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.
Read the conditions on this page in full. This route creates a debt. You sign a deferred payment agreement, a parent or guardian signs as surety for the amount, and the fee becomes payable whether or not you find work. The agreement and the published Study Now, Pay Later Terms and Conditions govern; this page is a summary of them.
The terms, in short
How it works
You apply, with a parent or guardian
This is not a payment option at checkout. It is an application, 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 sign the agreement, 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 before two witnesses, and the two witnesses must sign in each other’s presence. The debt schedule at the back of the agreement must be filled in completely before anybody signs. You must be 18 or older; CIBA does not contract with minors.
How the signatures must be made
You may sign your part of the agreement by hand and send a scan or a clear photograph. The suretyship and the spousal consent are stricter: they must be signed by hand, or with an advanced electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. An ordinary typed name, a pasted image of a signature, or a standard 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 proof of your income, but not more than twice in any twelve months.
You repay over up to twelve months
Equal instalments by debit order or EFT. 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: a parent or legal guardian, or, where you have no living parent or guardian able to stand surety, another person of sufficient means.
- Not in default under any earlier agreement with CIBA.
What you will need to submit
Applications are assessed only when complete. Certified copies must be certified within the last three months.
From you
- Certified copy of your identity document or passport
- Proof of residential address
- Academic record, and proof of qualification or current registration
- Your contact details and banking details for the repayment mandate
- The Deferred Payment Agreement, with the debt schedule at the back completed in full, then signed by you and by your surety
- A written motivation, if CIBA asks for one
From your surety
- Certified copy of their identity document
- Proof of residential address
- Proof of income or means
- Their marital status, and if married in community of property, their spouse’s written consent signed before two witnesses
What happens if things go wrong
These are the parts of the agreement that matter most, and the ones worth reading twice.
If you lose your job
Once repayment has been triggered it stays triggered. You may apply in writing for a deferral or a restructure on hardship grounds. CIBA must consider it on its merits, must not unreasonably refuse, and must give reasons. No interest or fee accrues during an approved deferral.
If you do not finish
Withdrawing, being excluded, or not finishing within the prescribed duration makes the full balance payable within thirty days of demand. Where no duration is recorded for your intake, the cut-off is eighteen months from enrolment. Nothing is written off because you did not complete. This does not apply where the cause was a material breach by CIBA.
If you fall behind
You get written notice and seven business days to remedy. After that CIBA may claim the whole balance, plus simple interest on the overdue amounts only at 2% a month, or a lower rate if the law sets one. The interest is not compounded and stops once the unpaid interest equals the unpaid capital. Reasonable collection and legal costs are also recoverable.
If you become ill or incapacitated
CIBA must consider deferring completion, moving you to a later intake or restructuring repayment before accelerating the debt. On permanent incapacity, CIBA must consider suspending or waiving repayment.
Your surety’s position
The surety is liable jointly with you from the start, and CIBA does not have to pursue you first. Their liability can be capped at an agreed amount in the schedule. CIBA must send them a copy of every demand made on you. They are not liable where the debt itself is unenforceable because of a defect CIBA knew about, or should have known about, when the agreement was signed.
Your results and designation
CIBA may withhold a certificate not yet issued while you are in material payment default. It may not withhold a result you have already achieved, and it may not withdraw a designation already conferred because of a payment default.
Common questions
Is this a bursary?
No. It is not a bursary and not a donation. The full R12 000 remains payable. What CIBA gives you is time, without charging you for it.
Is it a loan?
No money is advanced to you. CIBA records the programme fee as a debt you owe and defers payment of it, free of interest and free of fees. If you fall into arrears and CIBA charges interest on the overdue amount, the arrangement may from that point be treated as an incidental credit agreement under the National Credit Act, and the protections of that Act then apply.
What if I never earn R5 000 a month?
Repayment still starts twelve months after you complete the programme. That is the backstop in the agreement. If you cannot pay at that point, apply for a hardship deferral in writing before you fall into arrears.
I am already working while I study. Does that trigger repayment?
No. Only months that begin after you have completed the programme count towards the R5 000 threshold. What you earn while you are still on the programme does not start repayment.
Can we sign electronically?
You can sign your own part of the agreement by hand and send a scan or photograph of it. The suretyship and, where it applies, the spousal consent must be signed either by hand or with an advanced electronic signature under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, and the spousal consent must be witnessed by two people signing in each other’s presence. A typed name or a pasted signature image will not do for those two.
Does part-time or freelance work count?
Yes. Permanent, fixed-term, temporary and part-time employment all count, as do internships, learnerships, self-employment and independent contracting. What matters is the gross income, not the type of work.
Why does someone have to stand surety?
Because CIBA is deferring a real amount with no security and no interest. The suretyship is what makes the route possible at all. If you have no parent or guardian able to sign, another person of sufficient means may be accepted.
Do I get a different version of the programme?
No. Same 26 sessions, same client work, same case study, same Work Readiness Passport, same completion certificate and same 12 months of credit toward a CIBA designation.
Can I just pay normally instead?
Yes, and for most people that is simpler. R12 000 once off, or R1 000 a month for twelve months. Go to enrolment.
Where are the full terms?
The U²Pro terms and conditions cover enrolment and the two standard payment options. This route is governed by the Study Now, Pay Later Terms and Conditions and the Deferred Payment Agreement. Both are below. Read the terms before you apply, and sign the agreement with your surety.
Study Now, Pay Later Terms and ConditionsRead before you apply · PDF, 199 KB Deferred Payment AgreementSign and upload with your application · PDF, 401 KBApply for deferred payment
Complete the application with your parent or guardian. CIBA will confirm whether a place is available and what happens next. Applying costs nothing and commits you to nothing until the agreement is signed.
Download both documents before you apply. Read the terms, then print the agreement, sign it with your surety and upload it with the rest of your documents.
