University of KwaZulu-Natal

Welcome to one of the largest, oldest and most transformed universities in sub-Saharan Africa – the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), a teaching and research-led university.

Innovative curricula, dynamic teaching and learning, state-of-the-art laboratories and accredited professional degrees have earned UKZN the reputation as a leading higher education institution on the African continent. The University is a top-ranked state-funded university in South Africa for research productivity. Research activities span the natural, biomedical, humanities and social sciences.

The University has a proud and rich heritage of academic excellence. In 2010, UKZN celebrated 100 years of higher education – a centenary of scholarship, innovation and community engagement. UKZN was formed on 1 January 2004 with the merger of the established University of Durban-Westville and the University of Natal.

Our Vision
To be the Premier University of African Scholarship

Our Mission
A truly South African University that is academically excellent, innovative in research, critically engaged with society and demographically representative, redressing the disadvantages, inequities and imbalances of the past.

The University promotes access to learning that will increase educational and employment opportunities for the historically disadvantaged. It supports transformation and redress and aims to provide an enabling environment for all its students to ensure individual intellectual development, an awareness of social responsibility and sound ethical practice in our diverse society.

The University’s international partnerships in 46 countries provide an opportunity for direct interface and global academic exchange that enhances scholarship and the student experience.

UKZN is a multi-campus residential university located in two cities, Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The University is structured on a College model with four Colleges, including the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, College of Health Sciences, College of Humanities and the College of Law and Management Studies. They comprise four to six cognate schools each and offer a comprehensive range of approximately 2000 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across five campuses: Edgewood, Howard College, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, Pietermaritzburg and Westville.