The University of Limpopo’s only documented late application route from last cycle was small, short and specific to one faculty. On 2 February 2026, after first-year registration had already run, UL posted Late Application OPEN: Selected programmes in Faculty of Science and Agriculture. Applicants had until Thursday, 5 February 2026, which gave them four days. No other faculty announced anything similar.
For the 2027 intake, UL has published nothing about late applications as of 3 October 2026. Its 2027 applications notice gives only the regular deadlines: MBChB and international applicants by 30 July 2026, and every other qualification by 30 September 2026. Both dates have passed, so the normal online application is closed.
The eight courses UL reopened last time
The February 2026 notice listed these BSc programmes, grouped by school:
- Physical and Mineral Sciences: BSc (Physical Sciences, mainstream) and BSc (Geology).
- Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: BSc in Plant Production, Animal Production, Soil Science, and Water and Sanitation Sciences.
- Molecular and Life Sciences: BSc (Life Sciences), both the mainstream and the extended curriculum (ECP) versions.
Nothing in Health Sciences, Humanities, or Management and Law was reopened. That pattern makes sense: late spaces tend to appear in science and agriculture degrees, not in high-demand courses such as Medicine, Nursing or Law. Do not assume the same eight courses will reopen in 2027. UL decides each year from the spaces left after registration.
How the February 2026 process worked
UL did not use its online portal for this round. Applicants wrote the course they wanted, a cellphone number and an email address on a copy of their matric statement. On their ID copy they noted how they would pay: NSFAS, a bursary, or their own funds. They then emailed both pages to arfsa@ul.ac.za. The notice mentioned no fee, and it warned that sending a late application does not guarantee admission.
The timing tells you when to watch. UL’s 2026 admission and registration dates show first-time entering students registering from 22 to 30 January 2026, with late registration from 2 to 6 February 2026. The late application notice appeared on the first day of that late registration week. If UL runs a similar round for 2027, it is most likely to appear in late January or early February 2027, after first-year registration. This is our reading of last year’s dates, not a UL announcement.
What to do between now and February
- If you applied to UL on time, track your status on the portal; the tracking steps are in our UL online application guide.
- If you missed UL, apply now to a university that is still open. Our guide to universities still open and their late processes lists them, including several that close on 31 October or 30 November 2026.
- Apply for NSFAS before 31 October 2026, even without a university offer.
- Check the minimum requirements for the BSc programmes on the UL prospectus page, so you are ready if a science round opens.
UL has not issued a current walk-in rule. Its last statement against walk-ins dates from the 2022 Covid period. Even so, the 2026 late round ran entirely by email, so there is no reason to travel to Turfloop without an offer. For questions, phone UL’s enrolment call centre (015 268 3332) or email enrolment@ul.ac.za. Watch the news section of ul.ac.za from mid-January 2027. We will check it again after the matric results are released and once more at the start of February 2027.