Nelson Mandela University

Nelson Mandela University is a public comprehensive university based in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape. As a comprehensive university, it offers both traditional academic degrees and career-focused diplomas, from medicine and law to engineering and marine science.

Registered name

Nelson Mandela University

Type

Public comprehensive university

Fields funded

Bursaries linked to the university, including automotive and engineering partnerships

Website

mandela.ac.za

A merger and a new name

The university was formed in 2005 by merging the University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Technikon and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University, and was first called Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. In 2017 it changed its name to Nelson Mandela University, dropping “Metropolitan” to honour Madiba more directly.

The university operates several campuses in Gqeberha and a campus in George, in the Southern Cape, known for forestry and conservation studies. Its Ocean Sciences Campus supports research on South Africa’s oceans and coasts, in a city built around the ports of Gqeberha and Ngqura.

Medicine and the motor industry

The university opened a medical school, taking its first MBChB students in 2021, with a focus on training doctors for public healthcare in the Eastern Cape. Its location in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, home to Volkswagen’s Kariega plant and many component manufacturers, also shapes its engineering and technology programmes.

Funding linked to the university

Several bursaries on BursariesAfrica connect to Nelson Mandela University. The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) Eastern Cape funds postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows at the university, while the Tegkor bursary, advertised through the university early in the academic year, supports students already enrolled. Timing differs sharply, so check each page.

Medicine closes first at Mandela

Applications for 2027 opened on 1 April 2026. Medicine closed on 30 June 2026, pharmacy and radiography around the same date, and most other qualifications have a final deadline of 30 September 2026. The university calculates an Applicant Score from the top six NSC subjects, excluding Life Orientation. The APS guide below explains Mandela’s Applicant Score, which differs from the APS used elsewhere.

Gqeberha or George?

Check whether your programme is offered in Gqeberha or George before applying, and calculate your Applicant Score using the university’s own method. Engineering students interested in the motor industry should watch for the AIDC call in October.

See our Eastern Cape Government Bursaries for provincial funding.