iX has a need-blind admissions policy, which means we don't consider an applicant's financial situation when making their admissions decision—we decide based on the strength of an application alone.

We grant aid based on an applicant's demonstrated need, which is calculated from the percentage of need-based financial aid you’ve been awarded by your school. Financial aid can cover up to 30% of your tuition fee depending on your need. If you are granted aid, it will be deducted from your program fees. Financial aid awards cannot be used to pay the program deposit.

During your general application to the program, you will need to select if you would also like to apply for financial aid. If you select yes, you will be asked to complete a separate financial aid application should you be accepted onto the program. 

As a part of your financial aid application, you will be asked to disclose what percentage of your university tuition is covered by need-based aid, and upload supporting documentation. If your university has a partnership with iX and you are eligible for aid through your university, we may not consider you for direct aid.

We will release your financial aid package within one week of releasing your application decision.

No. Our students take on a project with your company at no cost to you at any point.

We ask that you dedicate some management time to the interns. In order to be an internship partner, we require that internship managers meet with the students in person twice a week at minimum: once at the beginning to set out the plan for the week, and once at the end to give you a progress update and discuss any changes.

Most companies meet with the interns more than twice a week, though - it all depends on the demands of your project brief. If the interns perform well, please do give them a letter of recommendation at the end of the project period! This will go a long way in boosting their efforts when they join the recruitment scene after graduating.

If you’re willing to integrate the interns into your business more - for example, including them in company events, having meet-and-greet sessions, and giving them insight into the world of work you occupy, this will greatly enrich their experience.

We generally assign students to groups of 3-5 per project brief. Keep in mind that an internship company can certainly have more than one brief on the go - which, of course, would mean hosting more than one group of interns.

We’re perfectly happy with that, as long as there’s sufficient management capacity on your side to ensure that they get the information they need. Many of our partner companies in the past have taken multiple groups of interns across several disciplines in the same program.

Absolutely! Several of our partner companies have made permanent offers to our students in the past. We have no hand in that process, though - recruitment is at your discretion, and does not involve any process or influence from our side.

In all of our programs, the students will still return to the classroom environment during the internship period regularly. This allows them to ask their Head Teachers and TAs for support, clarify any concepts that they haven’t yet grasped, and get guidance on professional conduct.

In most of our programs, we also include (on top of their course) additional workshops on how to be an effective remote worker, how to present with impact, what the workplace of today and tomorrow will look like, and how to engage with work in a professional manner.

We’ll work with you in our introductory session to explain the learning outcomes of our courses and how we can align a project with your business’ needs. See our program pages to get an idea of what kinds of courses we teach - every internship project must be aligned with one of the courses.

We scope out a project brief in collaboration with you to ensure that there’s little to no scope creep once the internship period starts. Be creative, though - the sky's the limit!

iX Summer runs between May and August each year, with two identical six-week programs. In those six weeks, the first two are purely class, and the next four are then the internship period. As such, the interns will be available for four weeks in each of the two cohorts - so depending on the scope of work to be done, a bigger project can be split into two halves of four weeks each.

Our students come from universities all over the world - many of them some of the world’s best, including Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Oxford, the University of Virginia and many more. They’re mostly undergraduates from diverse backgrounds, and the diversity is ever-increasing - particularly with our focus on improving accessibility and affordability for students from all walks of life.

This depends on your citizenship. US citizens do not need a visa to enter South Africa for up to 90 days, which is more than enough for the duration of the iX program. We’ll gladly provide any letters or documentation that may be needed upon your arrival, but because you’ll be learning and doing excursions with us, the best way to describe the program if asked about it at the border is that you’re doing an educational tour. If you’re not a US citizen, please check the diplomatic and visa requirements of your home country or passport issuing authority.

In 2024, iX Summer was held at Village n Life Camps Bay, located in one of Cape Town's safest and trendiest areas. This coastal suburb is known for its vibrant atmosphere and stunning location, just a short walk from some of the city's most lively restaurants and beautiful beaches.

Coworking space is provided within walking distance of the accommodation, so you will be able to walk to the space within 15 minutes. All iX student accommodation is equipped with 24-hour security. You’ll receive your own set of keys and access codes so that you can come and go as you please. Free and unlimited WiFi is always available, but may be a little slower than what you’re used to. However, the coworking spaces provided are also available to work from and the internet will be faster there.

Most rooms are equipped with simple kitchenettes that include a microwave, kettle, small fridge and cutlery and crockery, allowing all students to prepare their own meals. You’ll be sharing a room with two or more fellow iXers of the same gender. Remember, rooming is done based on preference for early payment: the sooner you enroll in the program and settle the deposit payment, the higher you’ll be on the rooming preference list. Note that, because we partner with accommodation providers that have a broad offering of options, some rooms may be bigger than others, and have different amenities; while we endeavor to make the experience largely equal for everyone, there may be cases where late applicants will be accommodated in slightly smaller rooms.

