Oprah To Close Her South Africa Girls’ Academy In 2027, Expanding Scholarships Instead

Oprah To Close Her South Africa Girls’ Academy In 2027, Expanding Scholarships Instead

After nearly two decades of changing lives, Oprah Winfrey is preparing to close the doors of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

The media mogul announced that the residential campus will conclude operations at the end of the 2027 academic year. However, the move does not mark the end of her commitment to educating young women. Instead, Winfrey says she plans to expand her scholarship program, allowing even more girls across South Africa to attend top schools. According to Oprah, the new model is expected to serve roughly twice as many students as the academy currently does.

“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” Winfrey said in a statement. “That dream doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”

Founded in 2007 following conversations with the late Nelson Mandela, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls has graduated more than 1,000 students, many of whom have gone on to attend universities around the world. Current students will be able to complete their education, and those still enrolled during the transition will have their tuition fully covered at other top-tier schools through graduation. The academy’s campus will then return to the Gauteng provincial government, in line with the original partnership agreement.

Despite facing an early abuse scandal involving a former employee shortly after the school opened, Winfrey has repeatedly described the academy as her “greatest legacy,” citing the lasting impact it has had on generations of young women and their families.