Closing dates, fees, APS and subject requirements, and which programmes use the NBT, for all 26 public universities. Work out your APS, compare degrees side by side, and build your own application plan.
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Medicine, health sciences and other selection programmes often close months before the general deadline. Dates are for the 2027 intake; if you're applying for 2028, expect a similar calendar and check each site when applications open.
Enter your marks once. We check them against every programme at every university, rank your options from strongest to weakest, and let you narrow them down by degree, province and university. Save the ones you like and they go to your list.
Grade 11 final or Grade 12 June: the marks universities make early offers on.
Life Orientation excluded. Saved in this browser.
UCT adds NBT scores into Health Sciences and sets minimum NBT bands for Medicine, Law, Commerce and Humanities. Not written yet? Leave these blank and we'll show what you'd need.
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| University | Minimum score | Subject minimums | NBT | Closes | Selection notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NMU Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Gqeberha | 430 Applicant Score (AS) /607 Applicant Score, Mathematics takers only. | Mathematics: 60% Physical Sciences: 60% Life Sciences: 60% | No | 30 Jun | The Medical School FAQ (seen only in search snippets, not fetched) also mentions English 60%. Results that arrive after the closing date don't count for 2027. |
SMU MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) Ga-Rankuwa (Pretoria) | 38 SMU APS SMU APS including LO. Pre-selection 'SMU Admission Score' of 29 (English, Maths, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and LO). | English: level 6 (70%+) Mathematics: level 6 (70%+) Physical Sciences: level 6 (70%+) Life Sciences: level 6 (70%+) Life Orientation: level 5 (60%+) Additional subject 1: level 5 (60%+) Additional subject 2: level 4 (50%+) | No | 31 Jul | Phase 1 pre-selection on final Grade 11 results; the offer is withdrawn if Grade 12 results drop. Phase 2 ranks on Maths, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, LO and English percentages. Demographic quotas apply. MBChB-ECP foundation programme (APS 32) is only for Black South African learners from quintile 1-2 schools. |
SU Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Stellenbosch | 75% Average percentage (excl. LO) + faculty selection scores /100 Minimum aggregate 75% excl. LO. Preference goes to applicants averaging at least 80%. Applicants are ranked on academic merit (Grade 11 average for current Grade 12s). The top 250 are selected on merit, then redress and SES categories fill the remaining selections. For the 2028 intake the minimums rise to 80% aggregate, Maths 70%, and Physical & Life Sciences 60%. | Mathematics: 60% Physical Sciences: 50% Life Sciences: 50% | No | 31 Jul | Only SA citizens, permanent residents and refugees are considered. About 280 students are enrolled; around 500 are selected because 40–50% decline. Early rolling offers go to high performers, and most offers go out mid-August to early September. Applicants are strongly recommended to be 18 or older by 1 February of first year. Training is at the Tygerberg campus from first year. NBT is needed only for AHSD, IEB ISC and online-school applicants. |
UCT Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Cape Town | 810 Faculty Points Score (FPS) / Weighted Points Score (WPS) /600 FPS out of 900. Band A (guaranteed): FPS ≥ 810 with NBT Proficient in AL, QL and MAT. Band B (likely): WPS ≥ 807 with all NBTs Intermediate or above. Band C (SA redress categories only): FPS ≥ 644. Also requires a sub-minimum APS of 450/600. | Mathematics: 70% Physical Sciences: 70% English (HL or FAL): 65% Next three best subjects (excl. LO): 70% | AQL + MAT | 31 Jul | 240 places. Write the NBTs by 31 July 2026 to be considered for an early conditional offer. First-choice applicants are prioritised. Places for international applicants go only to SADC applicants. |
UFS Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) Bloemfontein | 36 Admission Point (AP) /49 UFS AP. Bloemfontein only. | English: level 5 (60%+) Mathematics: level 5 (60%+) Life Sciences: level 5 (60%+) Physical Sciences: level 5 (60%+) | No | 31 May | Selection programme. Health Sciences must be your first choice. See the selection rules at www.ufs.ac.za/healthselection. |
UKZN Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Durban | — APS (CAO points) /48 The CAO 2027 handbook lists no minimum points figure for MBChB (null). Subject minimums apply, and meeting them does not guarantee selection. | English: level 5 (60%+) Mathematics: level 5 (60%+) Physical Sciences: level 5 (60%+) Life Sciences: level 5 (60%+) Life Orientation: level 4 (50%+) | No | 30 Jun | Programme code KN-M-MBC (Medical School campus), 6 years. No late applications and no matric upgrades are considered. Applicants already studying must submit transcripts by 8 January 2027. Clinical placements in rural KZN are compulsory, and students pay their own travel and accommodation costs. |
