The short answer

At South Africa's leading universities, local undergraduate tuition runs from about R22,000 to R109,000 a year depending on the course, plus residence of roughly R30,000–70,000. South African citizens — including children who have grown up in Thailand — generally pay local fees; non-citizens from outside southern Africa generally pay about double, plus an international levy. Children leaving an international school need a Matriculation Board exemption. Abroad, costs are far higher: Australian tuition is typically AU$36,000–50,000 a year, about R413,000–573,000, before living costs. Start saving early — over 13 years at around 8% a year, growth can pay over 40% of the target — and hold the fund in the currency you'll pay in. Lawrence will plan it with you, free.

South African university fees in 2026

South African universities set their fees by course, and they're modest by international standards. Based on confirmed 2026 schedules, yearly undergraduate tuition runs roughly from about R44,000 to R109,000 at the University of Cape Town, with health sciences at the top, and from about R21,800 to R90,700 at Wits, where engineering, medicine and commerce cost more. Stellenbosch charges about R52,900 to R87,950, and the University of Pretoria about R30,000 to R98,000, plus an R11,000 registration fee.

On-campus residence adds roughly R30,000–70,000 a year. Fees typically rise 4–8% a year, and many degrees take three or four years — medicine six. Even so, a full degree with residence at a South African university will often cost less than a single year abroad.

University costs at a glance

Undergraduate tuition per year, and roughly in rand. Living costs, accommodation and flights are extra unless stated.

Sources: FundiConnect estimates from confirmed 2026 schedules; University of Pretoria international fees 2026 (levy R4,725); RMIT (2026). At AU$1 = R11.47 (OFX, 21 October 2026). Medicine and some courses cost more.

Citizenship: local or international fees?

South African universities generally charge local fees to South African citizens and permanent residents, wherever they've been living. At the University of Pretoria, for example, an international levy of R4,725 a year applies to non-South African citizens; citizens of southern African (SADC) countries pay local tuition plus the levy; and citizens of other countries pay double the local tuition for coursework, plus the levy.

That makes citizenship the key question for South African–Thai families. A child who is a South African citizen should expect local fees, even after growing up in Thailand. If your child was born abroad to a South African parent, make sure the birth is registered with the South African authorities and that the child has a South African ID number and passport well before applying. A child with Thai citizenship only should expect international fees of about double, plus the levy. Dual citizens should check how each university treats them, and apply as South African citizens where that's allowed.

Each university sets its own rules, so ask the ones you're considering early.

Entry from an international school: the Matriculation Board

A child leaving an international school in Thailand won't have a South African National Senior Certificate. To enter a South African university with an IB diploma, A levels, an American diploma or another foreign qualification, they need a certificate of exemption from the Matriculation Board of Universities South Africa.

You apply online at the Matriculation Board's website, or with the paper form, and the fee — R1,000 for 2025, adjusted each year — is non-refundable. Online assessments take 5–10 working days, and the certificate follows 6–8 weeks after the Board receives all the certified documents and payment. Documents can be certified by a South African embassy, a university admissions office, a notary or an attorney, which helps from Thailand. Subject choices matter, because the right subjects and grades are needed for an exemption, so check before your child chooses their final-school subjects. And remember that an exemption isn't admission: each faculty sets its own entry requirements on top.

Questions to ask universities

Ask each university whether your child will pay local or international fees given their citizenship, and which school-leaving subjects and grades the course needs. Find out what the tuition fee is and how much it has risen in recent years, whether residence is available in the first year and at what cost, and which scholarships are available and when their deadlines fall. Finally, ask when and how fees are paid, and whether there are discounts for paying early.

The costs beyond tuition

Tuition is only part of a university budget. Families should plan for:

Living costs vary hugely. In Australia, a city such as Melbourne can cost AU$30,000–45,000 a year to live in — about R344,000–516,000 — on top of tuition. In South Africa, residence and living costs are far lower, but flights home to Thailand, health cover and, in some cities, transport add up. Budget for the whole cost, not just tuition.

Where your child might study

South Africa

Internationally recognised universities, local fees for citizens, family nearby and costs a fraction of studying abroad. The key steps are confirming citizenship and getting the Matriculation Board exemption. A South African degree is also a strong base for postgraduate study abroad later.

