Finding out which fields of study are available to you can help you whittle down your options to make your decision easier. Having fewer options can help make the decision less daunting.
What Is A Field Of Study?
A field of study is a phrase that refers to an area of knowledge or expertise, but not the specific stream of study.
For example, you can study in the field of medicine. You will later specialise in a stream such as cardiology (studying the heart), ophthalmology (studying the eyes), or paediatrics (studying medicine for young children).
How Do I Know Where I Can Study?
Finding out where you can study can further lessen the number of options you have for where to study. To do this, you need to know which universities offer what courses. Below is a list of APS requirements by faculty for some South African universities.
- UJ (University of Johannesburg)
- TUT (Tshwane University of Technology)
- UNISA (University of South Africa)
- Wits (University of the Witwatersrand)
- NWU (North-West University)
- UWC (University of the Western Cape)
- UCT (University of Cape Town)
- US (University of Stellenbosch)
UJ APS Requirements By Faculty
Listed below is each faculty within the University of Johannesburg, followed by the APS requirement range for each faculty.
- Business and Economics
- Art, Design And Architecture
- Education
- Engineering & the Built Environment
- Health Sciences
- Humanities
- Law
- Science
Business And Economics
The College of Business and Economics has an APS requirement ranging from 19 with Maths or 21 with Maths Literacy, to an APS of 33 depending on the course you would like to study.
Art, Design And Architecture
The Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (FADA) has an APS requirement ranging from 18 with Maths or 20 with Maths Literacy, up to an APS of 28 depending on the course you want to study.
Education
The minimum APS requirement for the Faculty of Education is 26.
Engineering And The Built Environment
The APS requirement for this faculty ranges from 19 with Maths or 21 with Maths Literacy to an APS of 32 depending on the course you want to apply for.
Health Sciences
The minimum APS for the Faculty of Health Sciences is 18 with Maths or 19 with Maths Literacy. The highest required APS is 31. This depends on the course you want to study.
Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities APS requirement ranges from 21 to 30.
Law
The Faculty of Law requires a minimum APS of 31 with Maths or 32 with Maths Literacy.
Science
The minimum APS requirements range from 21 to 34, and all courses in the Faculty of Science require Maths.
To find out the minimum APS requirements for each specific course, you can look at the UJ Prospectus for more detailed information.
TUT APS Requirements By Faculty
The faculties of the Tshwane University of Technology and their minimum APS requirements are as follows:
- Arts & Design
- Economics & Finance
- Engineering and the Built Environment
- Humanities
- Information and Communication Technology
- Management Sciences
- Science
Arts And Design
The Faculty of Arts and Design APS requirement ranges from 18 to 24.
Economics And Finance
The lowest minimum APS is 22 with the requirement of Accounting or Maths or 23 with Maths Literacy, and the highest requirement is 24 with Maths Literacy.
Engineering And The Built Environment
The minimum APS range for this faculty is from 20 to 28.
Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities has the lowest minimum APS of 20, and the highest minimum of 25.
Information And Communication Technology
The lowest minimum APS for this faculty is 23, and the highest minimum is 26 with Maths or 28 with Maths Literacy.
Management Sciences
The APS range for the Faculty of Management Sciences is 19 to 24.
Science
The lowest minimum APS is 18, and the highest minimum is 24 with Maths or 25 with Maths Literacy.
To find out the minimum APS requirements for each specific course, you can look at the TUT Course Information page for more detailed information.
UNISA APS Requirements By Faculty
- Accounting Sciences
- Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
- Economic and Management Sciences
- Education
- Human Sciences
- Law
- Science, Engineering and Technology
- Graduate School of Business Leadership
The APS requirements for UNISA were unavailable at the time of writing. To find out more about the admission requirements, you can contact the university.
Wits APS Requirements By Faculty
Below is a list of the faculties at the University of Witwatersrand, and their APS requirement ranges.
- Commerce, Law, and Management
- Engineering and the Built Environment
- Health Sciences
- Humanities
- Science
Commerce, Law, And Management
The minimum APS for this faculty ranges from 39 with the requirement of Maths to 44 with the requirement of Maths.
Engineering And The Built Environment
The minimum APS ranges from 34 to 42 in this faculty, and all courses in this faculty require Maths.
