Students must provide a month's written notice to the residence manager

Units mainly comprise of double bedrooms with shared or communal bathrooms. There is a very limited number of single rooms available. Those are allocated to senior students based on merit. On-campus residence facilities vary from campus to campus.

The following students are exempted from paying the residence down-payment, provided that the outstanding debt is fully settled before registration:

1 Sponsored students where the sponsor’s commitment covers the accommodation fee
2 NSFAS successful candidates
3 Nelson Mandela University bursary students if the award will cover tuition and residence down-payments. Prior to registration written confirmation of the grant/award amount is required from the faculty/department concerned. If the amount is less than the required down-payments, the student will be expected to make up the difference before registration.

Living and Learning Community

Living and learning communities are designed to create communities of students within the residences whose motives will contribute tothe learning experience of residence students and life skills required for successful employment. Students could be linked in terms of academic programmes, hobbies or personal interests.

Students would be expected to partake in experiential activities and development programmes togrow their interests and knowledge while compiling evidence of what has been achieved i.e. smallprojects, debates, reports and portfolios.

Study centre

The major reason for being at university is to develop and prepare for a career. There is a huge study centre and a computer lab situated for students' convenience within the residence complexon South Campus. The lab has 20 computers and students have access to the Internet and email. Thereare lab demonstrators who are readily available to assist students who have little or no knowledge of computers.

Life skills

Various life skill programmes are presented to students at residences who want to empower their own knowledge andunderstanding. Programmesareoffered by qualified facilitators and include learning skills, wellness programmes, goal setting, study strategies, time management, leadershipetc.

Student leaders

Each year House Committee Members (student leaders) are elected through a fully-fledged election process.A house committee member plays a key role in creating an environment that is conducive to academic, personal and social growth for students.Theyare given extensive training to assist students in res. A house committee member is also a friend, resource, mentor, role model and community leader in their hall.

Mentorship programme

The mentoring programme is a way of assisting students to integrate themselves academically and socially as well as coping with the transition and demands of university life. Mentors are suitably qualified studentswho make themselves available through a selection process for the programme.

The role of a mentor is to guide and facilitate a less experienced person to achieve growth and reach their potential. It is about helping the new students to learn from their experiences. It is a supportive, friendly, caring and structured relationship that focuses on the needs of the mentored student and is based on encouragement, constructive comments, openness, mutual trust, respect and a willingness to learn and share.

Students who have been accepted into one of Nelson Mandela University’s residences will be required to pay a down-payment payable before registration, and the Student Accounts Guide, can be found under Financial Information.

Off-Campus Accommodation, includes Nelson Mandela University accredited, but privately owned (communes, apartments, houses and rooms).

No, as space is limited not all prospective students will be able to be accommodated on campus. Early application is essential and no student will be allocated a place in one of Nelson Mandela University’s residence before he/she has not been accepted academically.

Yes, as all non-residential Nelson Mandela University students are automatically members of the Oppidani House and are known as Oppies. Participation in non-academic life is encouraged with regular sporting, cultural and other events.

Yes, Nelson Mandela University is a residential university that provides a vibrant, multi-cultural student life experience that develops students holistically. Nelson Mandela University provides different types of residences for students at different stages of the student life cycle. As accommodation is limited, early application is essential.

Residence fees vary depending on the type of room (single or double) you have been allocated. In addition to your standard residence fee students living in res are also required to pay an initial upfront down-payment, breakage deposit as well as registration fees. For more information, consult the Nelson Mandela University Student Accounts Guide found on this page...

The Meal Management System (MMS) is a meal booking and billing system that manages student meal accounts for purchases of meals at food outlets on the different campuses and manages the pre-bookings of meals at residences. Resident students, including international students, in catered residences can pre-book meals served in their residence dining room and can also pay for any food items purchased at any of the cafeterias or coffee shops, by swiping their student ID card.

Nelson Mandela University has both self-catering as well as fully-catered residences. The self-catering residences are traditionally for senior students while the catered residences are for first and second year students. The dining rooms in the catering residences offer breakfast, lunch and dinner menus plus a range of a la carte items. A student can pre book a meal from the range of available a la carte items on the booking and billing system (Meal Management System).

All first-year students will be sharing a room with fellow first-year students. Some students prefer sharing a room during their time at Nelson Mandela University. Single rooms are limited and are allocated to senior students on merit.

Only in off-campus accredited accomodation. As space is limited, students who live within a 60km radius of the university campuses in either Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) or George cannot apply for residence accommodation. Only in exceptional circumstance are allowances made for students who require on-campus accommodation. Such requests must be made to the Student Housing Department for consideration.

On-Campus Accommodation includes residences owned and operated by the Nelson Mandela University and managed by the Department of Student Housing, Living & Learning Programmes.