The members of the Council on Higher Education are appointed by the Minister of Education following a call for nominations from higher education stakeholders and the general public. The Members of the Council are appointed in their own right as people with specialist knowledge and expertise in higher education matters. Although the Members are drawn from various constituencies, the Council functions as an independent expert statutory body and not as a body of representatives of organisations, institutions or constituencies.

The Higher Education Act makes provision for a Council Chairperson, thirteen ordinary members, a maximum of three co-opted members and eight non-voting members. At least three of the 13 Ordinary Members of the Council must be external to the higher education sector. Members are appointed for a four year period, and the Chairperson for five years. Any co-opted member of the Council holds office for a period determined y the Council.

The Council appoints an Executive Committee (EXCO), to deal with urgent matters. The EXCO consists of the Chairperson of the Council and four other Members appointed by the Council.

The current members of the Council are:
	Prof. NC (Chabani) Manganyi (Chair)	Senior Research Fellow, Unit for Advanced Studies, University of Pretoria
	Ms L (Lucy) Abrahams	Director, Learning Information Networking Knowledge (LINK)
	Prof. Y (Yunus) Ballim	Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), University of the Witwatersrand
	Dr Y (Yvonne) Dladla	Independent Consultant
	Prof. M (Magda) Fourie	Vice Rector (Teaching), University of Stellenbosch
	Ms J (Jenny) Glennie	Director, South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE)
	Mr SBA (Samuel) Isaacs	Executive Officer, South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
	Mr R (Rob) Katz	Chief Executive Officer, Spirit Power
	Dr J (Jon) Lewis	Research & Media Officer, South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU)
	Dr B (Bandile) Masuku	Obstetrician & Gynecologist, Charlotte Maxeke / JHB Academic Hospital
	Adv. B (Boyce) Mkhize	Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
	Prof. L (Letitia) Moja	Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor MEDUNSA Campus, University of Limpopo
	Prof. AM (Gonda) Perez	Deputy Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town
	Dr M (Molapo) Qhobela	Deputy Director General, Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)
	Dr M (Mafu) Rakometsi	Chief Executive Officer, Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi)
	Dr W (William) Rowland	Honorary President, SA National Council for the Blind (SANCB) Chief Executive Officer, Thabo Mbeki Development Trust for Disabled People (TMDT)
	Prof. SJ (Stuart) Saunders	Senior Adviser, Andrew W Mellon Foundation
	Prof. Y (Yonah) Seleti	Acting Group Executive, Human Capital and Knowledge Systems, Department of Science & Technology (DST)
	Prof. R (Rolf) Stumpf	Independent Consultant
	Dr A (Albert) van Jaarsveld	President, National Research Foundation (NRF)
	Mr V (Vic) van Vuuren	Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO)