COVID-19 protocols at UCT
Yes, at UCT we take the health of students very seriously. The Department of Student Affairs and Student Wellness Service aim to provide support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. You will be given information about the prevention of COVID-19 prior to arrival. Support includes symptom screening on arrival in your residence. Learn more about our plans to keep students and staff safe.
We have a dedicated staff of health professionals who can help you with many medical queries. You can book a consultation with a healthcare professional with the Student Wellness Service.
COVID-19 24-hour hotline: +27 21 650 1271
Triage line: +27 21 650 5620 (during office hours)
Careers Service
The Careers Service is a free service to support all UCT students with information, advice and access to opportunities and events to further develop their career ideas. Whatever your degree choice, year of study or career ambitions, we are here to assist you in realising your goals and aspirations.
Once you are a registered UCT student you can visit the MyCareer portal.
Part-time jobs are advertised on this portal, but you can also book a consultation.
Our services are free to UCT students. We offer one to one consultations, workshops, webinars and resources to help you with everything from creating a CV to preparing for interviews. We host employers who recruit UCT students at expos and offer practice interviews with real employers. Our webinars feature graduates in interesting careers or experts giving tips for job applications. MyCareer, our student portal advertises graduate and part time jobs, bursaries, scholarships and competitions. You can also use it to book consultations and book for events.
You can check our CV resources on the Careers Service website.
Start by watching our CV mini-series. Once you have covered the basics, if you are a registered UCT student you can make an appointment with a career advisor to discuss any improvements.
If you are a UCT student use the "Ask a question" tab on MyCareer.
You can also visit the Careers Service website, email us at careers.service@uct.ac.za or phone us on +27 21 650 2497.
We host employer events, career conversations with graduates, entrepreneurship competitions, practice interviews with employers and many more. Once you have registered you can visit MyCareer for more information about what will be on in 2021.
Many of our graduates have been highly successful and you can be too. To find out more about these success stories visit the UCT Graduate Gallery.
You have more options than you think, not only the ones that are obvious from your degree. View some of the options related to subjects. Please note that careers are not only about what you studied, but also about your employability skills. They are very important in widening your options.
See the Graduate Gallery for what led some graduates into their careers.
Once accepted to UCT, you can make an appointment with a career advisor to get help to research your career options.
No, this is not a problem, especially in first year. The most important thing is to settle into your degree and university life. The careers service has a lot on offer to help you to research your options. Once you are registered, if this is worrying you, or you want to start exploring your options, make an appointment with a career advisor.
If you have a firm offer, but it is before you start at UCT, email careers.service@uct.ac.za, state your student number and what you have been accepted for, and we will arrange an appointment with a career advisor. If you have registered, book an appointment directly with a career advisor. They will help you explore your reasons and any assumptions you may be making about your course and then help you to decide on your next steps.
The deadline to change subjects is a week after lectures begin. To change degrees completely will depend what Faculty you are in and whether you meet the requirements for what you want to change to. Sometimes you can get credits for courses you have already done in another degree, but you will need to check this with your Faculty. Once you are a registered student, you can talk about this to a career advisor, or a curriculum advisor in your Faculty. Log into MyCareer to book an appointment with a career advisor.
I want to be an entrepreneur, does the Careers Service offer any advice or support?
This is a growing area of work for us. We are part of many entrepreneurship competitions both at UCT and nationally, and we can put you in touch with a support network. If you would like to know more, log into MyCareer and use the "Ask a Question" tab.
Disability Service
Yes. The first step is to register with the Disability Service who will help you make an appointment with a Student Wellness Medical Practitioner. This person will do an assessment of your disability and then make a recommendation for assistance at the Disability Service. To register with the Disability Service, send an email to disabilityservice@uct.ac.za.
Yes, TextHelp Read and Write software is available as a free download for UCT staff and students from the ICTS downloads page. Contact Denise Oldham, the Direct Services Specialist at the Disability Service, for more information.
Yes, if you are a registered UCT student there are a variety of volunteering opportunities available, including Advocacy, Barrier Free Accessibility and Specialised Support Assistance. Contact Denise Oldham, the Direct Services Specialist at the Disability Service, for more information.
UCT Campuses and Residences are relatively accessible for wheelchair users and persons with mobility impairments. UCT is continuously improving accessibility for persons with disabilities (UCT has a special UCT shuttle for students with mobility impairments) therefore, it is advised to verify accessibility with the Barrier-Free Access Specialist via email or on +27 21 650 5090.
View the UCT Upper Campus wheelchair access map and the access and amenities guide.