University of Pretoria (UP)

The University of Pretoria (UP), known to students as Tuks or Tukkies, is one of South Africa’s largest public research universities. UP began in 1908 as the Transvaal University College and became a full university in 1930. Its main Hatfield campus lies in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, the administrative capital.

Registered name

University of Pretoria (UP)

Type

Public university (research-intensive)

Fields funded

Doctoral research bursaries and TuksSport sport performance bursaries

Website

up.ac.za

Campuses with a speciality

Beyond Hatfield, UP runs several specialised campuses. The Onderstepoort campus houses the Faculty of Veterinary Science, the only veterinary faculty in South Africa, so every South African who wants to become a vet studies there. UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in Illovo, Johannesburg, is one of the country’s best-known business schools, and UP’s health sciences students train at the Prinshof campus next to Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

Sport at Tuks

UP has a strong sporting tradition through TuksSport, whose High Performance Centre and LC de Villiers grounds have trained Olympic and Paralympic athletes and professional players. The TuksSport bursary supports talented athletes who study at UP; the 2027 round closed on 31 July 2026, and TuksSport usually advertises the next round around May.

Research funding

As a research-intensive university, UP funds doctoral students through its Doctoral Research Bursary. For 2027, applicants had to submit by 18 September 2026, supervisors by 23 September 2026, and deputy deans had to approve by 1 October 2026, a staged process that shows how much the application depends on supervisor support.

UP closes earlier than most

UP opened 2027 applications on 1 April 2026, and most undergraduate programmes closed around 30 June 2026, earlier than many other universities. UP does not accept late applications for many programmes. Read the admission point score guide below before choosing faculties, since UP ranks applicants within each programme.

Preparing for a June deadline at Tuks

UP’s website blocked automated reading when BursariesAfrica checked on 15 September 2026, so confirm every date on UP’s official pages in a browser. Because UP closes undergraduate applications at the end of June, Grade 12 learners should prepare Grade 11 results, ID copies and an email address early in the year.

Veterinary science applicants should apply to UP well before the deadline and have a backup plan, since Onderstepoort takes a limited number of students each year.

Athletes can also read our guide to sports bursaries for university.