Before you read a single programme table in the University of the Free State’s 2027 prospectus, work out your Admission Point (AP) score the UFS way, because it differs from the APS most schools teach. The UFS gives 8 points for 90–100% and 7 for 80–89%, so a distinction is worth more than at many other universities. Life Orientation also counts, but only for a single point and only when you reach level 5 (60%) in it.
All of this comes from the UFS Undergraduate Prospectus 2027 (PDF), which the university links from its prospective students page. The file name marks it as the January edition, and it is large (about 49 MB), so download it over Wi-Fi.
Your UFS AP score, worked out
The prospectus (page 50) awards points for six academic subjects using the scale below, and nothing for a mark under 30%:
- 90–100% = 8, 80–89% = 7, 70–79% = 6, 60–69% = 5, 50–59% = 4, 40–49% = 3, 30–39% = 2.
- Life Orientation adds 1 point at 60% or higher, and nothing below that.
- The printed example: five subjects at 60% (25) plus one at 50% (4) plus Life Orientation at 60% (1) gives an AP of 30.
Four closing dates, all now passed
The UFS opened 2027 applications for its Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa campuses on 1 April 2026. It then closed them in stages, and the prospectus (page 51) states that applications received after these dates will not be considered:
- 31 May 2026: MBChB, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Physiotherapy, Radiation Sciences, Biokinetics, Dietetics, Sport Coaching.
- 31 July 2026: Nursing, Social Work, Architecture.
- 31 August 2026: international undergraduate applicants.
- 30 September 2026: all non-selection programmes, plus Drama and Theatre Arts, Fine Arts, Music, Forensic Sciences and the construction programmes.
With the last of those dates behind us, the realistic use of this prospectus now is planning: choosing subjects, checking a gap-year application, or comparing the UFS with universities that close later, which you can do on our university closing dates page.
Minimum AP and subjects for sought-after UFS degrees
- MB ChB (C834100): AP 36; English, Mathematics, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences all at 5 (60%); subject to selection.
- Bachelor of Nursing (BC849000): AP 30; English 4; Mathematics 3 or Mathematical Literacy 6; Life Sciences 5 or Physical Sciences 4; subject to selection.
- LLB, four years (BC340000): AP 33; English 6; Mathematics 4 or Mathematical Literacy 6.
- BAcc (BC636060), the SAICA-accredited start of the chartered accountant route: AP 34; English 4, Mathematics 5.
- BCom (Accounting) (BC635050), aimed at AGA(SA), SAIPA, ACCA and CIMA: AP 28; English 4, Mathematics 4.
The faculty section opens with a blunt note: selection starts at the highest AP and moves down until places run out, so these are floors, not targets. The UFS also tells applicants to choose two programmes.
Medicine uses an Overall Selection Point
The separate 2027 MBChB Selection Rules (PDF) explain how the School of Clinical Medicine ranks school leavers on an Overall Selection Point out of 118. Academic results supply up to 100. The four compulsory subjects carry 80% of that, and the other two subjects plus Life Orientation carry 20%. Non-academic achievements add up to 8 points. Schooling in the Free State earns 6 points and in the Northern Cape 3, and a rural or quintile 1 or 2 school adds up to 2 more.
Extended programmes and the three campuses
Applicants who fall short of a mainstream programme may be placed in an Extended Curriculum Programme, space permitting and with higher scorers first. You cannot apply for the extended route directly: the UFS considers you for it only through a mainstream application. Classes run on the Bloemfontein Campus, the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State, and South Campus in Bloemfontein, which hosts the BEd Foundation Phase. For the online application itself, use our UFS online application walkthrough, and for other institutions’ documents see the prospectus hub. General enquiries go to +27 51 401 3000 or info@ufs.ac.za.