Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Student & Faculty Programs

Stellenbosch University - Cape Town, South Africa

For More Information:
Stellenbosch University's - Faculty of Health Sciences, International Students page

Center for Global Health
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
645. N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1058
Chicago, IL 60611
tel: +1 312 503 8829
fax: +1 312 503 8800
d-young@northwestern.edu

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Students should plan to apply at least eight months prior to the proposed rotation period. 

Founded in 1918 and situated in the country's oldest town, Stellenbosch University is recognized as one of the four top research universities in South Africa. The Faculty of Health Sciences at Stellenbosch is home to 3,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students; on average, 160 specialists are trained there annually. Stellenbosch University Medical School / Tygerberg Hospital complex is situated in Parow Valley, located 30 minutes from the main university campus and 25 minutes from Cape Town.

Tygerberg Hospital officially opened in 1976, and is an affiliated teaching hospital for the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, the University of Western Cape, and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The hospital currently has approximately 1300 beds, including a 300 bed children's hospital, day surgery unit, a dental facility, research facilities, as well as residences for nurses, students, and doctors.  More than 500,000 outpatients visit and more than 90,000 are admitted annually.  Other specialist and sub-specialist services include, a Center for the Hearing Impaired, Centre for Mental Health, Clinical Retinal Laboratory, Complex Craniofacial Surgery Unit,  In-vitro fertisilisation, Laboratory for Human Genetics, Tuberculosis Clinical Work Unit, Social Work Unit, Hyperbaric Oxygen facility, etc....  A small number of medical students may rotate through Stellenbosch Hospital which is a primary care facility with 75 beds located near Stellenbosch's undergraduate campus outside of Cape Town. 

Dates:  Various

Eligibility: M1s & M4s for four to six week rotations

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Language Requirement: None

Student level: M1s and M4s

How to ApplyComplete the Online Application.  Please note that Stellenbosch hosts a large number of international students and requires application from visiting medical students be submitted eight months in advance of the intended travel dates.

Rotation Areas: Hope / Kid Cru rotation on Infectious Disease and Family and Community Medicine.  A maximum of six FSM students may visit per month, two in the HOPE / Kid Cru rotation at Tygerberg Hospital and four in Family and Community Medicine rotation at Stellenbosch Hospital.

Medical Education Exchange:
FSM students may visit Stellenbosch University and rotate at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, where they can complete rotations in Infectious Disease, or they may visit Stellenbosch Hospital, located outside of Cape Town in the town of Stellenbosch where they will complete a rotation in Family and Community Medicine.  The ID rotation at Tygerberg involves two weeks spent in a laboratory within the tertiary care hospital coupled with two weeks rotating on the ID ward, participating in weekly conferences, and occasionally visiting local township clinics where regular clinics are held. At the township clinic, prior participants have worked at midwife outpatient center where they saw patients with gestational diabetes, HIV infection, TB, etc.... Regarding language barriers, all doctors and health professionals will speak English but Xhosa and Afrikaans will be spoken by some patients. Students can expect to spend approximately 6-8 hours per day engaged in clinical rotations at the hospital.

Helpful Links:
Stellenbosch Faculty of Health Sciences International Office
Stellenbosch University International Office
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization Country Profile
US State Department

Accommodations: At Tygerberg Hospital, medical students stay at the International Student Lounge which has small kitchens equipped with a microwave, fridge, hot plate and on-site laundry. Stellenbosch University is located approximately 50 kilometers from Tygerberg Hospital and Cape Town.  At Stellenbosch Hospital students may request housing in university dormitories but depending on the time of the year space may only be available in a nearby hostel.  February and March are particularly difficult times of the year to secure dormitory space at Stellenbosch University since they are filled to capacity by their own students.  Click to learn more about the Stellenbosch housing options.

Fees:  The fees listed below are charged by Stellenbosch University for all visiting clinical rotations.  These fees represent approximate figures, based on the expenses from the 2011-2012 academic year.  Stellenbosch may adjust any and all fees without notice.

Evaluations (only accessible to users with a valid NUID):

  1. FSM student evaluation summary 2012
  2. FSM student evaluation 2011

This page last updated Mar 29, 2013

Center for Global Health
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
645 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1058
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-503-9000
Fax: 312-503-8800
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