APS Calculator
Use this APS calculator: enter your NSC marks once to see your APS for Unisa, UJ, Wits and UCT, and the NSC pass your marks reach.
- Free
- No sign-up
- We never receive your grades
Rules as of UJ's 2022 prospectus, and the Unisa, Wits, UCT and DBE pages opened on 4 November 2026. Last reviewed 2026-11-04.
Rule sets: Unisa, UJ (2022 prospectus), Wits and UCT, each as published, and DBE's NSC pass rules. Enter each mark as a whole percentage.
HL is Home Language and FAL First Additional Language. For Afrikaans, isiZulu or another language, pick Other language HL or FAL.
NSC pass check
- 40% or more in three subjects, one of them an official language at Home Language level.
- 30% or more in three other subjects.
- Full school-based assessment (SBA) evidence. GradeCat cannot check this.
- 30% or more in the language of learning and teaching (LoLT), for a Higher Certificate, Diploma or Bachelor pass. Add a mark for English HL to check.
- Diploma: level 3 (40%) or better in four 20-credit subjects, Life Orientation left out.
- Bachelor: level 4 (50%) or better in four 20-credit subjects, Life Orientation left out.
DBE's page names subjects without leaving Life Orientation out, so the NSC lines count it like any subject. It has 10 credits, so it stays out of the four 20-credit subjects. The page does not say what a seventh subject needs. Source: Department of Basic Education (DBE), NSC Examinations, opened 4 November 2026.
Rule sets and sources
Unisa
APS = the NSC levels (1 to 7) of six recognised 20-credit subjects, added up. Life Orientation is left out.
Rules as of Unisa's undergraduate FAQs as opened on 4 November 2026. Source: University of South Africa (Unisa), FAQs (Undergraduate qualifications), opened 4 November 2026.
With more than six subjects besides Life Orientation, GradeCat counts your best six: Unisa's FAQs say six count, not which six.
UJ, 2022 rules
APS = the achievement ratings (1 to 7) of six subjects, added up. Life Orientation is not counted.
Rules as of UJ Undergraduate Prospectus 2022. Source: University of Johannesburg (UJ), How to determine your Admission Point Score (APS), Undergraduate Prospectus 2022 (page 15), opened 4 November 2026.
With more than six subjects besides Life Orientation, GradeCat counts your best six: the prospectus says six count, not which six.
UJ's rule for later years is not verified: uj.ac.za could not be opened on 4 November 2026, and guide sites print conflicting UJ tables.
Wits
APS = the points of your best seven subjects, Life Orientation included, from the Wits table. From 60% up, English and Mathematics score 2 more than other subjects, and Life Orientation has its own lower column.
English must be a Home Language or First Additional Language, and your faculty's required subjects must be among the seven.
Rules as of Wits entry requirements as opened on 4 November 2026 (no admission year given). Source: University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Entry requirements, opened 4 November 2026.
With more than seven subjects, GradeCat counts Life Orientation and your best six others.
Mathematical Literacy scores in the other-subjects column: the table gives the extra points to English and Mathematics.
GradeCat does not check each faculty's required subjects.
UCT
Score = your NSC percentages for six subjects, added up. The six must include English and your programme's required subjects. Life Orientation is left out, and a subject under 40% adds nothing.
UCT's page gives no maximum and no NBT weighting, so the tool shows the sum only.
Rules as of UCT's eligibility page as opened on 4 November 2026. Source: University of Cape Town (UCT), Eligibility for admission, opened 4 November 2026.
With more than six subjects besides Life Orientation, GradeCat counts English and your best five others. Check that your programme's required subjects are among them.
Faculty extras, such as NBT weighting or a doubled Mathematics or Physical Sciences mark, and the Disadvantage Factor are not verified.
NSC levels: Nuffic, Grading and study results (South Africa), opened 4 November 2026. Unisa and UJ print the same bands.
