Each of South Africa’s 26 public universities publishes its own entry rules for 2027, and no two read your matric results the same way. A 70% in Mathematics can count as 6 points at one university, 7 at another, 7.0 at a third and simply 70 at a fourth. That is why a prospectus matters: it is the only document that tells you how that particular university will score you, and what score each course asks for.
Below you will find a page for every public university. Each one links the university’s own prospectus or admission guide, explains its scoring method in plain terms, and lists the entry requirements for its most searched courses, taken from the official document with the page number where we could. Where a university has not published a 2027 edition, its page says so and tells you what it uses instead.
The four scoring systems you will meet
- The 7-point APS (levels 1 to 7, six subjects, Life Orientation left out): the classic system, used for example by the University of Pretoria and UNISA, with a maximum of 42.
- An 8-point scale that gives a separate, higher score for 90–100%: used by, among others, UFS, NWU, UKZN, WSU, VUT, CUT, MUT and Sol Plaatje. The same marks therefore produce a higher total than on the 7-point APS.
- Percentage-based scores: CPUT and Rhodes divide your percentages by 10, Univen scores 70–79% as 7.0–7.9, and Stellenbosch works with your average percentage.
- Points out of 600 or more: UCT adds your percentages to a score out of 600 (800 for Science, 900 for Health Sciences with the NBT), and Nelson Mandela University uses an Applicant Score out of 600.
A few universities add their own twists. Wits counts seven subjects including Life Orientation and adds bonus points for English and Mathematics, while UWC weights English and Mathematics far more heavily than other subjects. Health Sciences faculties often add the National Benchmark Tests, interviews or selection tests on top of the score, so a high APS alone does not guarantee a place.
Fees and routes differ too. UJ, CPUT, UWC, Univen and CUT charge no application fee, and Nelson Mandela University charges none for South African citizens, while others ask between R100 and R300. Four KwaZulu-Natal institutions (UKZN, DUT, MUT and UniZulu) take applications through the Central Applications Office rather than their own portals, so their pages explain how the CAO handbook and the university’s own brochure fit together.
Prospectus pages by university
- CPUT Prospectus 2027: Percentage-Based APS and Programme RequirementsHow CPUT's percentage-based APS methods work, with Nursing, Radiography, Engineering, Accountancy, IT and BEd entry levels and the early closing dates.
- CUT Prospectus 2027: Online Course List, Points Scale and Entry RulesCentral University of Technology's web-based prospectus explained: its 8-point scoring scale, selection tests, Bloemfontein and Welkom courses.
- DUT Prospectus 2027: Study Opportunities Guide and Late ClosingsDUT's prospectus is called Study Opportunities.
- NWU Prospectus 2027: Where the Requirements Live and What They SayNorth-West University has no open prospectus PDF.
- SMU Prospectus 2027: Health Sciences Entry Points and Selection DatesSefako Makgatho's health-sciences-only prospectus: MBChB, dentistry, pharmacy, physio and nursing points, Life Orientation rules and selection timing.
- SPU Prospectus 2027: Kimberley Admission Points and Course GuideSol Plaatje University's undergraduate prospectus: its APS table with Maths and home-language bonuses, course requirements and the October deadline.
- TUT Prospectus 2027: Enrolment Guide, APS Rules and Course DeadlinesTshwane University of Technology's first-year enrolment guide: APS rules, the potential assessment, three closing dates and entry levels for six courses.
- UCT Prospectus 2027: FPS, NBT Rules and Faculty Cut-offsHow UCT turns matric marks and NBT results into a Faculty Points Score, with band cut-offs for MBChB, engineering, commerce, LLB and BA.
- UFH Prospectus 2027: Fort Hare Study Guide, APS and Subject LevelsFort Hare's undergraduate study guide explained: how Life Orientation counts, the ML extra point, and APS and subject levels for LLB, Nursing and BCom.
- UJ Prospectus 2027 PDF: Requirements While Applications Stay OpenUniversity of Johannesburg's undergraduate prospectus explained: free applications, the noon deadline, APS rules and scores for popular courses.
- UKZN Prospectus 2027: APS Scale, Programme Minimums and CAO CodesWhat UKZN's undergraduate prospectus says: its 48-point APS, MBChB, engineering, law and nursing minimums, quintile access routes and CAO codes.
- UL Prospectus 2027: University of Limpopo Entry Grids and APSUniversity of Limpopo's prospectus poster read for you: six-subject APS without LO, MBChB, Pharmacy, Nursing and LLB levels, and the selection tests.
- UP Prospectus 2027: Faculty Brochures, APS Scores and Entry RulesUniversity of Pretoria's nine faculty brochures linked, plus its APS out of 42, MBChB, LLB, BEng and BCom scores and the Health Sciences merit rules.
- VUT Prospectus 2027: The Requirements Sheet, APS and DiplomasVaal University of Technology's one-sheet admission requirements explained: engineering diploma points, IT and legal courses, the R110 fee.
- Wits Prospectus 2027: APS Bonus Points and Course MinimumsWits adds bonus APS points for English and Mathematics and counts Life Orientation.
- WSU Prospectus 2027: Admission Brochure, 8-Point APS and CampusesWalter Sisulu University's admission brochure decoded: its 8-point APS scale, the two subject categories, MBChB, LLB and Nursing minimums, and four campuses.
Most main closing dates for the 2027 intake fell between June and September 2026, but a handful of universities and programmes stay open into October or November, and each university’s page states its own dates. For the full calendar in one place, see our university application closing dates, and for the application steps themselves, start from our university online applications guide. If you will need funding, apply to NSFAS as well; it runs its own application separately from the universities.