The University of Fort Hare opened its doors in the town of Alice in 1916 ‒ 60 years after thetown's founding, 76 years after neighboring Lovedale College came into existence, and 80 years after East London was established. It was the first higher education institution in the country for black South Africans, but it was open to all races and genders. Together, the University of Fort Hare and Lovedale College earned the Eastern Cape its reputation as “the cradle of intellectual freedom” in South Africa.
Experience 100 momentous years of history. Visit our Centenary Exhibition in the De Beers Gallery on the Alice campus and follow our Heritage Trail through Fort Hare's campuses in East London, Bhisho and the town of Alice. Explore sites of significance in a landscape that has borne witness to some of the most dramatic chapters of our past. Discover a story of intellectual advancement, ideological uprising, struggles for freedom and the making of great minds ‒ and still greater leaders.