Top 10 Best Medical Schools In South Africa
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If you are seeing this detailed piece, it means that either you want to study medicine or you know someone that wants to study medicine and you are looking for information about the best medical schools in South Africa.
Well, you are lucky to have come across this article as it is going to answer every question you have about studying medicine in South Africa.
Medicine is one of the most lucrative professions in the world and in South Africa, there is no exception. The government of South Africa has even placed a high priority on healthcare in the country and this has made workers in the health care sector one of the most in-demand jobs in the country.
There are a number of wonderful universities in South Africa that offer high-level medical training to medical students and prepare them adequately for the job. In fact, if you are looking for the best medical schools in Africa, you will have to mention some of the universities in South Africa as these universities are also among the best universities in the world to study medicine.
The country is a wonderful place for international students to study as it offers top quality education and the weather in the country is pleasant.
As a graduate of medicine in South Africa, you will be awarded an MBCHB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees but the University of Witwatersrand grants an MBBCH (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery).
Without further ado, let’s get straight to the point…
Best Medical Schools In South Africa
In South Africa, there are about 10 medical schools and these universities are seen to be the best places to study medicine even in Africa.
So we will be talking about these universities in no perking order.
· University of Cape Town
This is a public research university that was established in 1829 as the South African College making it the oldest higher institution of learning in South Africa. The university is located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
UCT is the oldest extant university in Sub-Saharan Africa and it is one of the most prestigious universities in South Africa and also in Africa as a whole.
UCT is one of the best medical schools in Africa and it is also the first African Medical School to be included in the top 50 universities in the world for medicine by the QS World University Ranking.
The Faculty of Health Sciences was established in 1912 and it is the oldest medical school in the South Africa and the best in the whole of Africa. The medical school has a long list of medical education and research successes and one of them is the first successful heart transplant in the world in 1967.
The institution is a multicultural and multinational one that provides medical training to over 20,500 international students from over 100 countries of the world.
The cost of studying medicine in UCT is around ZAR 200,000 to ZAR 250,000 per year.
· University Of The Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
This is a multi-campus South African public research university that was established in 1836 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley, Johannesburg sometimes called the “The City of Gold”. It is the third oldest university in South Africa. It is one of the most prestigious universities in South Africa and also in Africa as a whole.
The Faculty of Health Sciences was established in 1922 and it is the second-best in both South Africa and Africa as a whole.
The university has an enrollment rate of 37,500, an acceptance rate of 25% and every year, it graduates over 1,200 medical students.
Medical students at Wits experience medical and dental consults that offer quality training to medics in different research programs like Public Health, Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Anatomical Science.
Wits was the first South African medical institution to perform a successful graft of plastic cornea and also helped to establish the first dental hospital and school in South Africa.
You could enter into Wits as a first-year after high-school graduation or as a third-year through Graduate Entry Medical Programme which will shorten you medical programme to only four years.
The Cost of study medicine in Wits could be around ZAR70, 350 to ZAR85,326 per year.
· Stellenbosch University
This is a public research university that was established on April 2, 1918. It is also the oldest university in South Africa along with University of Cape Town. The university is situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Stellenbosch University has the highest research output per academic staff and the highest success rate for students in South Africa. Their focus includes biomedical tuberculosis research animal sciences and mathematical biosciences.
The Faculty of Medicine and health sciences is situated in Tygerberg and it established the first rural clinical school in South Africa. This is where most SU students gain clinical experience during their internship.
SU offers several student-centered support systems in their medical education.
· University of Pretoria
This is a multi-campus public research university that was established on March 4, 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johannesburg-based Transvaal University College. The university is located in Pretoria which is the de facto capital of South Africa.
University of Pretoria is the fourth South African institution in continuous operation.
The University Of Pretoria Faculty Of Medicine was established in 1943 and it is one of the oldest medical schools in Africa and it has produced a lot of medical graduates since its inception.
The university is home for thousands of international students from across the world and its medical training is offered by a large number of highly qualified medical professionals.
It is the seventh-best medical school in Africa.
The cost of studying medicine at University of Pretoria could range from ZAR65,000 to ZAR80,000 per year.
· University of Kwazulu-Natal
This is a public university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was established on January 1, 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.
This university is one of the best medical schools in South Africa despite being the youngest. The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s school of clinical medicine ranks number 279 in the world according to US News and World Report. The medical school is named in honor of Nelson Mandela.
The university currently has 29 medical disciplines including Clinical & Professional Practice, Anesthetics, Cardiology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Dermatology and General Medicine.
· Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
This is a public university that was established on January 1, 2015 and it is located in Pretoria North, Guateng Province, South Africa. It was previously called the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA) and later university of Limpopo.
The University was named after Sefako Mapogo Makgatho who is a leading figure in education, journalism and politics and was the second president of the African National Congress (ANC).
The University has 9 departments in the medical school incorporated to offer the MBChB degree ad each accredited discipline offers postgraduate specialization degrees (M.Med).
· Walter Sisulu University
This is a public comprehensive university of science and technology located in Mthatha, East London (Buffalo City), Butterworth and Komani (Queentown) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The university was established on July 1, 2005 as a result of a merger between Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of the Transkei. The university is named after Walter Sisulu who is a prominent figure in the struggle against apartheid.
The Faculty of Health Sciences offers medical programs which has made it one of the best medical schools in South Africa.
· Nelson Mandela University
This is a public university that was established as a result of the merger between three institutions in January, 2005. The three institutions were the University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth Technikon, Vista University’s Port Elizabeth campus.
The Nelson Mandela University is a top institution in South Africa which offers a range of courses and disciplines. Recently, the university launched its medical school under the faculty of Health Sciences.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does it take to become a medical doctor in South Africa?
It takes about 4 years to complete a medical course in a university or college followed by a 4 years in medical school and then 3-7 years of residency training. The process of becoming a fully licensed physician would take between 10 to 14 years.
- Can international students enroll in medical schools in South Africa?
Of course international students can enroll to study medicine in South Africa. The medical schools in South Africa are among the best medical schools in the world and this has attracted a lot of international students to the country.
International students that want to study medicine in South Africa must take the National Benchmark Tests for South African and International students. The applying student will need to upload their final Grade 11 grades, National Benchmark Test score and Foreign School Leaving certificates during the online application.
- How much does it cost to study medicine in south Africa?
The tuition fee for studying medicine in South Africa varies depending on the institution. But to study medicine in South Africa, you should budget around ZAR49,475 ($2,234) to ZAR53,475 ($2,920) every year.
- Why should I study medicine?
Medicine is one of the most reputable professions in the world and it is also among the high paying professions. The job opportunities in the medical career are almost endless.
Doctors and other health professionals are always in-demand in any part of the world and so you won’t have a problem getting a job after graduation.
Final Note
These are the best medical schools in South Africa and you should know that these medical schools are also among the best in Africa and have a placed among the best in the world too.
So if you are considering studying medicine, South Africa is a country to consider pursuing your career as the medical schools in South Africa offer one of the best medical educations.
Some of these universities also offer scholarships to help international students study so you can check the schools for any scholarship opportunity so that you apply for it when enrolling.
References
wikipedia.org – universities in south africa
egscholars.com – top 10 best medical universities in Africa
studyabroadaide.com – 7 best medical schools in south africa
studygreen.info – 10 best universities in south africa to study medicine
myggsa.co.za – how many years to become a doctor in south africa