U²Pro · study now, pay later
Study now. Start paying once you are earning.
A limited number of U²Pro places carry deferred payment terms. You start the programme now and repay later, without interest and without fees. It is not a bursary: the fee remains payable, and it is granted by application rather than chosen at checkout.
Thabang RammutlaU²Pro student, now CFAdmin with CIBA
The terms, in short
The programme fee. Nothing is added to it.
No initiation, service or admin fee while you pay on time.
A month, counted only in months after you finish. Or twelve months after you finish, whichever comes first.
Equal monthly instalments. Settle early at any time, with no penalty.
How it works
You apply, with a parent or guardian
This is an application rather than a checkout option, because it creates a debt and requires a surety. Places are limited, CIBA may interview you or ask for a written motivation, and nobody has a right to be granted deferred terms. You must be 18 or older: CIBA does not contract with minors.
You sign, and your surety signs the suretyship
You sign the U²Pro Deferred Payment Agreement. A parent or legal guardian signs as surety and co-principal debtor. If they are married in community of property, their spouse must consent in writing in front of two competent witnesses who sign in each other's presence. The debt schedule at the back of the agreement has to be completed in full before anybody signs.
How the signatures must be made
You may sign your part of the agreement by hand and send a scan or a clear photograph, and the agreement may be signed in counterparts. The suretyship and the spousal consent are stricter: both must be signed by hand, or with an advanced electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002. A typed name, a pasted image of a signature or an ordinary e-signing tool is not enough for those two.
Your enrolment is activated
No money is paid to you. CIBA records the R12 000 as a debt you owe and defers payment of it. You then get the same U²Pro as everyone else: the 26 sessions, the client work, the case study and the Work Readiness Passport.
You tell CIBA when you start earning
Within ten business days of your first month after completing the programme in which you earn R5 000 or more, you notify CIBA in writing. Employment counts broadly: permanent, fixed-term, temporary, part-time, internships, learnerships, self-employment and contracting. CIBA may ask for reasonable proof of your employment status and income, but not more than twice in any twelve months.
You repay over up to twelve months
Equal instalments by debit order or electronic transfer. The first instalment is due by the end of the month following the month in which repayment is triggered, and the instalments run monthly from there. You may settle early, in part or in full, without penalty. Repayments fund the next graduate who cannot pay upfront.
Who can apply
- South African citizens, or people lawfully resident in South Africa
- Students or graduates who meet the admission requirements for U²Pro
- Aged 18 or over at the date of application
- Able to provide a surety acceptable to CIBA
What you will need to submit
Five groups. Group five applies only if your surety is married in community of property. Applications are assessed once every item has been received, so send everything together.
The signed agreement
One document, signed in several places. Upload it as a single file, all pages, including the blank ones.
- The Deferred Payment Agreement, signed by you. Sign the Participant block, confirming the agreement was explained to you.Clause 15.6
- Part B, the Deed of Suretyship, signed by your surety in front of two witnesses. Both witnesses sign as well. A surety signature without two witnesses is sent back.Clauses 16.1 and 16.2
- Annexure A, the Debt Schedule, completed. Items 2 and 3 are your details and your surety's: full names, identity number, physical address, email address, cellphone number, and your surety's relationship to you and marital status.Annexure A, items 2 and 3
- A second surety block, if a second person is standing surety. Two witnesses again.
About you
Certified copies must be certified within the last three months.
- A certified copy of your identity document or passport.
- Proof of your residential address. A municipal account, bank statement or lease in your name, or an affidavit if the account is in someone else's name.
- Your academic record, and proof of your qualification or current registration.
- Your banking details for the monthly repayment mandate, collected by debit order or electronic transfer once repayment starts.Agreement, clause 4.3
- A written motivation, if CIBA asks for one. Not required from everyone.
About your surety
Your surety is liable for the full amount alongside you from the day the agreement is signed, so CIBA has to be satisfied they can carry it.
- A certified copy of your surety's identity document.
- Proof of your surety's residential address.
- Proof of your surety's income or means. Three recent payslips, three months of bank statements, or, if they are self-employed, their most recent financial statements or an accountant's letter.
- Their marital status, stated in item 3 of the Debt Schedule. They warrant that what they state is true and correct.Agreement, clause 19.1
Your pledge video
A short video of you, recorded on your phone. It does not need to be polished.
- Between forty five and ninety seconds, saying four things: your full name, where you studied, what you want to do with U²Pro, and that you understand you are undertaking to repay the R12 000 once you are earning.Film in a quiet place with the light in front of you. MP4, MOV, M4V or WebM. If the file is too large to upload, the form lets you send a link instead.
Only if your surety is married in community of property
Without this the suretyship is not valid and the application cannot be approved.
- Annexure B, spousal consent, signed by your surety's spouse in front of two witnesses. It records the spouse's full names, identity number and signature.Agreement, clause 19.2 and Annexure B. Section 15(2)(h) of the Matrimonial Property Act 88 of 1984.
What happens if things go wrong
If you do not finish
The fee does not disappear. It remains payable on the same terms, and the repayment clock still starts on the earlier of your first qualifying month of earnings or the twelve-month mark.
If you still have no work after a year
Instalments begin anyway. Talk to CIBA before the date rather than after it, because an arrangement is easier to agree while nothing is overdue.
If you fall behind
Interest runs at 2% a month on overdue amounts, or a lower maximum if the law imposes one, capped by the in duplum rule, plus attorney-and-own-client costs. No interest is charged while nothing is overdue.
Where your surety stands
They are liable alongside you from the day they sign. They are not liable where the debt is unenforceable because of a defect CIBA knew of, or ought to have known of, when it was signed.
Terms, clause 11.2.1. Agreement, clauses 10.3.1 and 18.1. Clause 3.2 of the agreement records that it is not a credit agreement while no interest is charged, and that it may become an incidental credit agreement once interest is charged on an overdue amount.
Common questions
I work part-time while I study. Does that start the repayment clock?
No. A qualifying month has to begin after the date you complete the programme. Anything you earn while you are still working through U²Pro does not count and does not trigger repayment.
Can we sign electronically?
Partly. You may sign your part of the agreement by hand and send a scan or a clear photograph, and the agreement may be signed in counterparts. The suretyship and the spousal consent must be signed by hand, or with an advanced electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. A typed name or a pasted signature image will not do for those two.
Is this a bursary?
No. The R12 000 remains payable. A bursary covers the fee and, if you finish, is never repayable. If you are hoping not to pay at all, apply for a bursary instead.
How much will each instalment be?
R12 000 spread over up to twelve equal months, so R1 000 a month over the full term. The first instalment is due by the end of the month following the month in which repayment is triggered.
What counts as employment?
Permanent, fixed-term, temporary and part-time work, internships, learnerships, self-employment and contracting. What matters is whether you earned R5 000 gross or more in a month after you finished.
Can I settle it early?
Yes, in part or in full, at any time, with no penalty.
Who can be my surety?
A parent or legal guardian, or another person acceptable to CIBA, who can show income or means. They sign as surety and co-principal debtor in front of two witnesses. If they are married in community of property, their spouse consents in writing.
Which documents actually govern this?
The Study Now, Pay Later Terms and Conditions and the Deferred Payment Agreement, both published below. Where this page and those documents differ, the documents apply.
Apply for deferred payment
Download both documents. Read the terms, then complete and sign the agreement with your surety before you upload anything.
Places are limited.
Send every item together. An incomplete application is not placed in a queue.
Questions about deferred payment: ciba@myciba.org or +27 (0) 12 643 1800. Chartered Institute for Business Accountants NPC. The programme fee is R12 000 including VAT.