Phd in Human movement at Rhodes university?

Hi folks

I tried posting something last week on an old thread - I think the Internet gremlins must have eaten it en-route Anyway...



Preamble
By means of introduction - I'm part way through a Msc in Exercise Rehab with Charles Sturt and have been day-dreaming about doing a Phd. Yes, I hate myself that much

By a fun coincidence, someone on another (unrelated forum) mentioned a scam-degree they had been emailed about. That got me to thinking about the series of articles I read years ago on Quackwatch. I looked them up, researched the author and somehow ended up here

Question
What I would like to ask is - what the heck is up with all of these South African universities? I've gotta be reading some of these things wrong or putting the wrong numbers in xe.com, because the per year tuition fees are coming out at around A$1800! That can't be right, can it?

Fees - Applying - Rhodes University

Has anyone completed Phd studies with Rhodes and if so, can they confirm the total dollar cost of doing so? It looks too good to be true...

Best regards

Kbits

 

Addendum:

A$=Australian Dollar

(I'm in Australia)

Rest of the question remains head-scratchingly, glimmer-of-hope-but-waiting for-the-other-shoe-to-drop same.

 

It's possible. For example, Michael Licona did his PhD at the University of Pretoria in SA (via distance) and says re its costs that the "tuition costs for my entire doctoral program were less than $4,000." He describes his experiences here and rationale for choosing their doctorate program here: risenjesus.com - University of Pretoria

I remember reading that Indian universities sometimes have different rates for people who are from wealthier countries. So, you'd of course want to double check. But SA schools, from what I've read here and elsewhere, are usually much, much cheaper than US/AUS/etc schools.

Of course, there is bound to be some ethnocentrism with regards to a degree earned from SA; while the actual work completed and the institution itself might be top-notch, there might still be some resistance from employers/others compared with a more traditional degree from a more well-known university.

 

You need to take into account that because of the earnings and differences in the exchange rate in South Africa, this is not cheap for South Africans.
Rhodes is actually one of the "top tier" universities here and its fees are much higher than many others.

 

No, you're not coming up with bad numbers. As others have indicated, the differences in the exchange rates and costs of living have resulted in what seems to be a huge price differnce for education. Some people hesitate due to questions of name recognition/reputation and myths about difficulties in navigating the South African educations system. In my mind the price difference is worth whatever struggles mught ensure because I've got more time than money right now. Others may have diffeent values. That's OK.

 

It's pretty amazing if it's on the table. Taking into consideration the domestic fees I would otherwise be paying ($30,000-$50,000), it's definitely the most affordable option to me, even if one would have to fly into SA to do thesis defence in person.

Has anyone done Phd externally / distance mode with Rhodes? Are they open to the idea? What are they like to deal with? How is communication back and forth - prompt, slow or non existent? They seem to be a smaller university (7,000 or so students, by some accounts) so one could hope for a close relationship then at some of the B&M monoliths