Does Life Orientation count for APS? | All 26 SA universities compared

Quick answer

Most South African universities do not count Life Orientation in your APS. UJ, UP, UCT, Stellenbosch, UKZN, NWU, TUT, DUT, CPUT, VUT, NMU, Rhodes, UniVen and UNISA all exclude it from the main calculation. SMU is the only one that counts LO at full subject value. Wits, UWC, UFH, MUT, CUT, UFS, SPU and UMP partially count it, usually as a bonus point or as a capped contribution.

You still need to pass Life Orientation for your matric certificate, even at the universities that exclude it from APS.

Want the interactive table? The Life Orientation in APS comparison shows the rule, max APS and direct calculator link for all 26 SA universities side by side.

The full breakdown

LO is not counted at all (most universities)

University	Approach
UJ, UP, UNISA, UL, DUT, TUT	Standard best-6 levels, LO excluded. Max 42.
UKZN, NWU, WSU, UniZulu	Best 6 levels, 90%+ scores 8. LO excluded. Max 48.
UCT	Best 6 raw percentages. LO and Life Sciences both excluded.
Stellenbosch	Best 6 raw percentage average. LO excluded.
Rhodes (RU)	Each best-6 subject ÷ 10. LO excluded.
UniVen	Each subject % ÷ 10. LO excluded.
VUT	Standard scale with subject weighting. LO does not count.
CPUT	All three formulas exclude LO entirely.

LO is counted at full subject value (one university)

University	Approach
SMU (Sefako Makgatho)	Best 7 subjects including LO at full level. Max 49.

LO partially counts

University	Treatment of LO
Wits	Separate scale, max 4 points, only counts from 60% upward.
UWC	Capped at 3 points.
SPU	60% = 1 pt, 70% = 2 pts, capped at 4.
UFH	Counted only if scored 40%+ on the percentage ÷ 10 system.
MUT	Counted only if level 4+ (50%+), worth 1 point.
CUT	Counted only if level 4+ (50%+), worth 1 point.
UFS	Bonus 1 point if scored 60%+.
UMP	Counted with reduced weight (full rule depends on programme).
NMU	Excluded from AS, but unlocks a +7 bonus for Quintile 1-3 schools at 50%+.

A note on NMU

NMU does not count LO inside the Applicant Score, but uses it as the trigger for a structural bonus. If you went to a Quintile 1, 2 or 3 school and your LO is 50% or higher, NMU adds a flat +7 to your AS. Quintile 4-5 schools do not get the bonus regardless of LO mark.

Why so much variation?

The APS system was never standardised across the country. Universities developed their own calculations as the National Senior Certificate replaced the old Matric Exemption system in 2008. Some kept LO out because it is not academically gatekept the same way as Maths or English. Others (Wits, UWC, SPU) wanted to recognise effort across all 7 subjects.

The two outliers, SMU and NMU, take opposite views on context. SMU treats LO as a regular subject because it sees soft-skill development as relevant to health-sciences pathways. NMU uses LO as a flag for school-context disadvantage rather than as an academic input on its own.

What this means for your application

If LO is one of your strongest subjects (75%+), Wits, UWC, SMU, SPU and UFS are slightly more generous to your overall APS than UJ or UP would be. UMP and UFH also let it contribute.
If LO is one of your weakest subjects, the standard best-6 universities (UJ, UP, UCT, Stellenbosch, UKZN, NWU, TUT, DUT, CPUT, Rhodes, UniVen) drop it entirely and your APS does not suffer.
NMU is uniquely worth checking if you went to a Quintile 1-3 school. The +7 bonus can move you across the line for Bachelor's-pass cut-offs.
SMU is the only place where LO sits inside the main total. Worth knowing if you are aiming at health sciences but were close to the cut-off without LO included.

Compare side by side

The full 26-university comparison (with the LO rule, the calculation method, the maximum APS and a link to each calculator) is on our Life Orientation in APS comparison page. It groups universities by treatment and lets you click straight into each university's APS calculator.

To check what your APS works out to at each university with your actual marks, use the APS Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does UCT count Life Orientation in APS?

No. UCT calculates the FPS using your 6 best raw percentages and excludes both Life Orientation and Life Sciences. UCT then applies a Weighted Points Score (WPS) that uplifts the FPS by a disadvantage factor (up to 10% in most faculties, up to 20% for Health Sciences). LO does not enter the WPS calculation.

Does Wits count Life Orientation?

Yes, but on a separate capped scale and only from 60% upward. Wits uses 7 subjects in its APS calculation, but LO is worth a maximum of 4 points (versus a possible 10 for Maths or English at 90%+).

Does Stellenbosch count Life Orientation?

No. Stellenbosch uses a percentage average across your 6 best subjects, with LO excluded. The result is the TPT, an aggregate out of 100.

Does UJ count Life Orientation?

No. UJ uses the standard best-6 levels (max 42) and excludes LO entirely.

Does UP count Life Orientation?

No. UP uses the standard best-6 levels and excludes LO. The minimum APS for most degrees sits between 28 and 35; Medicine needs 35+.

Does NWU count Life Orientation?

No. NWU uses best-6 levels with a 90%+ bonus (subjects above 90% score 8 instead of 7), giving a maximum of 48. LO is not in the total.

Does UKZN count Life Orientation?

No. UKZN uses the same best-6, 90%+ bonus formula as NWU. Max 48. LO excluded.

Why does my Life Orientation mark still matter?

Two reasons. First, you have to pass LO to receive your matric certificate. Second, at NMU it triggers the Quintile 1-3 bonus, and at Wits, UWC, SMU, UFS, MUT, CUT, SPU and UFH it can directly add to your APS.

What is the lowest LO mark accepted?

For matric certification you need at least 30% in LO. For the universities that count LO, the threshold to score any APS varies: MUT and CUT need level 4 (50%+), UFS needs 60%+, Wits needs 60%+, NMU needs 50%+ for the quintile bonus. SMU counts whatever level you scored.