Walter Sisulu University Fees

Fees at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) depend on your programme, your modules and whether you live in a residence. The WSU Council sets the fees every year, and they can change. The payment rules below come from WSU's 2025 registration guide and its minimum initial payment (MIP) schedule for 2025 registration, the latest that WSU has published in full.

The minimum initial payment

Before you can register, self-funded students must make a minimum initial payment. For 2025 registration, the amounts were:

• Self-funded South African students: R5,000 towards tuition
• Self-funded international students: R17,500 towards tuition
• NSFAS-funded and bursary-funded students: nothing

Residence payments

Residence carries its own minimum initial payment. In 2025, a university-owned residence needed a deposit of R17,500. A leased residence needed 100% of the amount payable upfront, which was about R46,100 at Buffalo City, R46,400 at Butterworth and Mthatha, and R38,200 at Komani.

Paying the balance

After the minimum payment, self-funded students sign a payment agreement and a debit order for the rest of the year's fees. In 2025, students without debt had to sign it within a month of registration. WSU clears you to register only once your payments reflect on your student account.

Discounts

• Early settlement: WSU offered a 10% discount to students who settled their fees by March.
• Fundi: WSU offered a 10% discount to students who settled their fees through a Fundi loan.

Prior year debt

If you owe fees from an earlier year, you must pay part of that debt before you register again. In 2025, this was 25% of debt below R50,000 and 40% of debt above R50,000, plus a payment agreement for the balance. WSU also charges interest on outstanding prior year fees.

Credit balances

You cannot use a credit balance from NSFAS in an earlier year to register. A bursary credit balance can count towards the minimum payment only with the sponsor's written permission. Only credit from cash payments by you or your parents counts.

Residence places

WSU has limited residence places, and it allocates them on a first come, first served basis. An offer of admission does not guarantee you a room, so apply for accommodation early.

How to pay

Pay by bank deposit or EFT into the university's own account, using your student number as the reference. WSU does not accept cash, cheques or postal orders, and it warns students never to pay anyone in person. The amount you owe appears on the online system when you register.

Funding your studies

Qualifying students can apply for NSFAS, and Fundi agents visit each campus during registration. Browse our bursaries, or read the Walter Sisulu University overview.