CIEE College Study Abroad in Cape Town, South Africa

Name: CIEE College Study Abroad in Cape Town, South Africa
Brand: CIEE
SKU: 268352
Rating: 4.74 (27 reviews)

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4.74 Rating

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Location

South Africa
- Cape Town

Term

Fall, J-Term, Spring, Summer

Subject Areas

African Studies Anthropology Arts Business Engineering Film History Language Studies Liberal Arts Literature Marine Biology Music Public Health +3

Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships

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Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Degree Level

Bachelors

Housing

Apartment

Language

English

Pricing

Price Details

You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE! Our high-quality programs include tuition, housing, on-site airport pick-up, field trips and cultural activities, 24/7 on-site professional staff, and automatic iNext insurance. There are no hidden charges or surprises when you arrive, and scholarships opportunities are available!

What's Included

Accommodation Some Activities Classes Some Meals Travel Insurance

Last Updated: Apr 30, 2024

Last Reviewed: Aug 04, 2023

Wish List

9 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

With a glorious climate and natural draws like Table Mountain and stunning beaches, it’s no wonder Cape Town is Africa’s number-one tourist destination. Day and night, this multicultural city offers much to do: water sports, mountaineering, nightclubs, and restaurants. As a microcosm of many African countries in transition, Cape Town also illuminates the issues of joining the global economy while grappling with vast socioeconomic inequalities born from its colonial and apartheid heritage.

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CIEE College Study Abroad in Cape Town, South Africa

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Program Highlights

CIEE Cape Town is located in the Rondebosch district, near the University of Cape Town campus.
Day and night, this multicultural city offers much to do: water sports, mountaineering, nightclubs, and restaurants.
Receive more than you give by participating in an Impact Project in a local community or giving your time on a weekly basis by tutoring students, working with health and medical organizations.
Depending on their program of study and availability, students may be able to volunteer or participate in an internship.
Do Cape Town on your own terms by customizing your experience through the Open Campus program. Take one, two, or three six-week blocks, select your academic track from six options, then choose your courses from a wide range of subject areas.

Popular Programs

CIEE Cape Town Summer Programs

Cape Town is Africa’s most popular destination for many reasons, starting with its glorious climate and natural attractions.Earn credits in Cape Town this summer exploring South African literature and film; the history of protests and social movements; and the historical, political, and economic transitions of South Africa.

CIEE Cape Town Semester Programs

Cape Town serves as a commercial and industrial entry point to Africa and houses regional headquarters for many companies, nonprofits, and NGOs. Take your arts and sciences studies a step further with study abroad in Cape Town exploring the wonders of nature while learning about South African society.

CIEE Cape Town January Programs

Earn credits in Cape Town this January and witness the incredible changes taking place in this vibrant country. January in Cape Town features the course, From Rhodes to Mandela and from Apartheid to AIDS.

CIEE Open Campus Block

With CIEE's Open Campus Block Programs, you can design your very own study abroad program to include up to three different locations for 6, 12 or 18 weeks.

Stay in one city the entire time or spend other blocks at our other Open Campus Block locations in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dublin, Kyoto, London, Madrid, Monteverde, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Singapore, or Sydney.

Program Reviews

4.74 Rating

based on 27 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Study

5 rating 81.48%
4 rating 14.81%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 3.7%
1 rating 0%

Academics 4.25
Support 4.3
Fun 4.6
Housing 4.85
Safety 4

Good for Students, Adventure travelers, Photographers

Showing 9 - 16 of 27 reviews

Cape Town is by far one of the most magical places I have been. Studying here for a semester was one of the best decisions I have made. Doing the program through CIEE made the process so much smoother as they found housing for me and worked with UCT and my home university to facilitate the semester abroad. I would recommend everyone come to Cape Town if they get the chance! The nature is unmatched, and there are so many cool places to explore in the city. UCT classes were definitely challenging, but I was still able to spend a lot of my time going around the city and experiencing all Cape Town has to offer.

