Language
Stellenbosch University is a predominantly Afrikaans medium university, especially at undergraduate and honours course level. However, students are allowed to write their assignments, tests and examinations in both English and Afrikaans. The language of tuition also varies depending on the faculty, with the Faculty of Arts for example being 40% English, most if not all courses are lectured bilingually and the language of most handouts or prescribed material is determined by the student.
At postgraduate level the language of tuition is determined by the composition of the class. The majority of advanced postgraduate courses are conducted in English. According to the current language profile of the university, 60% of its students state Afrikaans as their home language, 32% have English as their home language and 1.6% of students have Xhosa as their home language.
The language policy is still an ongoing issue for the University, since it is one of the very few tertiary institutions left in South Africa offering tuition in Afrikaans. Because of this, it is held in very high regard by the Afrikaner community, with the university even being considered a central pillar of Afrikaner life.
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