South Africa has a strong higher education sector, with 26 public (state-funded) higher education institutions and more than 90 (in 2015) registered private higher education institutions. The public institutions are divided into three types: 14 traditional universities (which mainly offer theoretically-oriented university degrees), six comprehensive universities (which offer academic and vocational certificates, diplomas and degrees) and six universities of technology (which offer vocationally-oriented diplomas and degrees). The major cities have at least one university. Many universities have satellite campuses in smaller centres across the country.

The higher education route is for students who wish to continue their formal studies after completing school. Many jobs require a higher education qualification as an entry requirement. It is a fact that students who obtain a post-Grade 12 qualification have a substantially higher chance of finding employment or being self-employed. In addition, many professions require a higher education qualification for registration, membership or licensing to enable the professional to practice.

Higher education makes a major contribution to transforming South African society, in particular by improving access to university study for people from previously disadvantaged groups, thus enabling them to play a stronger role in society and in the economy. Since the eve of democracy, the participation rate of Africans, Coloureds and Indians has increased substantially.

Students need at least a Grade 12 with a matriculation exemption as the legal requirement to enter a first degree at a higher education institution. Students can enter university with a National Senior Certificate (NSC) (i.e. school Matric), an NQF Level 4 National Certificate Vocational (that is offered by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, or another qualification that is equivalent to these two qualifications. Universities grant provisional admission to students based on the final Grade 11 results with final admission based on final Grade 12 results.

If you do not have one of these qualifications, for example if you are a mature or international student, you could contact Universities South Africa [formerly known as Higher Education South Africa (HESA)] (www.universitiessa.ac.za) to apply for a certificate of exemption issued by the Matriculation Board.

http://www.ieb.co.za/School/nsc.php

Admission requirements for further study at the Higher Certificate level

• Pass the National Senior Certificate (NSC)

Meet the language requirement for further study at a South African institution, namely, one of the two official languages offered by the learner must be either English or Afrikaans. To meet the language criterion to qualify for entry to study at a tertiary (i.e. post school) education institution, the learner must pass either English or Afrikaans at least at the 1st additional level i.e. at 30% or more.

Admission requirements for further study at the Diploma level

• Pass the National Senior Certificate (NSC) as follows:
  • One official language at home language level at 40%
  • 3 other subjects at 40%
  • 2 subjects at 30%

Meet the language requirement for further study at a South African institution, namely, one of the two official languages offered by the learner must be either English or Afrikaans. To meet the language criterion to qualify for entry to study at a tertiary education institution, the learner must pass either English or Afrikaans at least at the 1st additional level i.e. at 30% or more.

Note: The key difference between qualifying for entry into diploma study rather than higher certificate study is that the learner must achieve 40% or more in 4 subjects (incl. the official language at home language level) for the Diploma rather than just 3 subjects for the Higher Certificate.

Admission requirements for further study at the Bachelor Degree level

• Pass the NSC as follows:
  • One official language at home language level at 40% or more
  • 4 subjects from the designated list of subjects at 50% or more
  • 2 subjects at a minimum of 30%

Meet the language requirement for further study at a South African institution, namely, one of the two official languages offered by the learner must be either English or Afrikaans. To meet the language criterion to qualify for entry to study at a tertiary education institution, the learner must pass either English or Afrikaans at least at the 1st additional level i.e. at 30% or more.

Each university sets its own admission requirements in adherence to legislative prescripts, with 50% as the minimum for the first language and most subjects.

If you don’t meet the entry requirements to get into university this does not have to mean that you have reached a dead end. There are learning opportunities that can prepare you to enter university at a later stage. The South African Institute of Electrical Engineers confirms that “you don’t have to go to university immediately to become an Electrical Engineer. Some of today’s most prominent figures in the Electrical Engineering society commenced their studies at an FET College, then moved on to a university of technology and ultimately qualified as Electrical Engineers at university”.

