For a January 2027 start, South Africa’s public universities opened applications between March and August 2026. Their final deadlines run from 30 June 2026 to 30 November 2026. By early October, 19 of the 26 universities have closed most or all of their programmes. This page lists every university’s 2027 opening date and its closing dates, including the earlier deadlines for selection programmes such as Medicine. We took the dates from the universities’ own websites, their 2027 prospectuses and the Central Applications Office (CAO) handbook, and checked them on 3 October 2026.
A closing date is the last day the university accepts an application, not the day it decides. Programmes can also close early once they are full. If you are reading this after a deadline, our guide to universities still open and late applications shows which institutions run a late or space-available process, and what to do if you have missed them all.
Deadlines still ahead
- UNISA: opened 17 August 2026 and closes 9 October 2026 for undergraduate qualifications.
- University of Johannesburg: opened 1 April 2026 and closes 31 October 2026 at 12:00. Accommodation applications close at the same time.
- University of Fort Hare: opened 1 May 2026 and closes 31 October 2026.
- Walter Sisulu University: opened 1 June 2026. General applications close 31 October 2026; international applicants had to apply by 30 September.
- Sol Plaatje University: open until 31 October 2026. SPU has not stated an opening date.
- University of Zululand: through the CAO, which opened on 1 March 2026. Every UNIZULU programme closes for on-time applications on 31 October 2026.
- University of Mpumalanga: opened 1 June 2026. Undergraduate programmes and advanced diplomas close 30 November 2026.
Three universities of technology are mostly closed but still have openings. Seven programmes in DUT’s Faculty of Applied Sciences had their deadline moved to 31 October 2026, including Biotechnology, Food Science, Industrial Chemistry and Sport Science. MUT takes late CAO submissions until 30 November 2026. TUT has published a list of qualifications with space left on 1 October 2026. Details for each are below.
Closed by the end of August 2026
- University of Pretoria: opened 1 April 2026. Veterinary Science applications ended on 31 May 2026, and the rest of the undergraduate programmes followed on 30 June 2026.
- UCT: 1 April to 31 July 2026 for all undergraduate programmes and residence. UCT accepts no late applications.
- Stellenbosch University: 1 April to 31 July 2026 for programmes and residence.
- Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University: 1 April to 31 July 2026 for every undergraduate qualification.
- North-West University: opened 1 June 2026. Selection courses closed on 30 June 2026, and all other courses and residences on 31 August 2026.
Closed on 30 September 2026, with earlier dates for some programmes
- Wits: the June group (all Health Sciences degrees, plus Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, Architectural Studies and the BA in Film and TV) closed on 30 June 2026. All other programmes, and residence (which opened on 1 April), closed on 30 September 2026.
- University of the Free State: opened 1 April 2026 and closed in four stages. Eight selection programmes, including MBChB, Optometry and Physiotherapy, closed on 31 May. Nursing, Social Work and Architecture closed on 31 July. International applicants closed on 31 August, and everything else on 30 September 2026.
- UKZN: through the CAO from 1 March 2026. Medicine closed on 30 June 2026 and all other programmes on 30 September 2026. Late CAO status for selected programmes opened on 1 October.
- Nelson Mandela University: opened 13 April 2026. MBChB, BPharm, Radiography and Nursing closed on 30 June. The early deadline for other programmes was 3 August, and late applications were then considered on merit until 30 September 2026.
- University of Limpopo: opened 1 April 2026. MBChB and international applicants closed on 30 July, and all other qualifications on 30 September 2026.
- TUT: opened 1 April 2026. Health courses such as Nursing and Pharmacy closed on 15 June, many arts, humanities and science courses on 31 July, and the rest on 30 September 2026.
- CPUT: opened 11 May 2026. Imaging, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science and Dental Assisting closed on 30 June. Emergency Medical Care, Opticianry and Somatology closed on 31 July. Teaching programmes and non-South African applicants closed on 31 August, and everything else on 30 September 2026.
- VUT: opened 21 May 2026. A group of diplomas, plus the teaching degree for the Senior Phase and FET, closed on 31 July, and other academic applications on 30 September 2026. Residence applications run until 31 October.
- DUT: through the CAO from 1 March 2026. The radiography degrees closed on 31 August, Chiropractic on 17 September (moved from 31 August), and most programmes on 30 September 2026.
- MUT: through the CAO from 1 March 2026. On-time applications closed on 30 September 2026. MUT also has a July intake for Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, which closes on 31 May 2027.
- University of the Western Cape: opened 1 April 2026. Dentistry and Oral Health closed on 31 August, and everything else on 30 September 2026.
- Rhodes University: 1 April to 30 September 2026.
- Univen: 1 May to 30 September 2026, with no application fee.
- CUT: April to 30 September 2026. CUT accepts neither late nor walk-in applications.
Patterns worth knowing for next year
Three habits stand out from this cycle. First, the earliest deadlines belong to health and other selection programmes. UFS closed its health programmes on 31 May, and UP, Wits, UKZN (Medicine), NMU and TUT closed theirs in June, so a learner aiming at Medicine or Nursing must apply in the first half of Grade 12. Second, the research universities in Gauteng and the Western Cape finish early: UP in June, and UCT and Stellenbosch in July. Third, the later deadlines are found at UJ, the CAO’s UNIZULU programmes, the Eastern Cape’s Fort Hare and WSU, Sol Plaatje in Kimberley, and Mpumalanga.
Residence deadlines usually match the academic deadline. VUT is the exception, giving residence an extra month. Application fees range from nothing at UJ, UWC, Univen and CPUT to R300 at UP and SMU. For each university’s requirements, fees and earlier programme closings in more detail, open its page in our 2027 university prospectus collection. Applications for the 2028 intake should open again from about April 2027. TUT’s calendar, for example, already gives 1 April 2027.
Can I still apply after a university’s closing date?
Only where the university has a late process, such as the CAO’s late status for DUT, MUT and UKZN, or TUT’s January window for courses with space. UCT, NWU, SMU, CUT, UNISA, UFS and UWC state that they do not accept late applications.