

18 12:17:20

Mechanical Engineering

data analyst

10/18/20

18 12:18:10

Electrical Engineering

There needs to be more funding opportunities for postgraduate students. The faculty can consider liaising with companies in industry to provide small contract jobs for postgraduate students - this creates funding opportunities for the students as well as work experience in their field of interest.

10/18/20

18 12:18:42

Civil Engineering

Tutoring

10/18/20

18 12:21:01

Mechanical Engineering

Library assistant, tutoring, online transcription jobs

10/18/20

18 12:21:23

Chemical Engineering

tutoring on & off-campus

10/18/20

18 12:38:05

Civil Engineering

tutoring, laboratory and desktop work for the department

10/18/20

18 12:44:43

Chemical Engineering

10/18/20

18 12:54:45

Civil Engineering

Very occasional work for consultants

10/18/20

18 12:57:16

Civil Engineering

Part time work provided by my supervisor

10/18/20

18 13:27:18

Civil Engineering

10/18/20

18 13:35:36

Architecture & Planning Geomatics

No time for part time job. Have not been gifted a bursary. Will have to take out a loan

10/18/20

18

Electrical Engineering

Tutoring. I think EBE would rather sponsor fewer students with more money rather than have a lot of student and less money. This would improve the research as students would focus on research only

2019

91

13:41:36

10/18/20

18 14:09:13

Civil Engineering

10/18/20

18 14:13:00

Construction Economics and Management

I am self funding, hence don't know what to comment.

10/18/20

18 14:37:39

Civil Engineering

Academic Tutor. Postgraduate bursaries (faculty and department) should be inccreased to comfortably lessen tuition and rent financial burdens.

10/18/20

18 14:58:32

Electrical Engineering

10/18/20

18 15:35:05

Mechanical Engineering

Hostess at children's parties

10/18/20

18 16:12:53

Chemical Engineering

Tutoring in department, private tutoring, other university ad hoc jobs. Funding is not enough to live, obviously.

10/18/20

18 17:15:16

Chemical Engineering

Tutoring & student library assistant

10/18/20

18 18:27:51

Civil Engineering

Tutorial assisting

10/18/20

18 19:14:45

Electrical Engineering

The question should have been modified, some of us are not on any funding and still sort for other ways to get income like TUTORING

10/19/20

18 7:57:

12

Mechanical Engineering

Tutoring and Lecturing at UCT (Contract work paid per hour)

10/19/20

18 10:26:58

Chemical Engineering

tutoring

2019

92

10/19/20

18 10:46:33

Construction Economics and Management

Tuition

10/19/20

18 11:22:50

Civil Engineering

Part-time jobs

10/19/20

18 11:52:50

Chemical Engineering

TUTORING

10/20/20

18 19:36:38

Chemical Engineering

Tutoring

10/22/20

18 3:35:

43

Chemical Engineering

10/22/20

18 9:36:

59

Chemical Engineering

Part time jobs include: tutoring and teaching at university, private tutoring, housesitting, baby sitting, pet walker, etc. I had a departmental bursary and another scholarship as my income for research.

10/22/20

18 13:49:52

Electrical Engineering

Full time engineer

10/22/20

18 14:01:04

Chemical Engineering

10/25/20

18 12:55:02

Electrical Engineering

Supplemental work: Tutoring & Editing documents. I understand that the funding bodies expect you to finish a Master's degree in 2 years, but the reality is that, statistically, the average completion time in South Africa for a Masters degree is 3.5 years. I had some funding in the first 2 years, but my research encountered many difficulties (year 2) and so I had to re-register for year 3. But in year 3 I had no funding support, so more than half of my time was spent on other things to earn money in order to survive, which meant that my research was affected and I could not finish in year 3 either. So I had to re-register for year 4, and again I am spending much of my time and energy on other work and now also on household matters because our finances have become so tight that I have to very carefully plan our meals and our shopping and manage other things to save money. I am finally close to finishing my Masters, but the extra year of my life and the extra expenses and other things that we (not just me, my family as well) have had to sacrifice to make this happen have been incredibly difficult. Our funding bodies must recognise that the "expected" finishing time (and thus the funding time) is incongruent with the reality of completion times for research-based degrees. Same goes for PhDs, as well. Many students do not have the support of family as I did, and will just have to give up on their degrees when they are 60% or 70% of the way, but just don't have the money for that extra bit of time. And yes,

2019

93

extension funding exists, but you have to apply for it in March already, and most people do not know so early in the year that their research is going to go wrong and that they will need to re-register, so by the time you realise that this is what is happening to you, it's already too late.

2019

94

2019

95