Thailand

Thai universities offer international programmes taught in English, often far below Australian or American fees, and your child can live at home. Worth considering, especially for South African–Thai families settled here.

Australia and New Zealand

Popular with South African families, with many former South Africans already there. Tuition and living costs are high for international students — budget well over R700,000 a year in total.

Europe and North America

Each country has its own fees, entry routes and visa rules. Some European universities teach in English at much lower fees; American degrees typically last four years and can be very expensive, though scholarships are common.

Because the costs differ so widely, keep options open and plan for a realistic range rather than a single number.

Where to start

A university fund for each child, somewhere safe to hold it in the right currency, and the right way to pay fees and allowances.

Why starting early matters so much

University is the ideal long-term savings goal: the date is known, and it's usually many years away. The earlier you start, the more of the bill growth can pay. To build R1.5 million — roughly three years of international tuition in Australia — growing at around 8% a year after charges, starting 13 years ahead takes about R5,500 a month: you pay in about R857,000 and growth provides around 43%. Starting 10 years ahead takes about R8,200 a month, with growth providing around 34%. Leave it until five years ahead and it takes about R20,400 a month, with growth providing only around 18%.

Growth isn't guaranteed — investments can fall as well as rise — which is why plans should be reviewed every year and moved to safer investments as university approaches.

Building a R1.5 million university fund

Monthly saving needed to reach R1.5 million at 8% a year after charges, depending on when you start.

Illustration only. Growth of 8% a year after charges is the level Lawrence's education plans typically aim for; it isn't guaranteed.

Planning school and university together

For families paying international school fees, university can feel impossible to save for at the same time. The answer is usually to plan both together: pay school fees mostly from income, and set up a smaller, separate monthly plan for university from a young age, so that growth has the longest time to work. As school fees end, the money freed up can top up the university fund or go straight to living costs. If your child is likely to study in South Africa, the university fund may need to be far smaller than the school-fee plan — a good reason to settle the likely route early. Our guide to saving for international school fees in Thailand covers the school years.

Ask about school-fee planning, or compare schools in our international schools directory.

Currency: rand, baht and the fee bill

University fees are charged in the local currency — rand in South Africa, Australian dollars in Australia and so on. A degree in South Africa paid from rand savings carries no currency risk at all. A degree abroad is different: a weaker rand can add hundreds of thousands to the bill, and the rand has weakened against most major currencies over the long run.

Save in the currency you'll pay in: for a degree in Australia, an Australian- or US-dollar fund protects you from a weaker rand, while for a South African degree you can keep rand and avoid converting twice. Once you know each year's tuition and accommodation bill abroad, fix the rate, and use a specialist for large payments rather than your bank's standard rate. Plan your allowances too, because moving a large university fund out of South Africa counts against your R2 million single discretionary allowance per adult each year, or needs approval for more.

Our guide to forward currency contracts explains how fixing a rate works.

Where to hold a university fund

Most families use a mix. A regular savings plan takes monthly contributions into an investment plan designed for a fixed goal and date, while an international platform account offers flexible, low-cost investing in several currencies. For larger sums and grandparents' gifts, an offshore bond or trust can be useful, with the money passing to the child as planned. And for the final year or two before fees are due, a hard-currency bank account is best, so a market fall can't derail the plan.

Our regular savings solutions directory compares monthly plans, and our lump-sum solutions directory compares options for larger sums.

Help from grandparents

Grandparents in South Africa often want to help with university, and it can be one of the most effective ways to pass on money. Gifts by South African residents above R100,000 a year per donor may attract donations tax, so larger gifts are worth checking with a tax practitioner first; Thai gift tax exempts gifts from grandparents to grandchildren up to ฿20 million a year; and money placed in a trust or plan for a grandchild can be ring-fenced for education. A short conversation with Lawrence can help the whole family plan it.

Protecting the plan

If a parent dies or can't work, a university plan can stall. Life cover sized to the remaining education costs, income protection for the main earner, and wills and guardianship in both countries keep your children's education on track whatever happens. We take leads for insurance and can introduce you to specialists who arrange cover for expat families. Our international life protection providers directory compares insurers.

