Please note:

• For human resources (HR) policies such as those governing conditions of service, please visit the Human Resources site.
• For information technology (IT) policies and other governance documentation such as UCT’s ICT Strategy, please visit the ICTS site.

General

UCT values: a statement of values for the University of Cape Town and its members – 10 December 2016

Guiding principles on academic freedom, autonomy and accountability guiding principles

Policy on Council statements – 3 November 2010

General rules and policies (Handbook 3) (including rules on conduct for students)

Proper channels for student complaints (see Handbook 3)

Policy on postgraduate admissions – 15 October 2022

Academic review guidelines – Senate approved March 2017

Policy on access to archives – 1 June 2018

Policy on co-badged qualifications and joint or jointly awarded qualifications (‘joint degrees’) – revised 15 March 2015

Policy for collection and heritage stewardship – 19 June 2021

Student housing admission policy for 2022–2026 – 19 June 2021

Approval of sabbatical office status for student leaders

Conflicts of interest: principles, policy and rules – 7 December 2014

Policy on gifts and hospitality – 15 October 2022

UCT special rules and code of conduct regulating activity on campus during South African national and local government elections – 29 March 2014

Policy on election to emeritus rank – March 2025

Guidelines for the appointment of supervisors of doctoral candidates – 2004

Guidelines regarding SAPS on campus – 19 March 2016

Policy and Terms of Reference: University Naming Committee – June 2023

Examinations

• Examinations policy manual – 2019
• Anonymous marking of final examinations – 2004
• Rules and procedure for the examination of master’s degree dissertations – September 2016

Dispute resolution

• Mediation policy
• Conflict resolution process for a supervisor–postgraduate student relationship – November 2018

Finance policies

• Finance policies and guidelines
• Procurement and payment services (PPS): policies and guidelines

Fraud and Risk Management

• Fraud and corruption prevention policy and response plan – June 2022
• Risk Management Policy – June 2020

Health and safety

• Managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses – July 2022
• Policy on health and safety – 11 March 2020
• Policy on first aid – 13 June 2014
• Policy on HIV Infection and AIDS – reviewed December 2020
• UCT smoking policy – effective 30 June 2017
• Post-exposure prophylaxis procedure and addendum – June 2017
• Student mental health policy – August 2018

Information Technology

• Interim policy on privacy and data protection – 4 December 2021
• Policy on metadata and information architecture – effective 13 June 2012
• Policy on records management – 16 July 2012
• ICTS policies and guidelines – on the ICTS website

Intellectual property policy – 27 July 2011

Language policy and implementation framework

Language policy – 12 December 2024

• English version
• Afrikaans version
• isiXhosa version

Implementation framework – 12 December 2024

• English version
• Afrikaans version
• isiXhosa version

UCT Open Access

• UCT Open Access policy – September 2020
• Guidelines to the UCT Open Access policy – 2021
• Addendum to UCT Authors’ Publication Agreements

Student Academic Misconduct

• Policy for the Prevention and Management of Academic Misconduct by Students – December 2023

Properties & Construction

• Minimum green building construction standard – June 2023

Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA)

Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA)

Research

• UCT policy for research data management
• UCT policy for responsible conduct of research
• UCT policy for ethics clearance and permission to engage UCT staff and/or students or their data in research
• UCT research ethics code for research involving human participants
• UCT research ethics code for use of animals in research and teaching
• Faculty of Health Sciences use of animals in teaching and research: standard operating procedures
• UCT policy and standard operating procedures regarding scientific use of non-human primates
• Register of ethics approvals for research conducted under the auspices of UCT
• Code for UCT research ethics committee members
• Appeal to Ethics in Research Committee: standard operating procedure
• Appeal to Senate Animal Ethics Committee: standard operating procedure
• Naming of inter- and/or intra-faculty teaching or research groups
• Authorship practices policy
• UCT policy and procedures for breach of research ethics codes and allegations of misconduct in research
  – September 2014 (previous version, for noting only)
• UCT policy and procedures for breach of research ethics codes and allegations of misconduct in research
  – December 2023 (current, active version, implemented 1 March 2025)
• Policy statement on safeguarding in research – October 2022
• Policy on SFARS – October 2022

Social responsiveness

• Social Responsiveness Policy Framework – 14 September 2021

Teaching and learning

Please visit the teaching and learning pages.

Transformation

Please visit the transformation plans and policies page.

• Employment equity policy
• Disability policy
• Inclusivity policy for sexual orientation
• Student mental health policy

Bullying and Harassment

• Policy addressing bullying – 19 June 2021 (also available in text format on the HR website)
• Policy on anti-racism, racial discrimination and racial harassment – 18 June 2022
• Sexual misconduct policy: sexual offences and sexual harassment
• Disciplinary procedure for sexual misconduct: sexual offences and sexual harassment

Web policies

• Domain name policy
• Web content management policy
• Web hosting policy

Whistleblowing

• Whistleblowing policy – June 2023