Health Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences does not list a specific APS requirement, but specific subject requirements instead. The subjects with requirements are English as Home Language or First Additional Language, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Maths.
Not all courses accept Maths Literacy. Those that do require a minimum APS of 7 (80% – 100%) for that subject. For the other three subjects, the lowest minimum APS is 4 (50% – 59%), and the highest minimum is 5 (60% – 69%). Some courses require you to have both Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.
Humanities
The minimum APS range for the Faculty of Humanities is 34 to 43. A few courses require Maths.
Science
The Faculty of Science has the lowest minimum APS of 42, and the highest minimum of 43. All courses in this faculty require Maths.
To find out the minimum APS requirements for each specific course, you can look at the Wits Undergraduate Admission Requirements page for more detailed information.
NWU APS Requirements By Faculty
- Economic and Management Sciences
- Education
- Engineering
- Health Sciences
- Humanities
- Law
- Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Theology
Economic And Management Sciences
The lowest minimum for this faculty is 24, and the highest is 36. All courses in this faculty require Maths.
Education
The minimum APS requirement for the Faculty of Education is 26.
Engineering
The minimum requirement for the Engineering faculty course is 34, with the requirement of Maths with a minimum APS of 6 (70% – 79%).
Health Sciences
The APS minimum for the Faculty of Health Sciences ranges from 18 to 32.
Humanities
The APS requirements for this faculty are from 18 to 26.
Law
The minimum APS requirement for the Faculty of Law is from 28 to 30.
Natural And Agricultural Sciences
The minimum APS ranges from 19 to 32 for this faculty.
Theology
The APS minimum range for the Faculty of Theology is from 24 to 26.
For more detailed information and to find the specific APS requirements for each course, you can visit the NWU Fields of Study page.
UWC APS Requirements By Faculty
- Arts and Humanities
- Community and Health Sciences
- Dentistry
- Economic and Management Sciences
- Education
- Law
- Natural Sciences
All faculties at the University of the Western Cape require English as Home Language or First Additional Language, with a minimum APS of 4 (50% – 59%). It also requires another language as Home Language or First Additional Language with a minimum APS of 3 (40% – 49%). The following minimum APS requirements for each faculty include these language requirements.
Arts And Humanities
The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a minimum APS requirement of 35.
Community And Health Sciences
The Faculty of Community and Health Sciences requires the lowest APS of 30 and the highest APS of 39.
Dentistry
The lowest APS requirement is 27, and the highest APS requirement is 40.
Economic And Management Sciences
The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences requires a minimum APS of 30.
Education
The minimum APS requirement for the Faculty of Education is 33.
Law
The Faculty of Law requires a minimum APS of 37.
Natural Sciences
The lowest APS requirement for this faculty is 27 and applies to four-year courses. The highest APS requirement is 33 and this applies to three-year courses.
For more detailed information on the requirements of each course, you can read the UWC Admission Requirements leaflet.
UCT APS Requirements By Faculty
The faculties at the University of Cape Town are as follows:
- Higher Education Development
- Commerce
- Engineering & the Built Environment
- Health Sciences
- Humanities
- Law
- Science
The APS requirements for UCT were unavailable at the time of writing. To find out more about the admission requirements, you can contact the university.
U. Stellenbosch APS Requirements By Faculty
- Agricultural Sciences
- Arts and Social Sciences
- Economic and Management Sciences
- Education
- Engineering
- Law
- Medicine and Health Sciences
- Military Science
- Science
- Theology
The University of Stellenbosch (commonly known as “Stellies”) lists only specific subject requirements for each course, no APS scores.
