A Living Tapestry
A community built for purpose
Our Students
The story of our community is the story of South Africa
From a modest intake seven decades ago, we've grown into one of the largest and most dynamic health sciences faculties in sub-Saharan Africa, training the health professionals South Africa and the continent need.
Our student body has transformed into a richly diverse community drawn from across the country and continent, supported by academic guidance, financial assistance, and mental wellness resources.
Through societies, events, and campus life, students grow beyond their degree. At the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, that's not a distraction from becoming a great health professional. It's part of what makes it possible.
By the Numbers
Growth that tells a story
1996
2,440
Students
603
Staff
2025
4,500+
Students
2,100
Staff
~5,000 students·6 undergraduate programmes·90+ postgraduate options
Growth
Growth that tells a story
When we opened our doors in 1956, our student body was a fraction of its current size. Today, the numbers speak for themselves: from 2,440 students and 603 staff in 1996 to more than 4,500 students and 2,100 staff in 2025. Nearly 5,000 students are now enrolled across six undergraduate programmes and more than 90 postgraduate options, spanning medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, speech-language and hearing therapy, and a wide range of specialist and research disciplines.
That growth has not simply been a matter of scale. The increasing complexity of health professions education and biomedical research has demanded a Faculty that constantly evolves in the programmes it offers, the facilities it builds, and the people it attracts.
Diversity
A community that reflects South Africa
The shift in our student population has been as significant as the growth in numbers. Students now arrive from every province in South Africa, from across the African continent, and from countries around the world. They bring different languages, different lived experiences and different reasons for choosing a career in the health professions.
That diversity is actively pursued. Health professionals who reflect the communities they serve are better equipped to understand those communities, communicate with them, and earn their trust.
Where our students come from
Milestones
A timeline of transformation
1956
Faculty founded
1990s
First Black students admitted
2016
DACT established
2020s
Visual Redress initiatives
2022
First female Dean
1956
Faculty founded
1990s
First Black students admitted
2016
DACT established
2020s
Visual Redress initiatives
2022
First female Dean
Transformation
Committed to transformation
Our transformation journey runs through the past three decades of its history. In 2016, the Dean's Advisory Committee on Transformation (DACT) was established, bringing together students, staff, and representatives of the Western Cape Department of Health to create more inclusive environments across all teaching, learning, and work platforms.
Equality Champions are trained students and staff who support colleagues experiencing discrimination or harassment across the campus. A Faculty Charter sets out shared values for how the community treats one another. Visual Redress initiatives have worked to ensure that campus imagery reflects the full diversity of the community, not just its past.
Tygerberg Student Affairs
Support for the full person
Becoming a health professional is demanding. We meet that demand with care across every dimension of student life.
Academic support
Advising, study skills, peer tutoring.
Counselling & development
Confidential counselling, group therapy, after-hours support.
Campus health services
Primary care, family planning, HIV testing.
Food security
Targeted assistance for students facing food insecurity.
Career development
CVs, interview preparation, professional pathways.
Disability support
Accommodations, assistive technology, tailored learning.
Campus Life
Life beyond the lecture hall
There is a particular risk in professional training: the pressure of the curriculum can crowd out everything else. We take a different view. Campus life at Tygerberg — including the societies, sports, events, and informal connections forged in residence corridors — is part of what develops the empathy, resilience, and collegial spirit that make a truly excellent health professional.
"Students who learn to look after themselves and each other are better prepared to look after patients."
Moments
A living tapestry
Societies
Sports
Residence life
Informal study
Featured film
Transformation in motion
Seventy years in, that remains one of the faculty's most important commitments.