UFS Fees 2027: Registration and Faculty Tuition Costs

If you plan to study at UFS in 2027, you need to understand how the university charges for registration and tuition. 

Students must make certain payments before registration can be finalised. 

This includes the registration fee and a first payment towards tuition. 

Tuition fees vary depending on the faculty and modules you register for, and payments must be made before specified deadlines. 

International students have additional fee requirements. 

Knowing how these fees work will help you plan your finances and avoid delays during the registration process.

Application Fee 2027 (Non-refundable)

Applying to UFS is free for all applicants, whether you are South African or international. Applications for 2027 opened on 1 April 2026 and are submitted through the official application portal. 

You can submit your application without paying a non-refundable application charge.

International students do pay a non-refundable International Student Levy once they register, which was R3 860 in the UFS 2026 Fees Yearbook. 

The levy is included in the first payment required at registration, alongside the registration fee, and cannot be refunded once you have registered. 

This is not an application fee but a yearly administrative fee required before registration.

Registration Fee 2027 (Initial Payment)

Once you receive an offer from UFS, you must pay a registration fee and a first payment on your tuition and any accommodation fees before you can register.

The registration fee is a non-refundable amount that covers administrative costs and confirms your place in your programme once you pay it and the required first payment. 

The first payment must reflect in your student account at least five working days before registration. 

Students will not be allowed to complete registration until this first payment shows as credit on their account.

The amount you pay as the first payment depends on whether you will stay in residence or off campus, and whether you are a South African, SADC, or non-SADC student. 

UFS’s 2026 first-payment schedule sets the first payment for self-paying South African students at R19 000 for residence students and R9 900 for off-campus students. 

These amounts include the registration fee, which was R2 290 in 2026 and is non-refundable. If your total fees for the year come to less than the first payment, you pay the full amount instead.

International students pay more. In 2026 the first payment was R37 730 for SADC students in residence and R21 280 for SADC students living off campus, and R72 130 for non-SADC students in residence. International students must pay it even if they have confirmed funding.

Historic debt from previous years must be cleared before UFS will allow registration.

Tuition Fee Structure per Faculty

Tuition at UFS is not a single flat rate. Fees are calculated based on modules you register for and the faculty offering your programme. 

Undergraduate students will pay variable amounts depending on the number of credits and modules taken in a year. 

Postgraduate programmes may have set fees depending on the qualification level.

UFS faculties include:

1. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
2. Faculty of Education
3. Faculty of Health Sciences
4. Faculty of Humanities
5. Faculty of Law
6. Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
7. Faculty of Theology and Religion

Tuition is calculated per module, so the modules in your programme determine the total. The 2026 Fees Yearbook lists estimated average costs per year for each programme to help with planning, for example R58 060 for the first year of the three-year B.Soc.Sc. 

For the exact cost of your modules, contact UFS Student Finance at tuitionfees@ufs.ac.za or +27 51 401 9111 (option 3).

International students from non-SADC countries pay an additional 50 percent increase on module costs compared to South African students.

How to Pay Your Fees (Bank Details)

You can pay UFS fees using the official banking details below. 

When making payments, always use your student number with the required reference prefixes as instructed by the university to ensure funds are correctly allocated to your account.

Official Bank Details for Tuition and Fees:

• Bank: ABSA
• Account Name: University of the Free State Tuition Fees
• Branch Code: 630734
• Account Number: 1 570 151 688
• SWIFT Code (for international transfers): ABSAZAJJ
• Reference: Use “100” followed directly by your student number for tuition and registration payments.

Payments can be made through the UFS Online Payments facility, which reflects immediately, by EFT, by deposit at an Absa branch (which reflects within about an hour), or at the on-campus cashiers. Email your proof of payment to tuitionfees@ufs.ac.za. 

Ensure your first payment reflects on your student account at least five working days before registration. In 2026, South African students then had to pay first-semester fees by 31 March and second-semester fees by 31 August; international students had until 30 June for the second semester.

Fees for NSFAS Funded Students

If you are funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), you may qualify to register without paying the first payment upfront if NSFAS confirms full funding before registration. 

To benefit from this, you must submit proof of your confirmed funding to the UFS Student Finance office five working days before registration. 

NSFAS must cover the full cost of your study year for you to be exempt from the initial payment requirement.

If your NSFAS funding does not cover all fees or is not confirmed before the deadline, you must still pay the first payment out of pocket to complete your registration. 

Historic debt from previous years must be paid before registration, even if you are NSFAS funded.