Federal Aid is only awarded to students registering for the following degrees:
- Undergraduate degree except MBChB
- Honours degree
- Master's degree
- PhD degree
Courses that are NOT eligible for Federal Aid:
- MBChB
- nursing programmes
- all other medical degrees programmes
- diploma and certificate programmes
- occasional non-degree programmes
The amount you are eligible for is determined by your:
- cost of attendance (COA)
- minus any bursary, sponsorship or any other financial aid, including a FISB (faculty international student bursary)
- your effective family contribution (EFC)
- Plus Loan and Private Loan up to your COA (with a clear credit record)
Research work and dissertations
Students are not eligible to receive federal aid when studying, conducting research or writing up the dissertation in the United States (USA).
An exemption is when independent research as part of a doctoral degree programme can be conducted in a facility in USA strictly under the guidance of UCT and for only 1 academic period.
Direct loan interest rates
Interest rates from the Student Federal Aid website
Programme limits per academic period
| Dependant undergraduate (UG) | Subsidised | Combined subsidised and unsubsidised |
| First year | $3 500 | $5 500 |
| Second year | $4 500 | $6 500 |
| Third year and beyond | $5 500 | $7 500 |
| Independent UG and dependant UG whose parent cannot get a Plus loan | Subsidised | Combined subsidised and unsubsidised |
| First year | $3 500 | $9 500 |
| Second year | $4 500 | $10 500 |
| Third year and beyond | $5 500 | $12 500 |
| Postgraduate | Subsidised | Total Unsubsidised |
| Graduate and professional students | $0 | $20 500 |
Aggregate limits
| Subsidised | Combined subsidised and unsubsidised | |
| Dependant UG | $23 000 | $31 000 |
| Independent UG | $23 000 | $57 500 |
| Graduate/Professional | $65 500 | $138 500 |