Student Life

Religion

Stellenbosch offers a variety of options for students from different faith communities. The town has numerous churches, as well as a synagogue and mosque. 

Entertainment

Stellenbosch is a vibrant town with a lot of activities on offer for everybody – from young to old! From an eclectic mix of restaurants and pubs, to picturesque wine farms, theatres to music halls, you will always find something to keep you entertained in Stellenbosch. For more information about what’s on in Stellenbosch now, visit the website Vibescout.

Going on a wine tour is one of students’ favourite pastimes. Stellenbosch is surrounded by beautiful vineyards, and many of these farms offer free wine tasting to the public. It is also possible to enjoy a cup of coffee or even a meal at most of them. You will find brochures with the different wine routes in the region at most of the tourist agencies. Also keep your eyes open for food and wine festivals that take place around Stellenbosch. For more information, visit the website of the Stellenbosch wine route.

Restaurants

Numerous restaurants, coffee shops and fast-food outlets in Stellenbosch cater for all kinds of tastes, and budgets. These are located all over the town. The area around Dorp, Church, Andringa and Ryneveld Streets is particularly inviting, and you will find South Africans and tourists sitting down to a meal, coffee or a glass of wine all over the pavements.

Sport and recreation

If you enjoy sport, Stellenbosch University is the ideal place to study. The university prides itself on its history of outstanding sporting achievements. The home of sport is Coetzenburg, where not only provincial and national players are produced, but where thousands of students participate in a variety of sports for recreation and sheer enjoyment. Situated between Stellenbosch Mountain and the Eerste River, and facing the magnificent mountain scenery of the Jonkershoek Valley, it is one of the finest sporting complexes in the country. Coetzenburg is also used as a training ground for international super athletes.

There are more than 20 competitive sport clubs for achievement sport in various disciplines. Of these, the Matie Rugby Club, founded in 1880, is the most popular. It has produced at least 150 players for the national Springbok team and no fewer than eleven Springbok captains. Other sport clubs at the university have also made their mark, especially the athletics club and the hockey club.

The sports offered at the university: athletics, badminton, basketball, canoeing, cricket, cross-country, cycling, diving, fencing, golf, gymnastics, hockey, horse-riding, judo, marksmanship, netball, parachuting, rowing, rugby, soccer, squash, surfing, swimming, synchronised swimming, table tennis, tennis, triathlon, underwater sports, volleyball, water polo, wrestling.

Societies

There is a wide variety of societies that are established and run by students who share a common interest. These include a hiking club, numerous religious societies, and also other common interests like poetry, drama and movies. Please consult the Student Representative Council (SRC) Office (located on the 3rd Floor of the Neelsie) for more contact details of the different societies.

Click here for a list of societies.