Not included yet. UKZN: its page adds six subjects on levels 1 to 8, Life Orientation left out, but gives no table from percentages to those levels. UP and Stellenbosch: their pages could not be opened on 4 November 2026. TUT, UWC, CPUT, NWU, UFS, NMU and CUT: their rules have not been checked yet.
Saved in this browser.
How to use this APS calculator
- For each subject, pick what it is and type your mark as a whole percentage. The rows start as English HL, a First Additional Language, Mathematics, three other subjects and Life Orientation.
- Change a row to match your subjects: Other language HL for Afrikaans or isiZulu Home Language, for example, or Maths Literacy instead of Mathematics.
- Add subject gives a row for an eighth or ninth subject. Each rule counts only the subjects it names, and the points table shows which ones count.
- Under NSC pass check, pick the language your university or college teaches in.
How each university works out your APS
Each university sets its own rule. GradeCat checked these four against the universities' own pages on 4 November 2026.
Unisa
Unisa's undergraduate FAQs add the NSC levels, 1 to 7, of six recognised 20-credit subjects. Life Orientation is a 10-credit subject, so it is left out. The highest APS is 42.
UJ, 2022 rules
Page 15 of UJ's Undergraduate Prospectus 2022 adds the achievement ratings, 1 to 7, of six subjects, without Life Orientation. The ratings are the NSC levels, so for the same marks it gives the same total as Unisa. This is UJ's rule for 2022 only: GradeCat could not open UJ's current pages, so check UJ's latest prospectus.
Wits
The Wits entry requirements count your best seven subjects, Life Orientation included, on the table below. English must be a Home Language or First Additional Language, and your faculty's required subjects must be among the seven. The page names no admission year.
| Mark | Other subjects | English and Mathematics | Life Orientation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | 8 | 10 | 4 |
| 80 to 89 | 7 | 9 | 3 |
| 70 to 79 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| 60 to 69 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| 50 to 59 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 40 to 49 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| below 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
From 60% up, English and Mathematics score 2 more than other subjects. Below 60% they score the same.
UCT
UCT's eligibility page adds your NSC percentages for six subjects, without Life Orientation. The six must include English and your programme's required subjects. A subject under 40% adds nothing. The page gives no maximum and no NBT weighting.
NSC levels
Unisa and UJ count levels, not percentages. These are the bands from Nuffic's page on South Africa, and Unisa and UJ print the same ones.
| Level | Percentage | Description (Nuffic) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 80 to 100 | Outstanding |
| 6 | 70 to 79 | Meritorious |
| 5 | 60 to 69 | Substantial |
| 4 | 50 to 59 | Adequate |
| 3 | 40 to 49 | Moderate |
| 2 | 30 to 39 | Elementary |
| 1 | 0 to 29 | Not achieved |
Worked example: 33 at Unisa, 40 at Wits and 419 at UCT
A made-up student from GradeCat's research on these rules:
| Subject | Mark | NSC level | Unisa, UJ | Wits | UCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Home Language | 72% | 6 | 6 | 8 | 72 |
| Mathematics | 65% | 5 | 5 | 7 | 65 |
| Physical Sciences | 58% | 4 | 4 | 4 | 58 |
| Life Sciences | 81% | 7 | 7 | 7 | 81 |
| Geography | 69% | 5 | 5 | 5 | 69 |
| Afrikaans First Additional Language | 74% | 6 | 6 | 6 | 74 |
| Life Orientation | 83% | 7 | left out | 3 | left out |
| Total | 33 | 40 | 419 |
Unisa: 6 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 + 6 = 33, and UJ's 2022 rule gives 33 too.
Wits: 8 + 7 + 4 + 7 + 5 + 6 + 3 = 40. English at 72% scores 6 + 2 = 8, and Mathematics at 65% scores 5 + 2 = 7.
UCT: 72 + 65 + 58 + 81 + 69 + 74 = 419.
All six subjects besides Life Orientation are at 50% or more, and English, the language of teaching here, is at 72%. So this is a Bachelor pass, if the school-based assessment is complete.
