Southern African Wildlife College Application Form 2024 | How to Apply

Applying to programmes

“The success of the College depends on the collaboration and support of numerous conservation groups, government agencies, environmental organisations, and other partners.”

For the Higher Education and Training Certificate Course Programmes, all students are required to obtain a letter of endorsement from the Human Resource or Training Manager of their respective organisations before their application will be considered by the College.

For the Youth Access Conservation and Environmental Education Bridging Courses, which is aimed at school leavers from historically disadvantaged communities, a call for applications is made through the relevant communication channels.

Application Forms

Applicants are required to complete the relevant course application form indicating the programme they intend applying for. This form should be submitted to the Southern African Wildlife College, addressed to the relevant manager together with all the accompanying documentation stipulated on the application form.

Application forms can be obtained at any of the Southern African Wildlife College Sites/Campuses and, or on the College Website; https://wildlifecollege.org.za/admissions/how-to-apply/

Conservation agencies

We meet many of our students through conservation organisations, which send their entry-level and mid-level employees to the Southern African Wildlife College to grow in skills and knowledge by upgrading their qualifications. There are a variety of practical short courses or longer academic qualifications that train employees in the conservation sector to achieve greater levels of success in their fields of work.

International Students

We offer a range of specialist short courses; either as nationally accredited learning programmes with CATHSSETA or non-accredited needs-driven programmes. These programmes can be tailor‐made to match the time constraints, budgets and the curricula of institutions and the needs of individuals and/or groups within fields of expertise.

Training can take place at the College or off-site training can be arranged. A minimum of 10 participants is required for any course, and the dates are determined by organisations and trainers’ availability. The study fields provide topic-specific presentations and lectures concerning nature conservation and wildlife management practices, within both the private sector and national parks.

Fields of study include:

• Wildlife and Resource Management
• Research and Veterinary Services
• Sustainable Use and Field Guiding
• Elephant Management
• Social Ecology and Community Development as part of the Tourism Chain
• Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
• Transfrontier Conservation Areas
• Tourism Management and Eco Tourism within Protected Areas

For more information on our International Programmes for University Groups or programmes for interested individuals pursuing academic research please contact:

Marilize van der Walt, Natural Resource Management Management: Senior Advisor/ Coordinator 

+27 (0) 15 793-7336 mvanderwalt@sawc.org.za