University of Cape Town

University of Cape Town

Universiteit van Kaapstad iYunivesithi yaseKapa
Former names	South African College
Motto	Spes Bona
Motto in English	Good Hope
Type	Public
Established	1 October 1829
Endowment	R2,173.4 million(US$300 million as of 2010[update])
Chancellor	Graça Machel
Vice-Chancellor	Dr Max Price
Academic staff	1,629
Administrative staff	3,179
Students	29 074
Undergraduates	18 421
Postgraduates	10 653
Location	Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa 33°57′27″S 18°27′38″E / 33.95750°S 18.46056°E / -33.95750; 18.46056Coordinates: 33°57′27″S 18°27′38″E / 33.95750°S 18.46056°E / -33.95750; 18.46056
Campus	4 suburban and 2 urban campuses
Colours	Light Blue, Dark Blue, Black and White
Nickname	Ikeys
Mascot	Tiger
Affiliations	AAU, ACU, CHEC, HESA, IAU, WUN
Website	www.uct.ac.za

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College making it the oldest higher education institute in South Africa, it is jointly the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Saharan Africa alongside Stellenbosch University which received full university status on the same day in 1918. UCT is the highest-ranked African university in the QS World University Rankings, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and its Law and Commerce Faculties are consistently placed among the hundred best internationally. The language of instruction is English.

The roots of UCT lie in the establishment of the South African College in 1829 as a school for boys. In 1874 the South African College Schools, teaching up to secondary level, were separated from the College, which prepared students for the examinations of the University of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1887 the first male residence in Southern Africa was established, known as College House Residence, under the initiative of Professor C.E. Lewis. In 1918 the South African College was elevated to full university status with the power to award degrees, and renamed the University of Cape Town.

UCT moved to the Groote Schuur Estate campus in 1928. During the apartheid era, roughly 1960-1990, many UCT students consistently opposed apartheid, and the university was a bastion of liberalism. However, the demographics of the university did not begin to change meaningfully until the 1980s and especially the 1990s. 1987 saw frequent clashes between protesting students and police, with reporting of police presence on the campus being censored by the government. On 24 April 1987 the police entered the campus and this marked the first time since 1972 that South Africa's police services had suppressed a demonstration at a white university.