Bachelor, Diploma or Higher Certificate pass
The DBE's NSC Examinations page sets what each pass needs:
- NSC pass: 40% or more in three subjects, one of them an official language at Home Language level, 30% or more in three other subjects, and full school-based assessment (SBA) evidence.
- Higher Certificate pass: An NSC pass and 30% or more in the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) of the institution.
- Diploma pass: An NSC pass, 30% or more in the LoLT, and level 3 (40 to 49%) or better in four recognised 20-credit subjects.
- Bachelor pass: An NSC pass, 30% or more in the LoLT, and level 4 (50 to 59%) or better in four recognised 20-credit subjects.
Life Orientation has 10 credits, so it is not one of the four 20-credit subjects. The page does not say what a seventh subject needs. The NSC levels and grading scale page has the full tables.
What is not verified yet
- UKZN. Its selection page adds six subjects on levels 1 to 8, Life Orientation left out, but gives no table from percentages to those levels. So there is no UKZN result.
- UP and Stellenbosch. Their pages could not be opened on 4 November 2026, so there is no preset for them.
- UJ after 2022. uj.ac.za could not be opened, and guide sites print conflicting UJ tables.
- UCT extras. Faculty weighting, NBT use and the Disadvantage Factor are not verified.
- Which subjects count. The rules say how many subjects count, not which ones when you have more. GradeCat counts your best ones, keeping English in for UCT and Life Orientation for Wits.
- Required subjects. Wits and UCT need your programme's required subjects among those counted. GradeCat does not know them.
- Other universities, such as TUT, UWC, CPUT, NWU, UFS, NMU and CUT.
APS calculator FAQ
How do I calculate my APS?
On Unisa's rule, turn each mark into its NSC level, leave out Life Orientation and add the six levels. 80% or more is level 7, 70 to 79% is level 6, and so on down to level 1 for 0 to 29%. The example above gives 33.
Does Life Orientation count in my APS?
Not at Unisa, UJ (2022 rules) or UCT. Wits counts it in a column of its own, worth at most 4 points: 83% in Life Orientation adds 3.
What is the highest APS at Unisa?
42: six subjects at level 7.
Why is my Wits APS higher than my Unisa APS?
Wits counts seven subjects, gives most subjects up to 8 points, gives English and Mathematics 2 more from 60%, and counts Life Orientation. The same marks give 40 at Wits and 33 at Unisa.
Is UJ's APS the same as Unisa's?
On UJ's 2022 rule it is: both add the levels of six subjects without Life Orientation. GradeCat could not open UJ's current rules, so check UJ's latest prospectus.
What APS do I need?
Each university sets a minimum for each programme, and it can change from year to year. GradeCat lists no minimums, so check the programme's page at the university.
What is a Bachelor pass?
An NSC pass, 30% or more in the language of learning and teaching of the university, and level 4 (50%) or better in four recognised 20-credit subjects.
Related tools and guides
- NSC Levels and Grading Scale in South Africa: every NSC level and pass type, with its source.
- How APS is calculated in South Africa: each university's rule step by step, with two worked examples.
- Grade Calculator: a percentage from marks, like 45 out of 60.
- All tools for South Africa
Sources
- University of South Africa (Unisa): FAQs (Undergraduate qualifications) (opened 4 November 2026)
- University of Johannesburg (UJ): How to determine your Admission Point Score (APS), Undergraduate Prospectus 2022, page 15 (opened 4 November 2026)
- University of the Witwatersrand (Wits): Entry requirements (opened 4 November 2026)
- University of Cape Town (UCT): Eligibility for admission (opened 4 November 2026)
- Department of Basic Education (DBE): NSC Examinations (opened 4 November 2026)
- Nuffic: Grading and study results (South Africa) (opened 4 November 2026)
Cite this page
GradeCat. (2026, November 4). APS Calculator. https://gradecat.com/za/aps-calculator/
This is an estimate, not an official result. Your university or board decides the official one. Found a wrong result? Report it.