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The multicultural society of South Afirca reflects a country rich in history and deep in the spiritual identity of Ubuntu. Ubuntu is an ethnic ideology reflecting the attitude of human connectedness and togetherness. This attitude is part of the strong fabric that has held South Africa together as a unified Nation after the fall of Apartheid, a brutal system of racial segregation, in 1994.Under the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the country has become an engine for economic growth, political reform, and ethnic tolerance throughtout much of Southern Africa and the continent as a whole.

AU students have the opportunity to study at the University of Cape Town through the Council for International Education Exchange (CIEE) program in South Africa. The city has a remarkably relaxed feel for a large city with an intense political history. The University of Cape Town (UCT), founded in 1829, is the oldest university in South Africa. While it was traditionally a university for white, English-speaking South Africans, it has diversified its student body since the end of apartheid and is now roughly 50 percent white. UCT has 20,000 students, of whom 3,000 are foreign students. UCT has an open campus, set in the bustling Rondebosch suburb of Cape Town. Rondebosch and the nearby Observatory area feel a bit like Adams Morgan, with shops, cafes, and restaurants catering to international and South Africa students.