Situated in the wine-growing region of Stellenbosch, 60km from Cape Town, Stellenbosch University has four campuses: the main campus at Stellenbosch, which hosts the faculties of arts and social sciences, science, education, agrisciences, law, theology, economic and managements sciences, and engineering. The health sciences faculty is at Tygerberg Hospital, while the business school is in Bellville, and military sciences faculty in Saldanha.

The university, home to around 26 000 students, is committed to using and sustaining Afrikaans as an academic language in a multilingual context. So while predominantly Afrikaans, many courses are lectured bilingually, and students are allowed to write their assignments and exams in English. At postgraduate level, the language of tuition is determined by the composition of the class.

Stellenbosch University is home to an academic community of some 28 000 students (including more than 3 000 foreign students) as well as just under 3 000 permanent staff members (including 939 academic staff) on five different campuses. The historical oak-lined university town amongst the Boland Mountains in the winelands of the Western Cape creates a unique campus atmosphere, which attracts local and foreign students alike. On the main campus, paved walkways wind between campus buildings – some dating from previous centuries; others just a few years old. Architecture from various eras attests to the sound academic foundation and establishment of an institution of excellence. This, together with the scenic beauty of the area; state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facilities and technology, as well as visionary thinking about the creation of a sustainable 21st-century institution, makes for the unique character of Stellenbosch University.