UCT Admission Requirements
UCT Admission Requirements,
Eligibility for admission
The admission requirements differ depending on what you want to study. The criteria for certificate courses, diplomas and degrees is listed below:
Undergraduate Certificate Study
To confirm eligibility for admission to undergraduate certificate study, applicants must consult the Admissions Office or the faculty concerned.
Undergraduate Diploma Study
The minimum requirement for admission to undergraduate diploma study is a National Senior Certificate (NSC) as certified by Umalusi with an achievement rating of 3 (Moderate Achievement, 40-49%) or better in 4 recognised NSC 20-credit subjects.
Bachelor’s Degree Study
To be eligible for admission to degree study, applicants need to meet minimum requirements for eligibility:
- Applicants holding a South African National Senior Certificate (NSC) need to pass a minimum of 4 subjects at a rating of 4 (Adequate Achievement, 50-59%) or better from a designated list of subjects. The designated list is as follows:
- Accounting
- Agricultural Sciences
- Business Studies
- Dramatic Arts
- Economics
- Engineering Graphics and Design
- Geography
- History
- Consumer Studies
- Information Technology
- Languages (one language of learning and teaching at a higher education institution and 2 other recognised language subjects)
- Life Sciences
- Mathematics
- Mathematical Literacy
- Music
- Physical Sciences
- Religious Studies
- Visual Arts
- Applicants holding a South African Senior Certificate need matriculation endorsement.
- Applicants holding non-South African school-leaving certificates must qualify for a matriculation exemption certificate. For more information please visit the website of the Matriculation Board.
Minimum language proficiency
All applicants must have attained a certain level of proficiency in English and are required to submit evidence of this, as outlined below, as part of their application to study.
UCT language policy in respect of South African Senior Certificate undergraduate applicants:
- South African Senior Certificate undergraduate applicants to UCT must have achieved a pass of 40% or more on the Higher Grade in English (First or Second Language) at Senior Certificate level.
UCT language policy in respect of South African NSC undergraduate applicants:
- South African NSC undergraduate applicants to UCT, must have achieved a rating of 2 (Elementary Achievement, 30-40%) or better at Home Language or First Additional Language level.
UCT language policy in respect of applicants holding non-South African school-leaving certificates
- A pass in English language at A-level, As-level, IGCSE, GCSE or O-level, International Baccalaureate or a level equivalent to any of those listed here.
- A score of at least 570 (for the paper-based test) or at least 230 (for the computer-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The score must be obtained no more than five years prior to application.
- A recent overall band score of 7.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), with no individual element of the test scoring below 6.0.
For further information on the IELTS and TOEFL exams, please
contact the UCT English Language Centre.
Calculating Admissions Points Score (APS)
The percentages achieved in National Senior Certificate examinations (preliminary and final examinations) will be allocated an admission score equal to that percentage.
The sum of 6 subjects, excluding Life Orientation, but including English and any required subject(s) for the relevant programme, is considered when deciding on admission. For example, for a given programme where Maths and Physical Sciences are required, we will take scores for English, Maths, Physical Sciences and the next best 3 subjects other than Life Orientation to compute the NSC score towards the APS.
Results below 40% for any subject do not attract a score.
General contacts
Postal address
University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Contact numbers and email addresses
UCT switchboard: +27 (0)21 650 9111
The web manager can only be of assistance with website-related queries, not IT-related queries. For the latter (including queries about online systems and email), please contact IT Helpdesk on +27 (0)21 650 4500. If you have queries about Vula, please contact the Vula Helpdesk.
