Student housing crisis: Western Cape universities face challenges ahead of academic year
Cape Town - It is the calm before the storm as universities across the Western Cape prepare for the intake of thousands of hopeful students, while the glaring reality of the Private Student Housing Association (PSHA) waits on the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to make payment for accommodation for new and past residency.
This week, PSHA urged the NSFAS to pay an outstanding debt of R44 million within 14 days as it provided accommodation for more than 80 000 students.
The association warned that students may not be able to return to their accommodation if the financial scheme failed to pay the outstanding debt timeously.
The Cape Argus was invited yesterday to the new and redeveloped residency of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT) 400-bed residency, which was once home to the Best Western Cape Suites Hotel in District Six.
The redesign and new look cost R28 million and was completed within seven months.
Its doors are expected to open to first-year female residents next week, boasting a cost of R62 000 per year for accommodation.
The facility has a gym, laundry area, swimming pools, studying areas and keyless access to rooms including high-tech security and more amenities.
Johnny Basson, Business Manager in the Finance Department for CPUT took the publication on a tour along with his colleagues and university spokesperson, Lauren Kansley.
Kansley said at least 50% of their student cohort were housed in residency, of which 44% are in university-controlled accommodation with the rest in privately-owned accommodation.
“This far exceeds the recommended percentage as previously prescribed by the Department of Higher Education and Training,” Kansley said.
She indicated the university had increased its total number of beds over the past few years from 13 200 in 2023 to 15 000 in 2024, and today it offers 16 200 beds.
The university’s Phillip Chibvuri added that they had already reached 50% of registration following the release of the matric 2024 exams results last week.
In 2025, CPUT anticipated a total enrolment of 38 430 students who are expected to return as of January 27.
Kansley said the reasons for the facelift was to improve the quality of education, which made students fare better academically.
Stellenbosch University spokesperson, Martin Viljoen, said they received a total of 90 400 undergraduate applicants, which translates to approximately 225 700 programme applications received.
“A prospective student can apply for three programmes.
“SU's enrolment targets as agreed with the Department of Higher Education and Training, make provision for the admission of 6 005 first-time entry first-year undergraduate students.
“Approximately 18 000 applicants (those are applicants who received an academic offer from the university) also applied for residence accommodation.
“The university can house some 2 350 (40%) first-year students in residence accommodation on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses.
“In total, the university has 8 000 residence beds.”
Viljoen explained that to deal with the influx, they would be adding 400 beds to their residency and promoted financial aid assistance by entities which provided it.
University of the Western Cape (UWC) marketing and media manager, Gasant Abarder, said they received 120 000 applications for first-time entry for the 2025 academic year.
“The university has 4 750 first-time entry places across the seven faculties.
“This number is determined in consultation and with the Department of Higher Education and Training.”
Elijah Moholola, spokesperson for the University of Cape Town (UCT) said it received applications for accommodation from 8 500 eligible prospective first-year students.
“The overall number of accommodation applications received is higher, however, the rest of the applications are immaterial as those applicants did not meet the academic eligibility criteria,” he said.
“It should further be noted that of these 8 500 applications, only 4 500 prospective first-year students with firm/final academic offers can be enrolled at the university (UCT has capacity to admit only students).
“For returning students, UCT received 7 000 accommodation applications. “The combined total application received (first year and returning students) is therefore 11 500 (7 000 returning students plus 4 500 eligible first-year students with academic offers).”
The university has approximately 8 200 beds available in both on campus and leased off campus residences. Of these, 2 250 are reserved for first-year students. This means that 50% of the university's first-year students (2 250 out of 4 500) can be accommodated on campus, while an overall 71% of the eligible students who applied for accommodation (8 200 out of 11 500) can be housed by the university.