Agricultural Sciences
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- The lowest minimum National Senior Certificate (NSC) aggregate of 50% and the highest minimum NSC aggregate of 80% (all excluding Life Orientation)
- English – As your Home Language, the minimum requirement is 50%. As your First Additional Language, the lowest minimum requirement is 50%, and the highest minimum requirement is 75%
- Maths with the lowest minimum requirement of 50% and the highest minimum requirement of 80%
- Physical Sciences, with the lowest minimum of 45% and the highest minimum of 60%. One course will allow Life Sciences in place of Physical Sciences, also with a minimum of 50%
Arts And Social Sciences
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- An NSC aggregate of at least 63% (excluding Life Orientation)
Economic And Management Sciences
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- The lowest minimum NSC aggregate of 50% and the highest minimum NSC aggregate of 80% (all excluding Life Orientation)
- English – As your Home Language, the lowest minimum requirement is 50% and the highest minimum requirement is 70%. As your First Additional Language, the lowest minimum requirement is 50%, and the highest minimum requirement is 80%
- Maths with the lowest minimum requirement of 50% and the highest minimum requirement of 80%
Education
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- An NSC aggregate of 50%
- Maths with 40% or Maths Literacy with 50%
AND
Learners who were taught in English:
- English Home Language 60%
- Afrikaans OR isiXhosa (Home Language or First Additional Language) 50%
OR
Learners who were taught in Afrikaans:
- Afrikaans Home Language 60%
- English OR isiXhosa (Home Language or First Additional Language) 50%
OR
Learners who were taught in isiXhosa:
- IsiXhosa Home Language 60%
- English OR Afrikaans (Home Language or First Additional Language) 50%
Engineering
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- An NSC aggregate of at least 70% (excluding Life Orientation)
- Mathematics 70%
- Physical Sciences 60%
- English Home Language 50%, with no Afrikaans requirement
OR English First Additional Language 60%, with no Afrikaans requirement
OR English First Additional Language 50% with Afrikaans Home Language 50%
OR English First Additional Language 50% with Afrikaans Second Additional Language 60%
Law
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- The lowest NSC aggregate of 70% or the highest NSC aggregate of 80% (all excluding Life Orientation)
- English or Afrikaans Home Language 60%
OR Afrikaans or English First Additional Language 70%
- Maths with 50%
Medicine And Health Sciences
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- The lowest minimum NSC aggregate of 50% and the highest minimum NSC aggregate of 70% (all excluding Life Orientation)
Military Science
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- A National Senior Certificate (NSC) with at least 50% in each of four school subjects
- English OR Afrikaans 50%
Science
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- The lowest minimum NSC aggregate of 55% and the highest minimum NSC aggregate of 80% (all excluding Life Orientation)
- Maths with the lowest minimum requirement of 50% and the highest minimum requirement of 80%
Theology
All courses in this faculty require the following:
- The lowest minimum NSC aggregate of 60% (excluding Life Orientation)
For more detailed information, you can look at the US Admission Requirements page.
APS Requirements For The Most Commonly Searched Course Requirements:
APS Score For Nursing
UJ (University of Johannesburg) – An APS of 28 Points
TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) – An APS of 27 Points
Wits (University of the Witwatersrand) – An APS of 21 with APS 4 (50% – 59%) for English, APS 4 (50% – 59%) for Maths, and APS 4 (50% – 59%) for Physical Sciences or Life Sciences
NWU (North-West University) – An APS of 25 Points
UWC (University of the Western Cape) – An APS of 30 Points
US (University of Stellenbosch) :
- A minimum NSC aggregate of 50% (excluding Life Orientation)
- Mathematics 40% or Mathematical Literacy 70%
- Life Sciences 50%
APS Score For Social Worker
UJ (University of Johannesburg) – An APS of 30 Points
TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) – This university does not offer this course.
Wits (University of the Witwatersrand) – An APS of 34 Points
NWU (North-West University) – An APS of 28 Points
UWC (University of the Western Cape) – An APS of 30 Points
US (University of Stellenbosch) :
- Home Language 50%
- First Additional Language 50%
APS Score For Psychology
UJ (University of Johannesburg) – An APS of 26 Points
TUT (Tshwane University of Technology) – This university does not offer this course.
Wits (University of the Witwatersrand) – This university does not offer this course.
NWU (North-West University) – An APS of 22 Points (This is for their BA in Behavioural Sciences Course)
UWC (University of the Western Cape) – An APS of 35 Points
US (University of Stellenbosch) – This university does not offer this course.
What Can I Do If My APS Does Not Meet Any Of These Requirements?
