college

Blackfordby College of Agriculture

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Programmes: 2
Fields of study: 1
Levels offered: Diplomas & other 2
Location: Not listed

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2 programmes

Diplomas, certificates and other programmes (2)

Diplomas, certificates and bridging courses. Most are entered from O-Level; some need A-Level or an earlier award.

DiplomaAbout 2 years in total (3 taught trimesters, a project period and a farm attachment)
Diploma in Agriculture (Full-Time)
Agriculture · Agriculture & Farm Management
Entry: O-Level results · 5 O-Level passes (C or better) incl. English, Maths, a Science
Diploma
Diploma in Agriculture (Part-Time)
Agriculture · Agriculture & Farm Management
Entry: See entry requirements

Know the institution

About, admissions and campuses

About

Who they are: Founded in 1974 as the Tobacco Training Institute by members of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association. One-day farmer seminars began in 1976 and a tobacco diploma in 1977. After most commercial farmers diversified out of tobacco, the Diploma in General Agriculture was introduced in 2000 and is now the main course.
Accreditation: The prospectus says it is accredited with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
Mission: To develop and offer world-class formal agricultural training to the farming community, with emphasis on the commercial side of farm management and sustainable practices through proficient farming techniques.
Vision: To be a leading professional agricultural college committed to excellence.
Motto: Spes in Agricultura ('Hope in Agriculture'). The brand line is 'Passion. Relevance. Leadership.'
Highlights (prospectus): Thrust on practical commercial farming and entrepreneurship; multi-cultural environment; occasional lectures by industry experts; wide recognition within the SADC region; single-room occupancy; on-the-job attachment on productive farms.
Governance: Run by an independent professional Management Board under the Blackfordby Trust. The Principal runs day-to-day affairs with departmental heads. Board: Prof. Andrew Matibiri (Chairman), Dr Susan Dimbi, Ms Rufaro Samhungu and Mr Moses Suluma (Principal), as named in the prospectus (dated 1 July 2026).
Programmes: A full-time residential diploma and a part-time online-plus-Saturday diploma, both in Agriculture.

How to apply, fees and contacts

FEES (provisional, from Prospectus GAD30 May 2027; blue cells are inputs)

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS (full-time diploma, GAD30 prospectus)

HOW TO APPLY (website text)

ACADEMIC CALENDAR (GAD30 provisional, May 2027 intake; the earlier GAD29 calendar is shown for comparison)

Application fee (US$, once off, non-refundable): 50
General purpose fee (US$, once off, non-refundable): 450
Tuition + boarding per trimester (US$): 2350
Year 2 agro-industrial attachment fee (US$): 1800
Graduation fee (US$): 250
Number of taught trimesters: 3
Indicative total (US$): application + general purpose + trimesters + attachment + graduation: 9600
Fee notes: The prospectus says the College Board may review fees to match economic conditions. All students board, so boarding is in the trimester fee. The total is indicative: it excludes personal costs and anything not listed. The part-time programme's fees are not stated.
'O' Level: At least five Ordinary Level passes including English, Maths and a Science subject (Grade C or better).
Experience: Prior farming or any relevant work experience is an added advantage.
Age: Below 40 years of age.
Part-time diploma: Entry requirements are not stated.
1: Start an online application, or download a form from the links on the website.
2: Complete every required section, including O Level subjects and symbols.
3: Attach a passport photo for the applicant and one for the sponsor.
4: Print the form. Page 7 must be certified.
5: Complete and sign every section that needs a witness signature. If the sponsor is unavailable, the witness completes the required witness section.
6: Upload the signed, certified form through the online application portal and submit it.
Other ways: Request enrolment forms by email (info@blackfordby.co.zw) or WhatsApp, or visit the Principal's Office at the college.
Closing date: Not stated in the sources.
Stage: GAD30 (May 2027 intake) | GAD29 (May 2026 intake, for comparison)
Trimester 1: May to August 2027 | May to August 2026
Trimester 2: September to December 2027 | September to December 2026
Trimester 3: January to April 2028 | January to April 2027
Projects: May to July 2028 | May to July 2027
Industrial attachment: August 2028 to May 2029 | August 2027 to May 2028
Graduation: June 2029 | June 2028