Pros

Beautiful Nature
People are very nice
So many fun activities to do

Cons

Not the safest city
Laundry in building was unreliable
UCT classes can be difficult

Cape town is the most amazing city and I got an extremely unique experience through enrolling in UCT, meeting local students, and learning about south african culture. The nature and beauty is unreal and the weather in the spring was absolutely amazing. The academics at UCT were somewhat challenging, but it kinda depends bc on what classes you take. We were able to take weekend trips to different cities and countries in Africa, but there was plenty to do in cape town over the weekends. The food is unreal and extremely affordable, so are ubers around

Pros

nature
cultural immersion
cheap conversion rate

Cons

academics are different
safety difficult sometimes
staff not super supportive

Ciee’s professionalism and support system made Cape Town feel like a second home for me, and was a major contributor to the amazing time I had studying abroad. This experience was life changing and I feel like everything I did opened my mind to different perspectives and viewpoints on everything from politics to daily life, giving me an insight I feel many people miss out on while traveling to other parts of the world. I would recommend this trip to anyone who has a passion for opening their horizons, thrill seeking, or wants to just step out of there normal cycle of life.

Pros

The weather
The endless number of things to do
The people

Cons

The petty crime

South Africa is an insanely beautiful country with so much to offer and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live here for 5 months. Besides the interesting and engaging courses that the University of Cape Town offers, there are so many activities in and around Cape Town that make everyday something to look forward to. The cool hikes, beautiful beaches, great food, fun nightlife, and the amazing people I have met have all made this trip an unforgettable one. I would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone!

Pros

Beautiful landscapes
Endless Activities
Engaging Classes

Everyone travels to European cultures when studying abroad, but in doing so they stay in their comfort zone and miss out on a eye opening experience in a cultural oasis. Being in such a different part of the world shows you new perspectives on all things in life and also teaches you more about where you come from. Cape Town has a bit of everything for everyone, Night life, beaches, mountians, amazing food, and best of all its affordable and won’t leave you totally broke when you leave. The people are so nice and even though Cape Town gets a bad rep for its crime it’s really no different then living in any major city in the US. Housing is 10/10 better then in the states and school is a little different but very doable and easy to maintain while also just having a blast exploring Cape Town. You will not regret coming here for even a second we all have friends that went to Europe and wish they came here instead. Just send it and go to Cape Town and you can thank me later it is such a underrated place it has the best of everything and is like living in a dream for four months; so much so a lot of people end up moving here and never going back to the states. You can thank me later! Go to Cape Town!

Pros

Nature galore
Markets and food
Culture and people

Cons

School is structured differently
Be aware on long street but still go
Very city but easy access to nature

Devils peak view overlooking Cape Town and table mountain

I really enjoyed the course "From Rhodes to Mandela and Apartheid to AIDS"! Interesting content, awesome professor, and great guest speakers. CIEE: Cape Town is in a great location with a lot of food options nearby, and with the amount of security in the building, I always felt safe. By the end of J-term, I felt I knew the city well. The RAs were very friendly and helpful, and were always willing to give recommendations for things to do in the city. There was a good mix of events planned by CIEE and free time.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Go out a little early, or stay late! The J-term program goes very fast, so I recommend making sure you have a few extra days to do some longer excursions out of Cape Town.

Taking the Economics of Wine course in South Africa was one of the best decisions I ever made! Not only is Cape Town absolutely gorgeous, but the course was probably my favorite that I've ever taken. Our professor, Annalize, is one of the most interesting and knowledgeable people I've ever had the chance to meet, and the course was incredibly insightful. Because we were a class of three, we were able to have more personalized class discussions and partake in some pretty amazing co-curricluars which included having a personal meeting with Managing Directors, Head Wine Makers, and Marketing and Outreach positions of the wine farms. The country is beautiful, and not only did I get a whole new look on the wine industry, I got to step outside of my comfort zone while doing so.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?

South Africa has a multitude of different cultures, and thus has a lot of different foods to go with them; and luckily they're all delicious! We went to and Eziko cooking school, went to a Xhosa restaurant that was owned by one of the RAs, and got to have a meal and house visit to some of the families in the townships. Each of these gave an insight into the associated culture, and we got to try so many new things; and help make some of them too! Samp and beans is a staple, and I liked it so much I might just have to learn how to make it back home.

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The classes were difficult but I know I am walking away with a lot more knowledge not only from the university, but from all over South Africa in general. Of course studying at UCT was the most irritating thing because nobody wants to study and do school work when you are in such a beautiful place like this! There is always something to do here in Cape town, the list is never ending (good thing you have a lot of time to fit it all in!). What really made it the best time was the CIEE staff. They supported us from day one and always had the best advice on what to eat, where to go, and were extremely helpful in providing all of the information we need to stay safe in South Africa. I would definitely recommend this program for everyone who is looking for adventures of all sorts!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

One thing I would change is getting to really know the CIEE staff sooner because they are so amazing and helpful, even if you just want to talk about life.

