What the courses for school leavers cost

Based on the Further Education and Training colleges' 2010 fees, the cost of the three-year programmes range between R65121 for the least-expensive course, office administration, to R173847 for primary agriculture - with 80% of this subsidised by the government.

Students may also apply for bursaries for the amount not subsidised by the state.

In comparison, fees at top-performing government schools covering grades 10 to 12 are about R60000 for a three-year period, while a BCom at a university costs between R88000 and R103000, a BA degree about R85500, and an LLB about R87000.