Here are some options if you don’t meet the requirements to enter university:

If your overall Matric results were too low to enter university, you could repeat Grade 12. You can do this at any institution that offers Grade 12 such as a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college or an accredited private TVET institution. Depending on your circumstances and preferences, you could do it full time by attending classes, or through self-study via distance learning (e.g. a correspondence course), or you could do it part time while working.

If your marks in some Matric subjects were too low, you could repeat only those subjects at one of the above-mentioned institutions that offer those subjects on Grade 12 level.

If you do not meet the entry requirements of the qualification that you want to enrol for (e.g. a Bachelor’s Degree), you could enrol for a qualification on a lower level (e.g. a Higher Certificate or Diploma) and use that as a stepping stone into the degree programme.

Some universities offer ‘bridging’ programmes to assist students whose matric results are considered too low to cope with the complexity of learning at university. You will need to contact universities directly to find out what programmes they have that could assist you.

There are many resources available to assist school learners in planning their university studies, for example guidance received during school programmes and career counselling and advice provided by private individuals and businesses. There are also many resources available on the internet, of which a few are mentioned here.

Khetha National Career Development Services of the Department of Higher Education and Training provides a wide range of information and advice that learners can use in making career choices while still at school and during their post-school learning journey. The Career Development Services also has fully qualified Career Advisors for providing career information, guidance and advice. Some of the resources on this website (http://www.careerhelp.org.za) are:

• TVET Basic Career Guide,
• KHETHA Post-School Career Guide,
• Information on Post-School Options and Careers,
• Making a Career Choice,
• Financing your studies, and
• Subject Choice to assist Grade 9 learners to make the right choices of subjects for Grade 10 that will enable them to pursue their chosen career path on completion of Grade 12;

Careers portal: This site provides information on bursaries, loans and careers, as well as public and private training institutions. It also provides information on internship and learnership opportunities offered by companies, and graduate programmes funded by various institutions. (www.careersportal.org.za)

Smartstudent: This website provides information on universities for school leavers. It includes advice on issues such as choosing a course, what to take to university and student accommodation, as well as a list of public universities and information on the ranking of universities. (http://www.smartstudent.co.za/university)

Universities: Most universities offer a wide range of information and services to support learners who wish to enter the university and to assist first-year students to cross the bridge between school and higher education. For example, they provide career counselling advice to school learners, advice on study methods, information on fees and funding sources, advice on accommodation, and even bridging and academic development programmes to assist first-year students to fill the gap between specific school subjects (e.g. maths) and the level required at university.

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You can apply directly to the institution of your choice as universities provide information on their websites for applicants. You can also apply through the Central Application Clearing House (CACH) established by the Department of Higher Education (DHET). CACH provides a service for learners who qualify for higher education studies but have not been accepted at an institution of their choice at the time the matric results were released. It is also for those learners who did not apply before the closing dates but later find that they are eligible for higher education studies. The CACH system matches a prospective student’s profile and study preference with universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, etc. to assist students to access learning opportunities.

You can access the CACH system in January and February via the website: http://cach.dhet.gov.za, or the call centre on 0860 356 635, or by sending an SMS with your name and ID number to 49200 to be telephoned back free of charge.

Most higher education institutions offer a wide range of information and services to support learners who wish to enter the university and to assist first-year students to cross the bridge between school and higher education. For example, they provide career counselling advice to school learners, advice on study methods, information on fees and funding sources, advice on accommodation, and even bridging programmes to assist first-year students to fill the gap between specific school subjects (e.g. maths) and the entry level required at university. Most universities offer academic support programmes, e.g. by extending the time for completing a qualification by a year. Here are two examples of such support:

University of the Witwatersrand has the Go to the University to Succeed (GUTS) programme that supports the aspirations of high potential Grade 11 and 12 learners (from previously disadvantaged backgrounds), who would not normally consider Higher Education as a post-secondary school option. (http://www.wits.ac.za)

University of Cape Town has the 100UP project that targets school learners from disadvantaged backgrounds and coaches them towards access to the university. (http://www.sii.uct.ac.za/sii/100up#sthash.wofUeMuG.dpuf)