Stellenbosch University Undergraduate Admission Requirements — 2027

SU's admission system has two layers. The first is a set of minimum admission requirements that every applicant must satisfy. The second is a faculty selection process — because SU is oversubscribed across all programmes, meeting the minimum is the floor, not the finish line. Each faculty calculates a selection score using a specific formula and selects from the top of that ranking until places are filled.

Basic minimum requirements for all bachelor's degree programmes:

NSC or IEB school-leaving certificate certified by Umalusi
Endorsement for bachelor's degree study
Specific NSC aggregate and subject requirements vary by programme (see per-faculty breakdown below)
NBTs required only for Law programmes (AQL for LLB/BA(Law); AQL + MAT for BCom(Law) and BAccLLB) and for applicants from School of Tomorrow, AHSD, and all online schools

Faculty of AgriSciences — minimum requirements:

Most programmes (BAgric Agribusiness Management, BScAgric Agricultural Economics, BScAgric Plant and Soil Science, BScAgric Viticulture and Oenology, BScAgric Animal Production Systems, BSc Conservation Ecology, BSc Food Science, BScFor Forestry and Natural Resources Sciences):

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)
English or Afrikaans (HL or FAL): 50%
Mathematics: 60%
Physical Sciences: 50%

BAgric Agricultural Production and Management (Elsenburg):

NSC aggregate: 55%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 50% OR Mathematical Literacy: 60%
Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, or Agricultural Sciences: 50%

BScFor (Wood and Wood Products Sciences):

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO); Mathematics: 70%; Physical Sciences: 60%

Bachelor of Data Science (BDatSci — Statistical Genetics focal area):

NSC aggregate: 80%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 80%
English or Afrikaans HL: 60%; or FAL: 75%

All AgriSciences programmes are also available as Extended Curriculum Programmes (one extra year) for applicants who narrowly miss the standard Maths/Physical Sciences thresholds.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences — minimum requirements:

BA in Humanities, BA in Language and Culture, BA in Development and the Environment, BA in Human Resource Management, BA in International Studies, BA in Political, Philosophical and Economic Studies:

NSC aggregate: 63%+ (excluding LO)
Home Language: 50%; First Additional Language: 40%
Some streams require Mathematics 60% (Economics as a university subject)

BA in Drama and Theatre Studies:

NSC aggregate: 65%+ (excluding LO)
Home Language: 60%; First Additional Language: 50%
Audition and/or interview required in August

BA in Music / BMus:

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)
Home Language: 50%; First Additional Language: 40%
Practical instrument standard equivalent to Grade VII (classical); theory Grade V equivalent
Audition and theoretical test at the Department of Music, Stellenbosch

BA in Visual Arts (60 places):

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)
Portfolio due 1 September

Bachelor of Social Work (100 places):

NSC aggregate: 63%+ (excluding LO)
Home Language: 50%; First Additional Language: 50%

Diploma in Sustainable Development:

NSC aggregate: 55%+ (excluding LO)
English HL: 50% or English FAL: 60%
Mathematics: 50% or Mathematical Literacy: 60%
Departmental application form demonstrating commitment to sustainable development, leadership, and innovation required

Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences — minimum requirements:

BCom (Actuarial Science) — most competitive in the faculty:

NSC aggregate: 80%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 80%
Home Language: 60%
If Home Language is not English: English FAL 75% also required

BCom (International Business) — strict selection programme (limited places):

NSC aggregate: 80%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 70%
English HL: 70% or English FAL: 80%
Third year includes an international exchange semester; English is the sole language of instruction

BCom (Mathematical Sciences):

NSC aggregate: 70%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 75%

BAcc (Chartered Accountancy pathway):

NSC aggregate: 70%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 70%; or Mathematics 60% + Accounting 70%

BCom (Economic Sciences):

NSC aggregate: 65%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 60%
English or Afrikaans HL: 50%; or FAL: 70%
Econometrics and Financial Sector focal areas: Mathematics 70% required

BCom (Management Sciences), BCom (Industrial Psychology), BCom (Management Accounting), BCom (Financial Accounting):

NSC aggregate: 65%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 60%

BCom (Management Sciences) ECP:

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 50%
South African citizens only; approximately 100 places; placement is automatic (students cannot apply directly)

Faculty of Education — minimum requirements (all BEd programmes):

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 40% or Mathematical Literacy: 60%
Language of instruction (English, Afrikaans, or isiXhosa depending on schooling): HL 60%
Second South African language: 50%
BEd Foundation Phase: 125 places; BEd Intermediate Phase: 125 places

PGCE (1 year, full-time on campus):

An NQF Level 7 degree with two teaching subjects
Programme-specific requirements per teaching subject apply

Faculty of Engineering — minimum requirements (all BEng programmes):

NSC aggregate: 70%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 70%
Physical Sciences: 60%
English HL: 50% (no Afrikaans required); or English FAL: 60%; or English FAL 50% + Afrikaans HL/SAL 50–60%

Selection score formula: Mathematics % + Physical Sciences % + (6 × NSC average from best 6 subjects, excluding LO). Maximum score: 800. In practice, a selection score of 600+ is competitive for most BEng programmes; 620+ is needed for some. To be safe, target Mathematics 75%+, NSC average 75%+, Physical Sciences 65%+. For the most competitive streams, Mathematics 80% and Physical Sciences 70% are more reliable benchmarks.

