The Department of Higher and Training cautions students and potential students aiming to study abroad, against unaccredited post-school institutions or for enrolling for programmes that may not be acknowledged by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and relevant professional bodies in South Africa.

The department has put together guidelines as an advisory note for students intending to embark on studies abroad. These guidelines may also apply to institutions and sponsors supporting students abroad.

Graduates that acquire degrees abroad are required to certify their qualifications with SAQA before their certificates can be used in South Africa. Before students or sponsors invest a lot of money for studies abroad, it is advisable to check and verify the programmes and universities with SAQA and the relevant professional bodies.

The guidelines are as follows:

• It is recommended that students or student sponsor/s verify the institution with SAQA before registering and enrolling at a foreign university. This is to determine the accreditation status of the host university abroad and local equivalence of the pursued qualification.
• It is recommended that students or student sponsor/s verify the status of the pursued programme with the relevant professional bodies.
• Understand fully the implications of pursuing studies outside the Republic of South Africa, especially if there are intentions of practicing in South Africa once qualified (registration with statutory bodies for practice, requirements for such registration if in possession of qualifications obtained outside the country) and to accordingly provide the necessary documentation.