UKZN has already published its Undergraduate Prospectus 2027 (PDF), so you can plan with the current edition rather than last year’s. The catch is timing: both 2027 closing dates have now passed. Medicine closed on 30 June 2026 and every other programme closed on 30 September 2026. Use the prospectus now to check whether your final marks will reach the scores below, and to plan any late application.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal does not take first-year applications itself. Matriculants apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO), and UKZN’s prospectus lists a CAO code next to every programme. The third letter of that code tells you the campus: E for Edgewood, H for Howard College, M for the Medical School, P for Pietermaritzburg and W for Westville. Our UKZN application guide covers the CAO steps, so this page sticks to what the prospectus says.
How UKZN adds up your APS
Pages 15 to 17 of the prospectus set out a 48-point scale. You need a Level 4 pass in Life Orientation, but it earns no points.
- Six subjects count, each scored by its NSC rating from 1 to 7, and UKZN awards 8 points for a subject passed at 90–100%. That makes 48 the maximum.
- With more than seven subjects, UKZN takes English (HL or FAL), Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, and your best four others. Extra subjects earn no bonus.
- Mathematics Paper 3 is not a full subject and does not count.
- UKZN does not require the National Benchmark Test and ignores NBT results in selection.
The programme tables print each APS as a range, such as 48–33. Selection starts at 48 and works downward until the places run out, so the lower figure is the floor, not a target. The prospectus warns that a programme can fill before it reaches that floor, and it does not offer places to applicants below it.
Six programme entries from the 2027 tables
- B Medicine & B Surgery (KN-M-MBC): no APS range. Instead you need English, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at Level 5 and LO 4. Page 96 asks for at least 60% in each of those four subjects and a 65% aggregate, and it does not accept upgraded matric results.
- B Sc Engineering, all eight branches: APS 48–33, with Mathematics and Physical Sciences at Level 5 (at least 65%) and English and LO 4 (page 20).
- Bachelor of Laws (KN-H-BL1, KN-P-BL1): APS 48–32, with English HL 5 or FAL 6, Mathematics 3 or Maths Literacy 5, and LO 4 (page 24).
- B Com (Accounting) (KN-P-BCN, KN-W-BCN): APS 48–32, with Mathematics 5 and English and LO 4.
- B Pharmacy (KN-W-BPR): APS 48–33, with English, Life Sciences, LO, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at 4. UKZN considers it only as your first, second or third choice (page 22).
- B Nursing (KN-H-BN1): APS 48–30, with English and LO 4, Mathematics or Maths Literacy 3, and Life Sciences 4. It accepts first-choice applicants only.
Routes for learners from quintile 1 and 2 schools
Pages 28 to 33 describe UKZN’s alternative access programmes, and several of them are open only to learners from quintile 1 and 2 schools. The B Sc Augmented programme asks for an APS of 26 or more, English and LO at 4, and Mathematics plus a science at 3. The B Soc Sc Extended Curriculum starts at 20 APS points with English and LO at 4. The B Sc Engineering Access programme (KN-H-UNT) gives another route into engineering. Anyone who has already completed a semester at any tertiary institution cannot join these programmes.
Using the UKZN prospectus alongside the CAO handbook
The two documents do different jobs. UKZN’s prospectus explains the APS calculation, how selection works, the access programmes, campus locations and 2026 fee examples. It estimates the cost of tuition, a residence bed and food at about R85 000 for 2027, and it expects fees to change. The CAO’s CAO Handbook 2027 Entry (PDF) lists the same UKZN codes next to every other KwaZulu-Natal choice and handles the fee. Its on-time fee is R250, and from 1 November 2026 the CAO charges R470 instead. The CAO opened late applications for selected UKZN programmes on 1 October 2026, but health sciences programmes do not consider late applications.
For the other universities’ 2027 guides, see our university prospectus hub. If you need funding, apply to NSFAS separately, because the CAO application does not cover it. You can send admissions questions to UKZN at enquiries@ukzn.ac.za.
Can I still get into UKZN for 2027 if I missed 30 September?
Perhaps, but not for Medicine or other health sciences programmes. The CAO accepts late applications for selected UKZN programmes. UKZN considers them only after the on-time applicants, and only if places are still open.