What APS actually is
APS stands for Admission Point Score. It is the number a South African university uses to decide whether your matric results clear the bar for a specific qualification. The catch: there is no single national APS. Each of the 26 public universities runs its own calculation, and the same matric results can produce very different APS numbers from one university to the next.
Step 1: convert each subject percentage to a level (1 to 7)
The starting point at almost every university is the National Senior Certificate (NSC) achievement scale. Your subject percentages convert to a level from 1 to 7:
| Percentage | Level |
|---|---|
| 80-100% | 7 |
| 70-79% | 6 |
| 60-69% | 5 |
| 50-59% | 4 |
| 40-49% | 3 |
| 30-39% | 2 |
| 0-29% | 1 |
For most universities the APS is then the sum of the levels for your 6 best subjects, with Life Orientation set aside. That gives a maximum of 42.
Step 2: apply the university's own rule
Below is how each of the 26 SA public universities actually calculates your APS. We have grouped them by approach.
Group 1: standard best 6, Life Orientation excluded, max 42
UJ, UP, UNISA, UL, DUT, TUT. Take the level (1 to 7) for each of your 6 main subjects, drop Life Orientation, and add. Maximum 42.
Group 2: standard best 6 with a 90%+ bonus, max 48
UKZN, NWU, WSU, UniZulu. Same as Group 1, but a subject in which you scored 90% or more is worth 8 points instead of 7. Maximum 48.
Group 3: best 7 including Life Orientation, max 49
SMU (Sefako Makgatho). Adds the levels of all 7 subjects, including Life Orientation. Maximum 49. SMU is the only university that counts LO at full subject value.
Group 4: raw percentages instead of levels
UCT. Sum the actual percentages of your 6 best subjects (Life Orientation and Life Sciences are excluded). This gives the Faculty Points Score (FPS) out of 600. UCT then applies a Weighted Points Score (WPS) on top: WPS = FPS + (disadvantage % × FPS). The disadvantage uplift is up to 10% in most faculties and up to 20% for Health Sciences. The uplift is calculated from school context (quintile, school average, school resources) and home/family background (parents' education, household income, home language).
Rhodes (RU). Same idea as UCT but each percentage is divided by 10 first. So 75% becomes 7.5 points. Sum the 6 best, with LO excluded. Total is roughly 0 to 60.
Stellenbosch (SUN). Sum the percentages of your 6 best subjects (LO excluded), divide by 6. The result is essentially your average mark out of 100. This is what Stellenbosch calls the TPT (Total Percentage Total) aggregate.
Group 5: percentage divided by 10, per subject
UniVen. Each subject percentage is divided by 10 (so 70% gives 7 points). Sum across your subjects.
UFH (Fort Hare). Same as UniVen, but only subjects in which you scored 40% or higher are counted. Anything below 40% contributes nothing.
Group 6: Maths and English are worth more
Wits. Uses 7 subjects including LO, but with a custom points table. Maths and English at 90%+ are worth 10 points each, while History or Geography at 90%+ are worth 8. Life Orientation has its own scale capped at 4, and only counts from 60% upward. Maximum APS is 54.
UWC. Even more generous to Maths and English. 90%+ in Maths or English can score up to 15 points, while other subjects max out at 8. Life Orientation contributes up to 3 points.
VUT. Maths gets a small boost (90%+ = 10 points) while other subjects top out at 9. Subjects below 30% do not count at all.
SPU (Sol Plaatje). Maths and Home Language can earn up to 10 points each, other subjects max at 8. Life Orientation slides in at 1 point for 60%, 2 points for 70%, capped at 4.
Group 7: it depends on which subjects you took (CPUT)
CPUT is the only university where the formula changes based on your subject combination.
- You took Maths and Accounting: APS = (2×Maths + 2×Accounting + English + 3 best others) ÷ 10.
- You took Maths and Physical Sciences: APS = (2×Maths + 2×Physics + English + 1 best other) ÷ 10.
- Otherwise: APS = (English + your 5 next best subjects) ÷ 10.
Life Orientation is never counted in any of the three formulas. If you took Maths plus Accounting or Maths plus Physics, you have a structural advantage at CPUT.
Group 8: your school context changes things (NMU)
NMU (Nelson Mandela). Sums the raw percentages of your 6 best subjects (max 600), called the Applicant Score (AS). If your school is in Quintile 1, 2 or 3 (the less-resourced government schools) and you scored 50% or higher in Life Orientation, NMU adds a flat +7 bonus to your AS. Quintile 4 or 5 schools get the AS without the bonus.
Group 9: minimum-mark cutoffs
MUT (Mangosuthu). Counts subjects in which you scored at level 3 or higher (40%+). A 90%+ subject is worth 8. Life Orientation is included only if you scored level 4 or higher in it (and is worth 1 point).
CUT (Central University of Technology). Counts subjects at level 2 or higher (30%+). LO contributes 1 point if you scored level 4 or higher.
UFS (Free State). Standard levels for subjects scoring 30% or higher. LO adds a bonus 1 point if you scored 60% or more in it.
Step 3: compare your APS to the programme cut-off
Meeting the APS minimum is necessary but never sufficient. Every degree also carries subject-specific minimums (Maths at level 5, English at level 4, Physical Sciences at a specific level, and so on). Some programmes layer on the NBT (UCT, Stellenbosch, Wits Health Sciences), portfolios (architecture, fine art) and interviews (medicine, social work).
Always read the most recent prospectus for the specific programme you want to apply to. The numbers can shift by a point or two between intakes.
Worked example
Mark, a Grade 12 learner, has these results: English 72%, Afrikaans 68%, Mathematics 65%, Physical Sciences 70%, Life Sciences 75%, Geography 80%, Life Orientation 85%.
- At UP, UJ, UNISA, UL, DUT or TUT (Group 1): levels are 6 + 5 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 7 = 35 APS.
- At UKZN, NWU, WSU or UniZulu (Group 2): same total because no subject is at 90%+. 35 APS.
- At SMU (Group 3): include LO at level 7, so 35 + 7 = 42 APS.
- At UCT (Group 4, FPS only): 72 + 68 + 65 + 70 + 75 + 80 = 430 / 600. WPS adds the disadvantage uplift if applicable.
- At Stellenbosch (Group 4): 430 / 6 = 71.7 average.
- At Wits (Group 6): 35 base + LO bonus + extra weighting on English and Maths. The exact total depends on the Wits points table.
The same matric profile produces very different numbers. Calculate against the universities you are actually applying to.
Try it yourself
NavyBlue's APS Calculator applies the correct rule for each university automatically and shows the courses you qualify for once you enter your marks. Use the per-university calculators for the institution you want to apply to.
For the full Life Orientation comparison across all 26 universities, see Does Life Orientation count for APS?.