Uber is by far the easiest way to get around town: it’s safe, available everywhere, and very affordable. Cape Town’s MyCiti bus system is the best form of public transport and is also a great way to get around the city. It is also possible to walk around to many locations. This will be covered more comprehensively in the day one health and safety briefing after you arrive.

Uncertainty is normal - and it can be a gift! We encourage exploration, especially with the knowledge that no experience is wasted. If you're unsure of what your vision for your future career looks like, don't panic - that's absolutely normal. Our advice is to request the course info packs from your iX admissions consultants and get to know what the learning outcomes are for each course, as well as examples of previous internships and teaching teams.

When making a decision, remember: you're not bound to do one thing for the rest of your life! New skills can be valuable down the line in surprising ways. Even if you do one of our courses and realize that it's not for you, that's still a valuable insight (since knowing what you do want is wonderful, but knowing what you don't want is a great second-best).

If you're struggling to make a choice, ask your admissions consultant to put you in touch with an iX alum who has done one of our courses before. Real-life insight can be very helpful when clarifying your decisions. Even if you start the program and realize that you're not interested in the field, we do allow course switches (with clear motivation) up to three days in.

No, the classes are taught live and in person, and the internship is in-city. You’ll have access to an excellent coworking space depending on where your iX accommodation is located, where you’ll have free WiFi, access to loads of coffee shops and restaurants, and modern amenities for before and after class. You will be able to walk to your accommodation from the coworking space provided.

No, your meals are not included in the program. However, there are many fantastic restaurants and cafés in all directions, within walking distance from the coworking space as well as your accommodation. There are also lots of excellent grocery stores for you to buy food from and there will be facilities to prepare meals either in your apartment or in communal kitchens. Note that the US Dollar is significantly stronger than the South African Rand, so you’ll find that food is relatively cheap in Cape Town. To give you an idea, a cappuccino is around $2 and a large 14” pizza will only set you back around $8. Some dining experiences are included in the program, so there will be occasions where we’ll take you to an awesome dining destination and it’ll be covered by us. Check the sample program schedule to get an idea of what to expect.

iX works with over 250 partner companies around the world as part of our internship program. From startups to NGOs, big corporates to non-profits, our internships are sourced from businesses of all sizes in an extremely broad range of industries and disciplines.

Naturally, because these internships are real-world, they change year on year depending on the business’ needs. It’s impossible to predict far ahead of time what innovative, forward-thinking companies will come up with next! As a result, we confirm projects right up to the start of the program, which is why the full list of finalized internships is only released to students when the program begins. That being said, the examples of previous years’ internships included in the info packs is a great illustration of what kind of work you can expect.

Check the Internships page for examples of companies we’ve worked with previously to get an idea of what to expect.

As with many other international cities, Cape Town is not without its criminal activity - in the city center, this generally consists of opportunistic petty crime, such as pick-pocketing. There are portions of South Africa with more serious criminal elements but these are a significant distance out from where the iX program is run. Our rule of thumb is that vigilance is key, with some good, old-fashioned common sense - but don’t worry, our experienced iX staff will make sure to answer any of your questions, keep you safe and support each student throughout the iX journey to ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience with us.

Flights are not included in the price of the program. What is included is: the course and internship program, safe, comfortable accommodation with other iXers, co-working space from which to do online class and internship work, four excursions, in-person talks by industry experts, weekly community and social events, airport pickup and drop-off, 24/7 health & safety support, welcome event and orientation.

We have a schedule that our program management team puts together to help you explore and enjoy the city with friends and our staff. You are also free to plan your own activities, and should you need assistance, feel free to ask!

Rooms are allocated with 2-5 students in each. Rooming selection is on a first-come-first-serve basis. This means that students who commit to the program and pay their deposits early have first choice of rooming options. If you have specific requests for who you’d like to room with, please let your Career Advisor know. If you would like your own private room, you can contact your Career Advisor prior to the start of the program to see if this can be arranged (depending on availability - and please note, this will be at an additional cost). Alternatively, you can contact your program manager when on the program about this, but the sooner we get your request, the sooner we can make appropriate arrangements.

Your coworking space will be within walking distance of your accommodation, and will be accessible at all times. You’ll be shown where it is during orientation on your first full day in the city, and what amenities are available to you to support your learning journey with iX.

We cap our class sizes to ensure that every student has the opportunity to get involved and have a personalized learning experience. That being said, there may be multiple classes within your course, so the iX Abroad program varies in size, depending on the number of classes we can accommodate. It's up to the individual to make the most of what the program offers! The iX staff on the ground are always on hand to ensure that each and every student is safe, supported, and given the space to grow in their own ways.