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose this program for a couple of different reasons. The first reason is that I'm a senior and I was looking for a way to go abroad again before I graduated. The second, and more important reason, was the class subject.

I took the Economics of Wine course through CIEE's January in Cape Town program, and this was probably the most informational, enjoyable, and awe-inspiring course that I've gotten the chance to take. Our professor was well versed in the ways of the wine industry in South Africa and had plenty of first-hand experiences to share, and because there were only three students in my term, we got more exclusive co-curricular too.

These experiences were vital to our coursework and definitely added some renowned connections to my contact list in the process. We got to tour the cellars and chat with Managing Directors, Head Wine Makers, and Marketing and Outreach professionals from each of the wine farms we went to. Not to mention we got to do all of this in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa!

The location was also a big selling point, and I was really excited that this was going to be the venue because I was looking for something different than my first study abroad; which was a semester in Estonia. I also picked this course because I work for my college's Office of International Education, and when wee had recently added CIEE as a partner I noticed that they have some really affordable and exciting programs!

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

My university helped with completing their own application as well as providing a pathway to create an application with CIEE.

CIEE was extremely helpful and communicated quickly and efficiently with everything that I had problems with or questions on that my home university couldn't. Given that I work as one of the people that would help me at my home university and that I had already gone abroad once before, I only had a few things that I needed to contact them for, but when I did Lauren, the advisor I was assigned, was helpful and kind. She was also proactive before departure and tried to get all of us involved in some activities too!

I was also responsible for organizing my own flights, but since I got a small scholarship through CIEE, I had to go through their corporate travel agent to do so.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

One piece of advice that I would give to someone going on this program would be to be open to stepping outside of your comfort zone both in the classroom and outside of it.

I'm really good at not wanting to speak up in class in case my answers are wrong, and I really thought an economics course was going to be rather unforgiving. But in reality, it was quite the opposite! Our professor fostered an environment of learning and civil discussions where each of us could bring our personal backgrounds (none of which were actually in economics!) in for a different point of view.

Additionally, Cape Town is an energetic and vibrant community, and trying things is one of the main components of your study here; or anywhere really!

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Being that this is a short-term program, the coursework and time overall there go by pretty quickly. But the professors keep you well informed on expectations, and the staff at the GI do their best to help fit in everything you want to do during your stay by incorporating some excursion into the structure of the program itself. This is really helpful if you're indecisive about what to do like me! We had class every day for about three hours at either 9 am or 1 pm-ish, and then the activities through CIEE happened on either weekend or during the afternoons/evenings after class. Otherwise, the rest of the time was our own to go exploring; in groups, that is.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Given that this wasn't going to be my first time out of the country, I think my biggest fear was getting all of the course requirements done in such a short amount of time while still getting to go out and explore my host community. I think I overcame this by keeping really good track of what was due and when.

I also made sure to really prioritize what I wanted to do while I was in Cape Town, and made sure to plan out time to do work around them. It's kind of hard when there are only like 14 people in the entire J-Term program because we all did things together, and while I really hated not being able to do everything with them, I feel like I struck a good balance between the two.

What has studying abroad taught you?

I have learned so many different things during my time abroad, and they extend so far beyond the courses that you take.

My favorite thing is to meet people and hear their stories, and studying abroad is literally the perfect avenue to do that. My favorite experiences from these terms abroad have been attending language cafes, Iranian New Year (Nowruz), the Eziko cooking school in Langa, our family lunch where we got to visit and eat with families in the townships, and the food jam where we worked as a team to prepare a whole buffet of dishes.

The reason this has stuck with me is how much they provide insight into other cultures and ways of life.

Going abroad is so much more than exploring another country: it's about experiencing a change in yourself and growing while you do.

I never expected to feel connected to the counties that I stayed in this much, but they really do start to feel like home. Studying abroad has taught me more about myself than anything else; helping me see how resilient and capable I really am.

I honestly can't promote this enough to people that can afford to do so.

Location

Location:

Cape Town

Currency:

South African Rand

Weather:

Jan-Mar

79 F / 57 F

Apr-Jun

73 F / 46 F

Jul-Sep

66 F / 45 F

Oct-Dec

77 F / 52 F

Airports:

Cape Town International

( CPT )

Cape Town is a port city, the legislative capital of South Africa, the most southern city in all of Africa, and referred to as the "Mother City". It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa.

About CIEE

A nonprofit, non-governmental organization, CIEE is the world leader in international study and exchange programs. For more than 75 years, CIEE has helped thousands of students, professionals, and educators gain the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world by offering the most...