

Founded in 1904, Rhodes University is the sixth oldest educational institution in South Africa. The school received its name after Cecil Rhodes – a British Prime Minister in South Africa. Due to the British Empire and its colonies, the university’s name was caused huge controversy at the time.Show more
Rhodes University is an amazing University. I liked the administration system they are very quick with their response, secondly I love the culture you get to know people from different background, learn their cultures and different languages which is really cool. Finally the support system from friends, tutors, lecturers during exams time is amazing.
View moreRhodes university is located in Grahamstown which also known as a student town. the people are great but depending on which department you go to you are not assured to have a great experience. the administration and the quality of lecturers can affect your experience. Most of the lecturers are focused on their own research. infrastructure of the town can take a tool on you with the water cuts, counselling centre is always booked
View moreIf there would be a time that is irreplaceable filled with life, experiences and growth is my time spent in university at Rhodes. The university is surrounded by rich culture of the Xhosa tribes and the scenary in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The town is small cosy, yet still so vast and rich in the experiences. Not to mention how professional and well organized Rhodes university is. Other than the water supply issues I wouldn’t trade the experiences for the world.
View moreI highly recommend RU. It’s a well run institution academically and in terms of the quality of education.
You’ll never be put on hold in any department, their administration is always helpful and available.
Despite it being situated in a small town, where most things are within walking distance, you’ll find a way to have the time of your life within the first 2 months of being there. There are no buses available for students hourly, only a few mini buses for off campus student running from 18:00 to midnight,so prepare to walk for your bloody life!
It’s a water scarce town so you’ll be best friends with Jojo tanks, buckets and budgeting for drinking water,as the tap water is not safe to drink.
I recommend that first years stay at res, that way you’ll make friends easier.
Also , all reses are catered. Not the best food on earth though , but overtime you’ll have favourites among those interesting food combos.
There are no easy courses, ALL degrees are very intense from your bachelor of music to BCOM. It’s has been compared to other institutions multiple times and the standard is significantly higher than most universities. They are carefully curated to leave you with great experience and great knowledge. Akho easy way out, all students are built to lead in whatever they take part in.
At the end of the day, it’s “where leaders learn”
Every university has its ups and downs , but at the end I think RU and Makhanda is the perfect place to build character, experience , make friends and making the best of the resources that you have whilst getting your qualification/s.
View moreI chose Rhodes University because it was one of the few institutions that accepted me with my B-level matric results, and I will always appreciate that opportunity. One thing Rhodes does exceptionally well is allowing students flexibility. Even within a structured programme like a Bachelor of Science, I was able to mix my degree with Humanities modules, which is something not many universities offer. That academic freedom helped me shape a degree that aligned with my interests.
The campus itself is beautiful and easy to navigate. In terms of support, I would rate it around 70%. Many lecturers genuinely care, and the student governing structures do try, but there are areas where the university could improve. Rhodes is located in a very small town, and because of that, access to resources can be limited.
Academically, it’s easy to get in but very difficult to get out. The workload can be overwhelming, and many students end up repeating modules because of how tough the programme can be.
On a personal level, I experienced one of the hardest moments of my life when I lost my father during my studies. I approached the Dean of Science to pause my degree for a year, and although he shared his own experience of loss and encouraged me based on my grades, the emotional support I needed at the time still felt lacking. Rhodes does have counselling services, but the overall mental-health support throughout the academic journey isn’t as consistent or proactive as it should be. Sometimes communication from staff can feel nonchalant, delayed, or nonexistent, which adds to the stress.
The university fees are also very high, especially considering the state of many facilities. While there have been improvements such as the major science labs project, the residences are extremely old and have constant maintenance issues. As someone who was also in leadership, I saw firsthand how much needed fixing. Perhaps things have improved since I left in 2023, but at the time, a lot of the residences needed significant renovation.
Overall, Rhodes University offers a strong academic environment with a lot of potential, flexibility, and dedicated individuals but the journey is tough, mentally demanding, and not always supported in the way students need. With better resourcing, more consistent student support, and improved residential facilities, the experience could be much stronger.
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