CONTACTS

Website: www.blackfordbyagric.ac.zw
Email: info@blackfordby.co.zw (GAD30 prospectus and website text); admin@blackfordby.co.zw (website text). The earlier GAD29 prospectus used info@blackfordbyagric.ac.zw.
Telephone: +263 772 887 370 (WhatsApp and voice), as in the GAD30 prospectus. The website text and the GAD29 prospectus also list +263 775 884 968 (voice).
Address: Blackfordby College of Agriculture, Klein Kopjes Farm, Concession, Mazowe District, Zimbabwe
Directions (prospectus): From Westgate, Harare, go along Lomagundi Road past Gwebi College of Agriculture to Nyabira Business Centre (about the 33 km peg). Turn right onto a gravel road for about 30 km, then turn right at the Blackfordby sign and drive 4 km to the campus.

Campuses and where you will study

Campus: One residential campus on Klein Kopjes Farm, Concession, Mazowe District. All students stay on campus; there are no day scholars; single-room occupancy.
The farm: The farm runs semi-autonomously as a training and commercial production entity under the Farm Manager.
Getting there: About 33 km from Westgate along Lomagundi Road to Nyabira Business Centre, then roughly 30 km of gravel road and a further 4 km after the Blackfordby sign.
Part-time students: Online, with Saturday face-to-face practicals; the venue is not stated.
Programme rows: 2

Sources and notes on this information

Sources: (1) the 3-page 'Prospectus GAD30 May 2027 Intake, Diploma in Agriculture (Full Time)', dated 1 July 2026 (file created 7 July 2026); (2) the earlier GAD29 May 2026 prospectus, used for comparison; (3) the website admissions text you pasted. The college runs two programmes, so the catalogue has two rows. The part-time diploma is described only in the website text, with no entry rules, duration or fees.

Intake and dates: the full-time row now follows the GAD30 prospectus for the May 2027 intake. The prospectus calls its calendar and fees provisional. No application closing date appears in either prospectus or in the website text. The intake start is shown as May 2027, as the prospectus's Trimester 1 begins in May 2027.

What changed from GAD29 (May 2026) to GAD30 (May 2027): the general purpose fee rose from US$350 to US$450 and the graduation fee from US$150 to US$250. The application fee (US$50), tuition and boarding (US$2,350 per trimester) and attachment fee (US$1,800) are unchanged. Entry requirements, subjects and the trimester structure are unchanged. The GAD30 contact block drops the admin email and the second phone number (+263 775 884 968) and gives info@blackfordby.co.zw, which matches the website.

Duration: the prospectus calls it a '2 Years Full Time' diploma with three taught trimesters, followed by a 'one year' farm or agro-industrial attachment. Its GAD30 calendar runs May 2027 to May 2029 (taught trimesters May 2027 to April 2028, projects May to July 2028, attachment August 2028 to May 2029), about 2 years in all, so the attachment is counted inside the 2 years and is about 10 months on the calendar. The website's 'year-long industrial attachment' is therefore approximate.

Programme naming: the prospectus uses 'Diploma in Agriculture' and 'Diploma in General Agriculture' for the same course. The website calls the fourth discipline 'Agribusiness Management'; the prospectus calls it 'Farm and Agribusiness Management'. The prospectus names are used. The four disciplines are compulsory parts of one diploma, so they are not separate rows.

Entry: five O Levels at C or better including English, Maths and a Science; farming or work experience is an added advantage; under 40 years of age. No A Levels are needed. The age limit is an upper limit, so it is in 'Other conditions' and not in 'Mature entry'.

Fees: from the GAD30 prospectus and marked provisional (application US$50, general purpose US$450, tuition and boarding US$2,350 per trimester, attachment US$1,800, graduation US$250). The indicative total of US$9,600 on the Admissions sheet is my sum of those listed items (50 + 450 + 3 x 2,350 + 1,800 + 250); the prospectus does not give a total. The fee cells on the Admissions sheet are blue inputs, and the Programmes sheet reads them. The part-time diploma's fees are not stated.

Pathways and careers: the sources do not list graduate destinations. The careers and pathways here are indicative, written from the course content; the sources only say the diploma is widely recognised in the SADC region.

Fees, intakes, requirements and contact details change; confirm with Blackfordby College of Agriculture before applying or paying.

Taken from the institution's published material (file Blackfordby_Programme_Catalogue.xlsx) and added on 31 October 2026. Dates and fees change, so confirm with the institution before you apply.

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