With a rugged and gorgeous backdrop, the University of Cape Town is the oldest university in South Africa, and in 2010, was rated best in Africa by both the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings and the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Rankings of World Universities. In the same year, the MBA program at the UCT was additionally ranked, by the Financial Times, 2^nd in the world in its “Value for Money” category. Its portfolio of 36 sports clubs adeptly meets its students’ athletic sides, and the university’s over 80 student societies reflect a wide range of pursuit, and can be generally divided into political, academic, religious, cultural, and special interests.  

While many international students are often confounded by the vastly different teaching and class styles at the University of Cape Town, most manage to figure it out by the end of their first month. Accommodation facilitated by UCT is affordable, but often a gamble—students can get placed in a beach-side mansion or a pest-infested basement apartment. Finding your own place to stay, however, is totally doable—one place you might look for an apartment is Gardens, an area downtown that’s served by a free campus shuttle. Careful where you tread, though, as parts of Cape Town are sketchy, even during daytime hours.

[Primary Image credit: iStockphoto/Thinkstock; #2 iStockphoto/Thinkstock]