Rhodes University in South Africa : Reviews & Rankings | Student Reviews & University Rankings EDUopinions

Rhodes University - RU (reviews)

Study at Rhodes University - RU

Rhodes University - RU ratings and description

Locations: Grahamstown, South Africa
Delivery Type: Blended, On Campus, Online
Overall
Facilities
Professors
Location
Student Life
Accommodation
Internationality
Value
Career Prospects

History

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.

In the beginning, RU was a constituent college, which in 1951 became an independent university. Sir Basil Schonland was the first Chanchellor.Show more

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT Rhodes University

Is Rhodes University a good school?
Based on the EDUopinions rankings, the Rhodes University rating is 4.4. If you want to know more about this school, read the student reviews on our website.
What courses can you study at Rhodes University?
The Rhodes University offers courses related to the fields:
  • Psychology
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Law
  • Chemistry
  • Communication
Where is Rhodes University located?
Rhodes University Campuses are located in:
  • Grahamstown, South Africa
Which universities are similar to Rhodes University?
The universities similar to Rhodes University are:

26 Student Reviews

  • French and ...
    Linguistics
    avatar
    Support system

    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 more
    Programme: French and Linguistics
    Degree: Master's
    Graduation: 2024
    Delivery Type: On Campus
    Campus: Grahamstown
    Overall
    Professors
    Internationality
    Career Prospects
    Value
    Location
    Student Life
    Facilities
    Accommodation
  • BCom
    avatar
    great people poor management

    Rhodes 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 more
    Programme: BCom
    Degree: Bachelor's
    Graduation: 2026
    Delivery Type: Online
    Overall
    Professors
    Internationality
    Career Prospects
    Value
    Location
    Student Life
    Facilities
    Accommodation
  • Psychological and ...
    Behavioural Science
    avatar
    The best years of my life

    If 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 more
    Programme: Psychological and Behavioural Science
    Degree: Bachelor's
    Graduation: 2025
    Delivery Type: On Campus
    Campus: Grahamstown
    Overall
    Professors
    Internationality
    Career Prospects
    Value
    Location
    Student Life
    Facilities
    Accommodation
  • Law
    avatar
    Student life

    I 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 more
    Programme: Law
    Degree: Bachelor's
    Graduation: 2025
    Delivery Type: On Campus
    Campus: Grahamstown
    Overall
    Professors
    Internationality
    Career Prospects
    Value
    Location
    Student Life
    Facilities
    Accommodation
  • Bachelor of ...
    Science in Biochemistry
    avatar
    Challenging but Transformative Journey

    I 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.

    View more
    Programme: Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry
    Degree: Bachelor's
    Graduation: 2023
    Delivery Type: On Campus
    Campus: Grahamstown
    Overall
    Professors
    Internationality
    Career Prospects
    Value
    Location
    Student Life
    Facilities
    Accommodation

Questions and Answers

This section is only for questions about the university. Please avoid posting reviews here.

Thanks. Your question has been submitted.

Featured Reviews from other universities

12 months ago
Alice
Alice
My Experience at Liverpool Hope University
Studying at Liverpool Hope University has been a truly rewarding experience What stood out most was the exceptional support from professors who genuinely care about your success Their approachability and personalized attention made all the difference especially during my final year project The classes were both engaging and challenging pushing [...]
Liverpool Hope University - Hope logo
Liverpool Hope University - Hope
Liverpool, The United Kingdom
11 months ago
Aranya
Aranya
Plenty of Support at Uni of Westminster
As a first-year Cyber security and Forensics student at the University of Westminster I ve really enjoyed the mix of hands-on coding work in the lab sessions and dense theory lectures The modules introduce difficult concepts like network security hashing and digital forensics in a way that makes me feel [...]
University of Westminster logo
University of Westminster
London, The United Kingdom
7 months ago
Javeed
Javeed
Great Experience Studying at KTU
I completed my MSc in Structural Engineering and Building Products at KTU in Kaunas and it was a very good experience overall The professors are knowledgeable and supportive and they explain complex structural concepts in a clear and practical way I also liked the laboratory facilities which give students the [...]
Kaunas University of Technology - KTU logo
Kaunas University of Technology - KTU
Kaunas, Lithuania
7 months ago
avatar
Ann-Kristin
Great modern university approach
I am currently a rd year student at Forward College and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to other students The interactive approach of Forward where questions debate and discussion were encouraged enhanced my learning so much and I feel like I genuinely enjoyed every class [...]
Forward College logo
Forward College
Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Lisbon, Portugal
11 months ago
Yaroslava
Yaroslava
AAU helped me turn my studies into a career
Studying at Anglo-American University in Prague was one of the best decisions I ve made I studied Marketing and Communications and what I really appreciated was how much of what we learned could be applied directly to real-life projects Thanks to that I built a strong portfolio already during my [...]
Anglo-American University - AAU logo
Anglo-American University - AAU
Prague, Czech Republic
7 months ago
Aynun Nur
Aynun Nur
IMLA
N rtingen-Geislingen University often referred to as HfWU is a well-regarded public university in Baden-W rttemberg Germany known for its strong focus on sustainability applied learning and practical orientation It offers a broad range of bachelor s and master s programs in fields such as business environment urban planning design [...]
Nuertingen-Geislingen University - HfWU logo
Nuertingen-Geislingen University - HfWU
Nurtingen, Germany
Compare with Similar Universities
Are you managing this university?

If you're the owner or representative of Rhodes University - RU, you can claim this University and build a better profile.

Claim this University
  • +programme_dots+
    +programme_dots_hide+
    +comment_date1+
    +comment_user_logo+
    +comment_user+
    +author_country_upper+
    +title+
    +comment+ View more
    Programme: +program_name+
    Degree: +degree+
    Graduation: +graduation_year+
    Delivery Type: +delivery+
    Campus: +campus+
    +all_ratings+
    • Overall
      Facilities
      Professors
      Location
      Student Life
      Accomodation
      Internationality
      Value
      Career Prospects
      +reply1_date+
      +reply1_user_logo+
      +reply1_user+
      Official Reply

      Reply to @+replier_name+ +reply+

      This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Review our Privacy Policy for more details.
      Close