Varsity College Details
Varsity College is a private tertiary education institution located in South Africa.
Founded in 1991, Varsity College forms part of the group of tertiary institutions operated by The Independent Institute of Education, South Africa’s largest and most accredited tertiary education institution.[1] The IIE is a wholly owned subsidiary of South African investment holding company ADvTECH Group Limited, and is responsible for developing, assessing, certifying, and overseeing the delivery of curricula at Varsity College’s eight campuses. Varsity College’s language of instruction is English.
Qualifications
Varsity College offers a broad range of undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary qualifications, falling within a variety of The IIE’s faculties, as well as a number of workshops and short courses. Emphasis is placed on creating an academic environment consisting of small lecture groups, interactive lectures, the use of modern technology in the educational space, and lecturers who are actively engaged in their respective professional fields, so as to bring industry experience into the learning environment. Modes of delivery include full-time, part-time, and distance education.
Tuition for a number of courses from other institutions, such as Unisa and UFS, is available on Varsity College campuses.
Campuses
Varsity College has 8 campuses across South Africa, located in; Cape Town, Durban (North and West), Pretoria, Johannesburg (Midrand and Sandton), Pietermaritzburg, and Port Elizabeth.
Organisation
Varsity College is the largest of the IIE tertiary institutions within the ADvTECH Group, with its National Office located in Durban North.
The Business School at Varsity College offers a variety of business-focused, predominantly part-time and short learning courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, aimed at working professionals. These include multiple management development programmes.
The executive head of the Varsity College is the Managing Director, currently Debbie Meyer, who has the overall responsibility for the policy and administration of the University. The academic departments of The IIE are divided into faculties, with each having a Faculty Head. Courses are grouped into Departments, run by Department Heads, at the campus level.
ADvTECH’s academic leadership and governance system incorporates the AAC and Senate. The AAC, which includes external leaders in education and business, advises the ADvTECH Board, Senate, and IIE on academic matters. The Senate is responsible, either directly or through its committees, for the structure and curriculum of all programmes, teaching and learning, libraries, research, and student conduct.
Student life
There are a number of academic and special interest student societies at Varsity College, as well as numerous sporting programmes, which vary between campuses. Varsity College runs general Sports Clubs, as well as Centres of Sporting Excellence for semi-professional athletes, with teams including rugby, golf, waterpolo, basketball, and hockey.
Accreditation
The IIE is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education provider, under the Higher Education Act, 1997. The IIE is also accredited by the British Accreditation Council.
Associations and Endorsements
Through the IIE’s World of Work graduate placement programme, Varsity College has partnerships with and endorsements from a number of associations, including the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), Project Management South Africa (PMSA), the Chartered Institute of Business Management (CIBM), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and the Public Relations Institute of South Africa (PRISA)