List of Accredited Nursing Schools in South Africa: Private Nursing Institutions Offering Accredited Programmes

Choosing a nursing school is an important decision for anyone planning a career in nursing. Prospective students need to consider not only the location and cost of studying, but also whether the institution is properly accredited to offer the nursing programme they want to study.

An official South African Nursing Council (SANC) document titled “Private Nursing Education Institutions Accredited to Offer the New Nursing Programmes: April 2021 Update” provides a list of private Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) accredited to offer the new nursing programmes at the time of the update.

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The document identifies institutions by SANC reference number, lists their accredited programme or programmes, indicates the number of intakes per year and the number of students per intake, and provides contact details.

Important: The attached document is an April 2021 update. Applicants should confirm an institution's current accreditation and programme availability with SANC and the institution before applying.

What Nursing Programmes Are Listed?

The document identifies two principal programmes:

Higher Certificate in Nursing

The Higher Certificate in Nursing is listed as a 120-credit qualification at NQF Level 5. The document links the programme to the regulations concerning education and training leading to registration in the category Auxiliary Nurse.

Diploma in Nursing

The Diploma in Nursing is listed as a 360-credit qualification at NQF Level 6. The document links it to the regulations concerning education and training leading to registration in the category General Nurse.

The document also notes that the designation “Staff Nurse” was changed to “General Nurse.”

Accredited Private Nursing Schools in Gauteng

Gauteng has the largest group of institutions listed in the attached document. The institutions offer either the Higher Certificate in Nursing, Diploma in Nursing, or both.

1. Arwyp Training Institute

SANC Reference: S1546

Arwyp Training Institute (Pty) Ltd is listed as offering both:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one intake per year, with 40 students for the Higher Certificate and 30 students for the Diploma.

2. Ukwazi School of Nursing – Roodepoort Campus

SANC Reference: S1690

Ukwazi School of Nursing's Roodepoort Campus is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The Higher Certificate has one intake of 30 students, while the Diploma has one intake of 20 students according to the document.

3. Mediclinic – Learning Centre, Tshwane Region

SANC Reference: S220

The Mediclinic Learning Centre in the Tshwane Region is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one intake per year, with 25 places for the Higher Certificate and 30 places for the Diploma.

4. Mediclinic – Learning Centre, Northern Region

SANC Reference: S995

The Northern Region Mediclinic Learning Centre is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

Both programmes are recorded as having one intake per year. The listed capacity is 25 students for the Higher Certificate and 30 students for the Diploma.

5. Netcare Education – Gauteng North East Campus

SANC Reference: S1588

Netcare Education's Gauteng North East Campus is listed as offering the:

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one intake per year with 30 students per intake.

6. Netcare Education – Gauteng South West Campus

SANC Reference: S1407

The Gauteng South West Campus is listed as offering:

• Diploma in Nursing

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

The document records one annual intake of 30 students for the Diploma and 50 students for the Higher Certificate.

7. Life College of Learning – East Rand Learning Centre

SANC Reference: S428

The East Rand Learning Centre of Life College of Learning is listed as offering:

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one intake per year with 30 students per intake.

8. Khanyisa Nursing School

SANC Reference: S1540

Khanyisa Nursing School is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

Both programmes are recorded with one intake per year and 15 students per intake.

9. ESDA

SANC Reference: S867

ESDA is listed as offering the:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

The document records one intake per year with 20 students.

10. Life College of Learning – West Rand Learning Centre

SANC Reference: S1796

The West Rand Learning Centre is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one annual intake and 30 students per intake for each programme.

11. Future Nurses Nursing School

SANC Reference: S1674

Future Nurses Nursing School (Pty) Ltd is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

The document records one intake per year with 14 students.

Accredited Nursing Schools in the Western Cape

12. Emmanuel Verpleegskool Oudtshoorn

SANC Reference: S749

Emmanuel Verpleegskool Oudtshoorn (Pty) Ltd is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

The institution is recorded as having one intake per year with 25 students per intake.

