You can find the minimum admission requirements for all programmes on www.maties.com.

No, the university does not guarantee you a place in a programme if you meet the minimum admission requirements. Typically, all programmes have some form of selection process.

Technically, you are a student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. You will receive your degree from this Faculty. However, seeing that a large number of your modules are in the Law Faculty, you will join the Welcoming Programme of the Law Faculty, and the Faculty also assists you with certain administrative queries.

Technically, you are a student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS). You will receive your degree from this Faculty. However, seeing that a large number of your modules are in the Law Faculty, you will join the Welcoming Programme of the Law Faculty and the Faculty also assists you with certain administrative queries.

Whilst the Faculty does not have specific bursaries for first-year law students, you could apply for financial support from the central Bursaries and Loans office, at Stellenbosch University. Please see their website for further information, as well as the Bursaries and Loans Calendar.

The Faculty does have some bursaries available for students in need during the later years of study, which are allocated on the basis of academic merit and needs.

Whilst it is usually not advisable to speak in general terms about the characteristics of a group of people – since that group is obviously made up of individuals, who are all unique – some comments can nonetheless be made about what makes a “typical” law student: Our students tend to be inquisitive, detail-orientated, and aware of developments around them that affect people, or the broader society. They are not afraid of holding viewpoints, but are mindful that views can change, as more information comes to light. They usually possess a strong, inherent sense of justice – in that they know when something is wrong, and that something should be done about it. They are appreciative of how reading and absorbing information can empower them to gather an understanding of something that others simply might not have, or do not care about. They are analytical in their thinking; and like to understand why things are the way they are, rather than just accepting them for what they are. They enjoy learning about new things. They enjoy explaining about what they have learned, to others. They are mindful of the dangers of jumping to conclusions too quickly. They are aware that most things are open to interpretation. They understand that a persuasive argument is not necessarily the same as an authoritative argument. They are not afraid of working hard, and consistently. They place great value on the importance of lifelong learning. They recognise the possible role that they can fulfil in the context of the broader society. They value the importance of being able to think and reason, creatively. They are self-aware, and they acknowledge their own involvement in, and responsibility to, their eventual success and future endeavours.

No, the Faculty does not differentiate between applicants with IEB or NSC results. The National Benchmark Test is used as an equalizer.

Please have a look at the language plan of the University, which is available online here.

Kindly note that the University’s language policy and plan are considered and renewed every five years, to ensure that it is up to date and matches the requirements and expectations of the University’s students, staff, and the broader South African context. As a new student, you will have the choice of studying in either English or Afrikaans and will be able to answer all your tests and exams in either language. Furthermore, formal academic material will be provided in both languages as well.

Students who have started their degrees in 2021 will only be impacted by the new programmes if they fail modules. The Calendar will contain bridging rules explaining what to do if a module is not passed. Students starting their programme from 2022 onwards, will be taking the renewed law programme curriculum, and complete their degrees having taken it. Importantly, the exact same degrees are still going to be offered. It is mostly the combination of modules in those programmes, the names of modules, and the credit-size of some of the modules in the programmes that are changing. Some new modules are being introduced, and the content of some former modules are being rolled into different modules. However, by and large, the content of the renewed programmes remains the same.

Applicants for law programmes must write the National Benchmark Test for selection purposes. An applicant that does not write the National Benchmark Test in time, will only be ranked based on their Grade 11 result (with a 0 being calculated for the National Benchmark Test).

The Faculty of Law uses the National Benchmark Test to balance out final Grade 11 results from the wide variety of schools and different schooling systems.

We are increasingly being asked this question, considering all the talk around the world about Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, big-data analysis, cloud computing and the like – and the impact this will have (and is having) on the traditional legal fields. There is no doubt that certain areas of the law, as they currently function, are going to be increasingly influenced by technology, to the point where the need – or degree of involvement – by actual attorneys or legal graduates, is going to be affected. This is especially so in those industries which traditionally were heavily influenced by the “transactional” type of legal interactions, which are focused on confirming that the necessary conditions are in place for the legal transaction, and if so – do this, if not – do that. But whilst aspects of the legal industry are going to be adjusted by technology, it remains important to acknowledge the human element, and the interaction between those parties, that so often forms the basis of the law. It is because of this, that there is always going to be a place for law graduates, and their unique perspective of the world and its information, as brought about by their legal training. As a Stellenbosch law graduate, you would have been exposed to these changes (present and future), through modules such as Law and Technology, and within any number of your different law subjects – where the intersection between future technologies and the existing legal system would have been explored.

Typically, you will only specialise in your postgraduate studies (Master of Laws or a Postgraduate Diploma) or in practice. In your final year of the LLB degree you are however exposed to certain electives which could be part of the foundation of a specialisation in a field of law.

No, the Faculty only considers applications on academic merit. The reason for this is that not all applicants have had the same opportunities in their respective schools. As such, the Faculty is very mindful of not wanting to limit the application opportunity of any prospective students, on the basis of what school they managed to attend, and which facilities were available at those schools.