Rhodes University Campus



Rhodes University Campus

The University, established in 1904, is located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Rhodes is a small university which enjoys the distinction of having among the best undergraduate pass and graduation rates in South Africa, outstanding postgraduate success rates, and the best research output per academic staff member.

Rhodes University, Rhodes or more informally the ‘Rodents’ is a small yet highly residential university located in Grahamstowns, Eastern Cape. It is the provinces oldest university and is considered one of the oldest institutions in South Africa.

For most undergraduates, first and second-year of their studies are completed while living in campus residence. Rhodes approximately has an enrolment of 7000 students a year, while 3000 of those live on campus in several residences. The remaining students usually take residence in digs, or off-campus residences. This is a huge plus factor, as students live right on campus and are able to engage with one another creating a sense of comradery. Grahamstown is majority a student-orientated town, as well as home to the Grahamstown National Arts Festival and Scifest Africa. 

Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province’s oldest university, and it is the fifth or sixth oldest South African university in continuous operation, being preceded by the University of the Free State (1904),University of Witwatersrand (1896), Stellenbosch University (1866) and the University of Cape Town (1829). Rhodes was founded in 1904 as Rhodes University College, named after Cecil Rhodes, through a grant from the Rhodes Trust. It became a constituent college of the University of South Africa in 1918 before becoming an independent university in 1951.





The university had an enrolment of over 8,000 students in the 2015 academic year, of whom just over 3,600 lived in 51 residences on campus, with the rest (known as Oppidans) taking residence in digs (off-campus residences) or in their own homes in the town.