| Faculties | Email address | Contact numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Commerce | com-faculty@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 4375 +27 (0)21 650 4369 website |
| Engineering & the Built Environment | ebe-faculty@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2699 +27 (0)21 650 3782 website |
| Graduate School of Business | info@gsb.uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 406 1922 +27 (0)21 421 5510 website |
| Health Sciences (Undergraduate) | fhs-ug-admiss@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 406 6328 +27 (0)21 650 3002 (HSF Reception) website |
| Health Sciences (Postgraduate) | fhs-pg-admiss@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 406 6340 +27 (0)21 650 3002 (HSF Reception) website |
| Humanities (Undergraduate) | hum-ugrad@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2717 +27 (0)21 686 7469 website |
| Humanities (Postgraduate) | hum-postgrad@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2691 +27 (0)21 650 5751 website |
| Law | law-studies@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3086 +27 (0)21 650 5662 website |
| Science | sci-science@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2712 +27 (0)21 650 2710 website |
| Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) | ched@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2645 +27 (0)21 650 5045 website |
| General enquiries | ||
| Accounts: Creditors | fnd-finance@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 4403 |
| Accounts: Debtors | fnd-debtors@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 5270/2143 +27 (0)21 650 4379 |
| Accounts: Fees | fnd-fees@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 1704 +27 (0)21 650 4768 |
| Admissions / Applications | admissions@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2128 |
| Campus Protection Services |  |
+27 (0)21 650 2222/3 |
| Communication & Marketing | Charmaine Dublin | +27 (0)21 650 3732 |
| Disability Service | dsa-disabilityservice@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2427 +27 (0)21 650 3794 |
| Educare | educare@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3522 +27 (0)21 689 8078 |
| Emergencies | +27 (0)21 650 2222 | |
| Fees Office | fnd-feeenq@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 1704 +27 (0)21 650 4768 |
| Finance Helpdesk | fnd-finance@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2111 +27 (0)21 650 4897 |
| Human Resources | HR Contacts | |
| International students | iapo@uct.ac.za | +27 21 650 2822/3740 +27 (0)21 650 5667 |
| IT Helpdesk (ICTS) | icts-helpdesk@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 4500 |
| Libraries | libraries@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3134 |
| Maintenance | +27 (0)21 650 4321 | |
| National Benchmark Tests | adp-aarp@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3523 +27 (0)21 650 5045 |
| Off-Campus Student Accommodation Services (OCSAS) | ocsas@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 4934 |
| Payment and Procurement Services (PPS) Helpdesk | fnd-purch@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2990 +27 (0)21 650 3663 |
| Postgraduate Centre and Funding Office | pgfunding@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3622 +27 (0)21 650 4352 |
| Protea Hotel Mowbray | reservations1@phmowbray.co.za Offers special rates for staff & students |
+27 (0)21 442 5300 website |
| Research and Innovation | researchvisibility@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 4015 |
| Sports and recreation | Peter Buckton | +27 (0)21 650 3557 +27 (0)21 650 5011 |
| Staff Housing | Nomonde Sikiti Melissa Patience |
+27 (0)21 650 2975 +27 (0)21 650 1048 |
| Student Affairs | Nadierah Pienaar | +27 (0)21 650 3535 +27 (0)21 650 5011 |
| Student Development Office | Nolindo Wabani | +27 (0)21 650 5389 +27 (0)21 650 5011 |
| Student Housing | res@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3010/2429 +27 (0)21 650 4014 |
| Student Orientation and Advocacy Centre | UCTOrientation@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 5082 |
| Student Records (academic records & transcripts) | reg-records@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3595 +27 (0)21 650 5714 |
| Student Representative Council (SRC) | src@uct.ac.za | |
| Student Systems Support | sss-helpdesk@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 5227 |
| Summer School | ems@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2888 |
| Switchboard / general enquiries | |
+27 (0)21 650 9111 |
| Traffic enquiries | traffic@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3314 |
| UCT Careers Service | careers.service@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 2497 |
| UCT Retirement Fund | uctrf-enquiries@uct.ac.za | |
| Undergraduate financial aid | financialaid@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 3545 |
| Vacation accommodation | vac-accom@uct.ac.za | +27 (0)21 650 1049 |
| Vula Helpdesk | help@vula.uct.ac.za | |
| Welcome Centre | |
+27 (0)21 650 3121 |
Office hours Monday to Friday
| Admissions (Middle Campus) |
08:30–16:30 |
| Fees Office (Middle Campus) |
Counter: 09:00–15:30 (Mon–Fri) Phone enquiries: 08:30–16:30 (Mon–Fri, Thurs from 09:30) |
| Student Housing (Lower Campus) |
08:30–12:30; 13:30–16:30 |
| Receipts Cashier (Middle Campus) |
09:00–15:30 |
Vice-Chancellor: vc@uct.ac.za