APS score deep dive: how SA universities really score your matric

The Admission Point Score is the standard yardstick SA universities use to compare matric results. The basic 7-point scale is simple, but each university tweaks the rules — here's the full picture.

Updated By the ZACalc team

The standard 7-point scale

Every NSC subject percentage maps to one of seven levels:

  • 80–100% → 7 points (Outstanding achievement)
  • 70–79% → 6 (Meritorious)
  • 60–69% → 5 (Substantial)
  • 50–59% → 4 (Adequate)
  • 40–49% → 3 (Moderate)
  • 30–39% → 2 (Elementary)
  • 0–29% → 1 (Not achieved)

Add up your best 6 subjects, excluding Life Orientation. Maximum: 42.

Why Life Orientation is excluded

LO is a non-academic subject and historically inflates aggregate marks (most learners score 70%+). To level the playing field, almost all universities exclude it from the APS or weight it at half (counting LO as one APS point per level rather than the standard scale).

UCT, Wits and the FPS

UCT does not use the standard APS at all — they use the Faculty Point Score (FPS), which weights subjects relevant to your chosen degree more heavily. The University of Cape Town, Wits and Stellenbosch all publish their own conversion tables; the standard APS is a reliable proxy but not the official figure.

Indicative cutoffs (rough guide)

Always check the latest cutoffs on the university website — these shift each year:

  • BCom (general): 28–32 APS
  • BA / BSocSci: 28–34 APS
  • LLB: 30–36 APS
  • BSc Engineering: 32–40 APS, plus Maths 60%+ and Physical Sciences 60%+
  • BCom Accounting (CA stream): 36–40 APS, Maths 70%+
  • MBChB (Medicine): 40+ APS plus the NBT and an interview
  • BSc Actuarial Science: 40+ APS, Maths 80%+

Subject-specific gotchas

  • Mathematics vs Maths Literacy: only Mathematics opens science, engineering and most commerce degrees.
  • Home language requirement: most universities require at least 50% in your language of learning (typically English Home or First Additional).
  • NBT (National Benchmark Test): required by UCT, Wits, Stellenbosch and others on top of the APS.
  • Subject minimums: Engineering programmes routinely require Maths 60%+ even if your overall APS is high.

If your APS falls short

Options include: extended-degree streams (4-year versions of 3-year degrees with foundational first year), bridging programmes at TVET colleges, rewriting one or two subjects via the Senior Certificate as an adult, or starting at a UoT (university of technology) and bridging across after first year.