Extended curriculum BEng programmes (5 years) are also available for a limited number of applicants who meet lower minimum thresholds but come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Faculty of Law — minimum requirements:

LLB (4-year, 120 places):

Write NBT AQL before 31 July
NSC aggregate: 70%+ (excluding LO)
English or Afrikaans HL: 60%; or FAL: 70%
Selection: 80% academic results, 20% NBT results (Grade 11 or Grade 12)

LLB (3-year, 50 places — second bachelor's degree only):

Must hold a prior bachelor's degree with at least 60% aggregate; no school-leaving requirements apply

BA (Law) (55 places):

Same minimum requirements as 4-year LLB; write NBT AQL before 31 July; interfaculty programme (Law + Arts)

BCom (Law) (80 places):

Write NBT AQL and MAT before 31 July
NSC aggregate: 70%+ (excluding LO)
English or Afrikaans HL: 60%; or FAL: 70%
Mathematics: 60%

BAccLLB (35 places — most competitive Law programme):

Write NBT AQL and MAT before 31 July
NSC aggregate: 80%+ (excluding LO)
English or Afrikaans HL: 60%; or FAL: 70%
Mathematics: 70%; or Mathematics 60% + Accounting 70%

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences — minimum requirements:

MBChB (approximately 280 places annually):

NSC aggregate: 75%+ (excluding LO) — this is one of the highest baselines in the faculty
Mathematics: 60%; Physical Sciences: 50%; Life Sciences: 50%
Selection considers academic merit, non-academic merits, and for registered SU students, university-level academic record

BSc Physiotherapy (~55 places):

NSC aggregate: 60%+; Mathematics: 60%; Physical Sciences: 50%

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (~50 places):

NSC aggregate: 60%+; Mathematics: 50%; Life Sciences: 50%

BSc Dietetics (~35 places):

NSC aggregate: 60%+; Mathematics: 50%; Physical Sciences: 50%; Life Sciences: 50%

Bachelor of Nursing (~50 places):

NSC aggregate: 60%+; Mathematics: 40% or Mathematical Literacy: 70%; Life Sciences: 50%

Bachelor of Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy (~30 places):

NSC aggregate: 60%+; Mathematics: 50%; Physical Sciences: 50% or Life Sciences: 60%
At least two of English, Afrikaans, or a third SA language (HL or FAL): 60%

All health sciences programmes are accredited by the HPCSA or SANC. All require one year of community service after graduation before independent professional registration.

Faculty of Science — minimum requirements:

Selection mark formula: [(Mathematics × 2) + 5 other subjects (at least one must be English or Afrikaans, excluding LO)] ÷ 7.

The selection threshold is consistently higher than the minimums below

BSc programmes (Biodiversity and Ecology, Human Life Sciences, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sport Science, Earth Science, GeoInformatics):

NSC aggregate: 65%+ (excluding LO); English or Afrikaans (HL or FAL): 50%; Physical Sciences: 50%; Mathematics: 60%

BSc Chemistry, BSc Physics, BSc Mathematical Sciences, BSc Computer Science:

NSC aggregate: 65%+ (excluding LO); Mathematics: 70%

Interdisciplinary BSc (Biomedical Mathematical Sciences, Applied Medicinal Chemistry, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Biomathematics):

NSC aggregate: 65%+ (excluding LO); Mathematics: 70%; Physical Sciences: 50%

Bachelor of Data Science (BDatSci — across all faculties, interfaculty programme):

NSC aggregate: 80%+ (excluding LO)
Mathematics: 80%
English or Afrikaans HL: 60%; or FAL: 75%

Extended curriculum BSc (ECP, 4 years): Available as an alternative route for applicants from designated diversity and socio-economic categories who narrowly miss the standard selection threshold. Offers may be extended in October, or applications considered in January following final Grade 12 results.

Faculty of Theology

BTh (Bachelor of Theology, 3 years):

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)

BDiv (Bachelor of Divinity, 4 years):

NSC aggregate: 60%+ (excluding LO)
Extended curriculum programme available for applicants with 55–59.9% aggregate; motivational letter from church denomination required

International applicants

SU's Admissions Office, in collaboration with SU International, evaluates international school-leaving qualifications. For postgraduate programmes, applicants whose qualifications were obtained at a non-South African institution must submit a SAQA evaluation certificate.

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