Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

South African ELT rebounding this year

In 2015, South Africa’s English Language Teaching (ELT) enrolment went off a cliff. The year before, the South African government had passed new immigration legislation that effectively excluded language schools from the country’s student visa process. In other words, the new regulations meant that students intending to pursue longer-term studies with a South African ELT provider could no longer get a student visa. The country’s peak body for ELT, Education South Africa (EduSA) eventually sued the South African government over the matter, and, in November 2016, the case was subsequently settled out of court with the result that study visas could once again be issued for students enrolled with recognised ELT providers. Coming as late in the year as it did, the legal settlement had little effect on ELT enrolment in South Africa last year. But providers nevertheless reported strong growth for the year, with a roughly 20% increase in both enrolments and student weeks compared to 2015’s low point. And now the latest figures from EduSA reveal that the country’s ELT sector continued to rebuild its enrolment base through 2017, and that is has now essentially regained – and even slightly exceeded – the previous high water mark for student numbers from 2014. As the following table reflects, enrolments increased by more than 15% between 2016 and 2017, and student weeks by nearly 13%. enrolment-in-south-african-elt-by-student-numbers-and-student-weeks-2014–2017 Enrolment in South African ELT by student numbers and student weeks, 2014–2017. Source: EduSA We recently sat down with Johannes Kraus, the chairperson of EduSA, for a closer look at some of the important trends that are shaping the South African market this year. In our first interview segment below, he reviews the challenges the sector faced as a result of the 2014 amendments to the country’s immigration regulation. In our next interview clip, Mr Kraus highlights the optimism that is now leading to further growth for the sector. At the time of our discussion, full-year numbers were not yet available (as we are now able to report here), but it was clear even at that point that ELT providers expected strong results for 2017. There is no question that the legal settlement is a key development for the sector. But as Mr Kraus explains in our next interview excerpt below, language schools were also quick to adapt by targeting markets – notably in Europe but also Brazil – where students could receive a visitor visa on arrival in South Africa. “If you have a third-party influence on your business,” he points out, “you have to find a way to maneuver [around] that and make sure that you have growth. And I think that’s what the schools did successfully.” In our final interview segment, Mr Kraus highlights the top sending markets for South African ELT providers in 2017, and looks ahead to a major new industry event – the first-ever ICEF Africa – to be held in Cape Town in May 2018. For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • US Office of Management and Budget grants budget reprieve to key exchange programmes Read More
  • Canada: How is study permit processing taking shape this year? Read More
  • UK study visa grants strengthening in first half of 2025 Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US Office of Management and Budget grants budget reprieve to key exchange programmes In a highly unusual intervention in an area of Congressional authority, the US Office of Management and Budget...
Read more
Canada: How is study permit processing taking shape this year? There are two important and recurring themes in our conversations with education agents over the last few months...
Read more
UK study visa grants strengthening in first half of 2025 A 21 August 2025 data release from the UK Home Office shows that student visa grants were up...
Read more
Asian destinations show their strength in latest ranking of student cities The QS Best Student Cities 2026 rankings were released last month, and, for the first time ever, Seoul...
Read more
Many foreign students want to stay in Germany but need more help with the transition to life after study Early findings from an extensive survey of international students in Germany finds that two-thirds would like to stay...
Read more
How post-study work rights can make or break the return on investment for study abroad The following is a guest post contributed by Tim O’Brien and Claire Clifford from INTO University Partnerships, where...
Read more
Australia prioritises amendments to ESOS Act in legislative agenda The Australian government has signalled that amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 are back...
Read more
UK’s stiffening compliance regime already having an impact on international student recruitment It would be fair to say that compliance is top of mind for international educators in the United...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links