Oprah Academy to close campus in 2027, expand aid

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, a prestigious tuition-free boarding school in South Africa, will close its residential campus at the end of the 2027 academic year, the organization announced on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The decision marks a strategic shift from a single-campus model to a broader scholarship initiative aimed at supporting more young women across the country.

Founded by media mogul Oprah Winfrey in partnership with the late South African President Nelson Mandela, the academy opened in 2007 on a 22-acre campus in Gauteng province. It was established to provide a world-class education to academically talented girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The school, which reportedly cost $40 million to build, has graduated more than 1,000 students, with nearly all pursuing higher education and careers in fields such as medicine, law, engineering, and business.

Under the original partnership agreement, the campus will be returned to South Africa's Gauteng Department of Education, which will continue to operate it as a school. All current students will be supported financially and academically to complete their education without disruption, with...