SARUA Membership

The Power of the Network

SARUA’s membership proposition revolves around the concept of collective action and networking, emphasizing the importance of connecting higher education institutions (HEIs) in the SADC for regional innovation, resilience, and responsiveness. SARUA functions as an inclusive and vibrant membership organization that represents the entire SADC higher education region and strives to cater to the diverse needs of both public and private higher education institutions. The Association is committed to empowering the regional higher education sector to contribute positively to socio-economic, and environmental development in the region, while strengthening its capacity to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing higher education environment.

SARUA membership fees are calculated using a fair and equitable fee formula based on student numbers (headcount enrolments) and the World Bank’s Classification of Countries according to GNI per Capita, as agreed by members at the SARUA Triennial General Meeting.

Categorisation of SADC Countries according to GNI

The Classification of SADC countries follows the method used by the World Bank which identifies four country bands according to the Gross National Income per Capita:

Country Band
Country Band SADC Countries
Band 4 Seychelles High Income Countries
Band 3 Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia South Africa Upper Middle Income Countries
Band 2 Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Tanzania, Zimbabwe Lower Middle Income Countries
Band 1 Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia Lower Income Countries
SARUA Membership Fees 2023
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4 Category 5
Country Band <5000 Students 5001 – 10 000 Students 10 001 – 20 000 Students 20 001 – 30 000 Students > 30 000 Students
Band 3 $1800 $3600 $5400 $6600 $7500
Band 2 $1260 $2520 $3780 $4680 $5520
Band 1 $960 $1920 $2880 $3600 $4200

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