UL MBChB – Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery Polokwane (Mankweng) | 27 APS | English: level 4 (50%+) Mathematics: level 5 (60%+) Physical Sciences: level 5 (60%+) Life Sciences: level 5 (60%+) Additional subject 1: level 4 (50%+) Additional subject 2: level 4 (50%+) | No | 30 Jul | Additional selection requirements apply to Medicine. |
UP Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) Pretoria | 35 APS /42 Minimum APS 35 to apply. Selection is on a Merit Point Score from final Grade 11 results, within Open and Designated Group categories; there are no fixed cut-offs. A conditional offer holds if your final NSC MPS is no more than five points below your Grade 11 MPS. | English (HL or FAL): level 5 (60%+) Mathematics: level 6 (70%+) Physical Sciences: level 5 (60%+) | No | 30 Jun | Applicants from countries that have their own medical schools may not apply. Places for non-SA applicants are limited, with SADC preference. |
Wits Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) Johannesburg | — Wits APS /56 No APS. Selection uses a Composite Index: the average % of English, Maths, the better of Physical/Life Sciences and the best two other subjects (75% weight) plus the NBT average (25% weight). | English (HL or FAL): level 5 (60%+) Mathematics: level 5 (60%+) Life Sciences and/or Physical Sciences: level 5 (60%+) | AQL + MAT | 30 Jun | NBTs must be written in person. Graduates can enter in third year through the Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP), and no transfers are accepted. |
WSU Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) Mthatha | 30 WSU APS /48 | English (HL or FAL): level 5 (60%+) Any other African language: level 5 (60%+) Mathematics: level 5 (60%+) Physical Sciences: level 5 (60%+) Life Sciences: level 5 (60%+) One other subject (excl. LO): level 5 (60%+) | No | 31 Oct | Additional selection criteria apply at final selection. 6-year PBL and community-based programme at Mthatha. |
Scores aren't comparable across universities: each uses its own system. Tap a row for how that university calculates it.
Most science, engineering, health and commerce degrees need Mathematics, not Maths Literacy, and many need Physical Sciences. Your final Grade 11 marks are what most universities use for early (conditional) offers, so Grade 11 counts.
Mix a dream option, a few realistic ones and a safe one. Check each programme’s minimum score, subject minimums, NBT requirement and closing date. Use the calculator above and add them to your list.
Applications usually open between March and June. Medicine, health sciences, architecture and other selection programmes often close in May–July, months before the general deadline. Late applications are seldom considered.
Write the AQL (R195) or AQL + MAT (R390) early, so results (about 4 weeks later) reach universities before selection. Many faculties want them by July or August.
Apply to NSFAS when the window opens (it closed on 31 October for 2027 funding), plus bursaries and residence: these have their own deadlines, separate from your academic application.
Log in to each portal regularly and upload your June results when asked. Conditional offers depend on your final results, so keep your marks up. Accept offers before the deadline in the offer.
Universities confirm offers once NSC results are out. Register on time. If you have no place, ask about late or space-available applications and the Department of Higher Education’s Central Application Clearing House (CACH).
One online application at cao.ac.za, with your programme choices ranked, and one admin fee. The CAO forwards it to each institution, and the institutions make the selection decisions. You accept an offer directly with the university.
Covers tuition, accommodation, transport and learning materials at public universities and TVET colleges. Apply on myNSFAS or the NSFAS app; SASSA grant recipients qualify without an income check.
Each subject gets an NSC level. Add the levels of your best six subjects, leaving out Life Orientation, for a maximum of 42.
| 7 | 80–100% | Outstanding |
| 6 | 70–79% | Meritorious |
| 5 | 60–69% | Substantial |
| 4 | 50–59% | Adequate |
| 3 | 40–49% | Moderate |
| 2 | 30–39% | Elementary |
| 1 | 0–29% | Not achieved |
Many universities change this formula: some give 8 points for 90%+, some count Life Orientation (often capped or halved), some add bonus points for Maths or English, and UCT, Stellenbosch, Rhodes and Nelson Mandela University work with percentages instead of levels.
Scan these once and keep them in one folder: you'll upload the same set to every portal. Tick them off as you go.
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Save programmes from “Match my marks”, or tap the bookmark on any university, to build your application plan: deadlines in order, total fees and which ones need the NBT.
Many of South Africa's most competitive programmes weigh your NBT results alongside your marks. Prepare with 1500+ NBT-style questions, video lessons and full mock tests.