Scholarships, bursaries and other help

Scholarships can reduce the bill, but they're rarely something to plan around. South African universities offer merit scholarships and bursaries, some for top school-leavers; many Australian universities offer partial tuition discounts for international students; and some American universities offer generous merit or need-based aid. Competition is strong and awards are often decided late.

Treat any scholarship as a bonus rather than part of the core plan, and research early, because scholarship deadlines can come before the application deadline. Check whether your employer helps with children's education, as some do, and look at the total cost rather than tuition alone — a scholarship abroad may still cost more than a South African degree. And pay early where it pays: some South African universities give a discount of 2.5–5% for settling the year's fees early.

Don't forget postgraduate study

More graduates go on to an honours year or a master's degree, and for some careers — law, medicine, academia, many professional fields — further study is expected. A popular route for South African families is a first degree at home, at local fees, followed by a master's abroad. Building a little extra into your university plan, or keeping the fund running beyond the first degree, gives your children that choice. Medicine, veterinary science and other long courses deserve special planning, as they can last five or six years.

A university planning timeline

At birth, register your child as a South African and start a monthly university plan. Between five and twelve, keep contributions going, increase them as your income grows and add any lump sums. Between twelve and fourteen, think about where your child might study and make sure their South African ID and passport are in order, and between fourteen and sixteen, check the Matriculation Board's subject requirements before final-school subject choices. At sixteen and seventeen, move the money needed for the first years into safer investments and the right currency, and at seventeen apply — including for the exemption — and plan the currency for the first year's fees. Once your child is at university, fix rates for fees abroad and send allowances cheaply, and every year along the way, review the plan and adjust contributions.

The most common mistakes

1. Not registering a child's South African citizenship — and facing double fees.
2. Choosing final-school subjects without checking the exemption rules.
3. Budgeting for tuition only, and forgetting living costs and flights.
4. Starting to save too late, when growth has little time to help.
5. Keeping university money in risky investments in the final years.
6. Saving in rand for a degree abroad — and losing out to a weaker currency.
7. Using retirement savings to pay for university.
8. No protection if a parent dies or can't work.

Three real-world examples

Johan and Ploy: two passports, local fees

Johan and his Thai wife Ploy, settled in Chiang Mai, registered their son's birth as a South African early on. When he applied to Stellenbosch with an IB diploma, he paid local fees as a citizen, with a Matriculation Board exemption arranged from Thailand.

Naledi: saving for Australia

Naledi, posted to Bangkok, expected her daughter to follow cousins to Melbourne. A review with Lawrence set up a US-dollar monthly plan when her daughter was six, aiming for three years of Australian fees, with growth expected to pay a large part.

Ruan: home, then abroad

Ruan's family weighed Australian fees of over R500,000 a year against a degree at Wits. They chose Wits for the undergraduate degree and saved the difference for a master's abroad.

Your university planning checklist

• My child's South African citizenship is registered, with ID and passport.
• I know the exemption rules for their school-leaving qualification.
• I've estimated tuition and living costs for a realistic range of options.
• I've started a university plan for each child, as early as possible.
• I'm saving in the right currency for where they'll study.
• Money for the first years will move to safer investments in time.
• The plan is protected with life cover and wills.
• I review it every year.

Paying fees safely

Students and parents are targeted by fake accommodation listings and fraudulent "fee payment" requests. Always pay universities through their official channels, confirm bank details directly, and use a private, protected connection on public Wi-Fi — advice worth passing on to your student, too.

How we researched this guide

South African tuition ranges come from FundiConnect's estimates based on confirmed 2026 fee schedules; international fees and the levy from the University of Pretoria's 2026 international student fees page; exemption rules from Universities South Africa's Matriculation Board; Australian costs from RMIT (2026), converted at AU$1 = R11.47 (OFX, 21 October 2026). Savings illustrations assume growth of 8% a year after charges, the level Lawrence's education plans typically aim for; growth isn't guaranteed. Checked 23 October 2026. This guide is general information, not personal financial advice — always confirm fees and entry requirements with each university.