You can still further your studies at a reputable college if your APS does not meet the requirements for university courses. Some options you can study are:
- Matric programmes
- NATED courses
- ICB courses
- CIMA courses
- Short courses
Matric Programmes
There are two courses you can study to improve your Matric marks if you would like to further your studies at a university. Your options are:
- Matric Rewrite for if you are under the age of 21
- Matric Upgrade if you are over the age of 21
When rewriting your Matric, you may rewrite a maximum of four subjects. You cannot change any subjects, you must rewrite subjects you wrote for your Matric final exams.
When upgrading your Matric, you may upgrade a maximum of four subjects. However, you may choose to change any of these four subjects instead if you would prefer to.
Note that you may apply for a Matric Upgrade at 19, but you must be 21 or older to write the exam, because you will write the Adult Matric exams.
Where Can I Study Matric Programmes?
There are many reputable distance learning colleges that offer courses for you to study your Matric online. Some of these colleges are:
All three of these colleges also offer an Adult Matric course. This is for those over the age of 21 who did not get to complete their high school education and write their Matric.
You will receive your Senior Certificate (Amended) once you have successfully completed your Adult Matric. This certificate functions the same way as a school Matric Certificate, or National Senior Certificate. You can use it to apply for work or to further your education.
NATED Courses
National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED) courses are designed by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
They are accredited by QCTO (the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) which means that they are recognised as formal qualifications.
There are seven NATED streams of study:
- Business Management
- Educare
- Financial Management
- Human Resource Management
- Legal Secretary
- Management Assistant
- Marketing Management
The only requirement for NATED courses is that you have passed Matric at any Matric Pass Level.
Where Can I Study NATED Courses?
There are many reputable distance learning colleges that offer NATED courses, such as:
ICB Courses
ICB courses are created by ICB (the Institute for Certified Bookkeepers) and accredited by QCTO. These courses are also recognised as formal qualifications. These qualifications are highly regarded in South Africa because they teach scarce skills.
There are three ICB streams of study:
Business Management
Financial Accounting
Office Administration
Where Can I Study ICB Courses?
Many reputable colleges offer ICB courses through distance learning, such as:
CIMA Courses
CIMA courses are created by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. Their courses are accredited and recognised as formal qualifications in South Africa. They are also recognised internationally. CIMA courses go up to the Degree level.
CIMA course levels:
- Business Accounting: CIMA Strategic Level
- Business Accounting: CIMA Certificate Level
- Business Accounting: CIMA Operational Level
- Business Accounting: CIMA Managerial Level
Where Can I Study CIMA Courses?
Many reputable distance learning colleges offer CIMA courses, such as:
Short Courses
Short courses are designed to equip you as quickly and efficiently as possible with the skills necessary to begin your career. Our short courses are open-access, which means that you only have to meet two requirements to be able to apply:
- You must be over the age of 16
- You must be able to understand, read and write in English
Four of our colleges offer short courses. Each college offers a different set of short courses.
Short Courses At Matric College
Short Courses At Skills Academy
- Accounting, Bookkeeping And Finance Courses
- Beauty Courses
- Computer Courses
- Educare And Childcare Courses
- Forensics And Policing Courses
- Human Resource Management Courses
- Insurance Courses
- Interior Decorating and Design, and Digital Photography Courses
- Management Courses
- Marketing Courses
- Occupational Health and Safety Courses
- Project Management Courses
- Tourism Courses
- Wedding And Events Planning Courses
Short Courses At Ember Academy
- Beauty Therapist Programme
- Child Daycare Programme
- Child Psychology Programme
- Crèche Management Programme
- Digital Photography Programme
- Event Management Programme
- Facial Skincare Programme
- Guest House Management Programme
- Human Resource Management Programme
- Make-up Application Programme
- Nail Care Programme
- Operational Health and Safety Programme
- Personal Assistant Programme
- Project Management Programme
- Receptionist Courses
- Supply Chain Management Programme
- Tourism Management Programme
- Tourism Marketing Programme
- Wedding Planner Programme
Short Courses At Learning Group
What Have We Learned?
- The options for universities you can study at are dependent on your APS
- The courses you can study are dependent on your APS
- Different universities have different requirements for the same courses
- There are alternative study options if your APS does not meet the requirements
- There are ways to improve your Matric to meet the requirements for university
- You can still get your Matric if you are over the age of 21 and have not got it yet
Author: Chloe Bydawell
Editor: Razeen Dollie
Date: July 13, 2022