13. Netcare Education – Western Cape Campus

Netcare Education's Western Cape Campus is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one intake per year with 30 students per intake for each programme.

Accredited Nursing School in the North West

14. Ukwazi School of Nursing – Potchefstroom Campus

SANC Reference: S1776

Ukwazi School of Nursing's Potchefstroom Campus is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

Both programmes are recorded as having one intake per year with 15 students per intake.

Accredited Nursing Schools in the Eastern Cape

15. Netcare Education – Eastern Cape Campus

SANC Reference: S172

Netcare Education's Eastern Cape Campus is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The Higher Certificate is recorded with one intake per year of 30 students, while the Diploma has one intake of 40 students.

16. Life College of Nursing – East London Learning Centre

SANC Reference: S1791

Life College of Nursing's East London Learning Centre is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

Both programmes are recorded with one intake per year and 30 students per intake.

17. Life College of Nursing – Port Elizabeth Learning Centre

SANC Reference: S1794

Life College of Nursing's Port Elizabeth Learning Centre is listed as offering:

• Higher Certificate in Nursing

• Diploma in Nursing

The document records one annual intake with 30 students per intake for both programmes.

Summary of Nursing Schools Listed in the Document

Based on the attached April 2021 SANC update, the private nursing education institutions listed are:

The institutions, programme names and provincial groupings above are drawn from the attached SANC document.

What Prospective Nursing Students Should Understand

One of the most useful features of the SANC document is that it does more than simply name institutions. It provides information about the specific programme accredited at each institution, as well as the number of annual intakes and the recorded student capacity.

This is important because accreditation is programme-specific. A nursing school appearing on an accreditation list does not automatically mean that every nursing qualification or programme is offered there.

For example, the document shows that some institutions were accredited for both the Higher Certificate and Diploma, while others were listed for only one of these programmes.

Students should therefore check the exact qualification they intend to study before submitting an application.

Accreditation and Student Intake Capacity

The listed student numbers also provide useful insight into how competitive admissions could be at some institutions. Several institutions have relatively small recorded intakes, including Future Nurses Nursing School with 14 students and Khanyisa Nursing School with 15 students for each listed programme.
Other institutions have larger listed capacities. For example, the Netcare Education Gauteng South West campus is recorded with 50 students for the Higher Certificate and 30 for the Diploma.

These figures are useful for understanding the capacity recorded in the April 2021 document, but they should not be interpreted as confirmation of current admission numbers.

Before Applying to a Nursing School

Prospective students should take several steps before paying an application fee or accepting an offer.

1. Confirm current accreditation

The attached list is an April 2021 update, so students should confirm the institution's current status directly with the relevant regulatory authority before enrolling.

2. Confirm the exact qualification

Check whether the institution currently offers the Higher Certificate in Nursing, Diploma in Nursing, or another programme.

3. Check current admission requirements

Admission requirements can differ between institutions and may change over time. Students should obtain the latest requirements directly from the institution.

4. Confirm the intake dates

The document records the number of intakes per year, but applicants should confirm current application and registration dates directly with the nursing school.

5. Verify contact details

The attached document contains telephone numbers and email addresses for the institutions and their responsible contacts. Because the document dates from 2021, applicants should verify that contact information before using it.

Final Thoughts

The attached SANC April 2021 update provides a useful historical reference for prospective nursing students researching private Nursing Education Institutions in South Africa.

It identifies 17 private nursing education institution entries across Gauteng, Western Cape, North West and Eastern Cape, together with their SANC reference numbers, accredited programmes, intake information and contact details.

Most importantly, the document demonstrates why students should look beyond the name of a nursing school and determine which specific nursing programme was accredited at that institution.

Because the list is dated April 2021, prospective students should use it as a starting point for research rather than as confirmation that every institution, programme, intake or contact detail remains current.

Always verify the latest accreditation status, programme availability and admission requirements before applying or paying any fees.