The Central Applications Office (CAO) is a registered NON-PROFIT
COMPANY (Reg.No.2007/002819/08) that is the only organisation
authorised to recruit and process applications for admissions to the
Durban University of Technology (DUT), Mangosuthu University of
Technology (MUT), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), University of
Zululand (UNIZULU) and most private colleges in KwaZulu-Natal. Our participating institutions offer over 1 000 programmes, and with just
ONE APPLICATION, you can apply for up to six programmes at any of our
partner institutions. You do not have to complete a separate application
for each institution. You do not have to pay a separate administration fee
to each institution. You only have to pay ONE ADMINISTRATION FEE
and your applications will be processed and made available to any
six institutions to which you applied. When you want to update or
change your application to any of the institutions in this Handbook, there
is one office to contact. Discussion and planning for the CAO was initiated in 1993 by the postschool
institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. They were: University of Natal
(Durban); University of Natal (Pmb); Mangosuthu Technikon; ML Sultan
Technikon; Natal Technikon; University of Durban-Westville; University of
South Africa (UNISA); and University of Zululand. After a number of years of planning, the CAO officially started processing
applications in June 1998 for admission in 1999 with a loan of R5m from
First National Bank with surety provided by the initial institutions. The
first full-scale operation was launched in 1999 for the 2000 student
intake. The primary goals of the CAO were stated as follows, and are still
maintained today:
Student-oriented goals
• To increase the accessibility of tertiary institutions to prospective
students
• To reduce the cost of applications by prospective students
Institution-oriented goals
• To effect cost savings to the participating institutions
• To effect increased efficiency for institutions in their student
selection process
Check our programme list to find out more about study opportunities at:
• Durban University of Technology
• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Mangosuthu University of Technology
• University of Zululand
• AAA School of Advertising
• Berea College of Technology
• Berea Technical College
• CTU Training Solutions
• Stadio (Embury Institute of Higher Education)
• ICESA
• iStudent
• MANCOSA
• Management & Leadership Academy (MLA)
• Eduvos (Pearson Institute of Higher Education)
• Pax College
• Regent Business School
• Richfield Graduate Institution of Technology
• Varsity College: Part Time Division
