Stellenbosch University Admission Guide: Application Process and Requirements

How Stellenbosch admission works

Stellenbosch ranks undergraduate applicants using an Admission Point Score (APS) drawn from your National Senior Certificate results, alongside subject-specific minimum percentages your faculty sets. The exact APS floor and required subject percentages differ by faculty and programme and change between intakes, so confirm the current figures for your specific course on the Stellenbosch admission information page before you apply.

Step 1: Check subject and language requirements

Confirm you meet the minimum pass requirements in your home language, an additional official language, and Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy depending on your intended course. Stellenbosch teaches many undergraduate modules in parallel medium, offering the same lecture in Afrikaans and English or providing real-time interpreting in the lecture hall, so fluency in Afrikaans is not a hard requirement for most programmes. Check your specific faculty's language arrangement, since it differs by department.

Step 2: Register for the National Benchmark Tests

Nearly all first-time Stellenbosch undergraduate applicants must write the National Benchmark Tests as a general admission requirement, with the main exception being applicants for a second degree. Register through the national NBT website as early as possible, since slots fill up ahead of application deadlines. Law applicants (BALaw, BComLaw, BAccLLB, and the 4-year LLB) must write the NBT by end of July specifically.

Step 3: Apply online

Submit your application through the Stellenbosch online application portal with your latest NSC results, ID document, and application fee, or a fee waiver request if you qualify. List every subject and mark accurately, since Stellenbosch checks your application against your official results before making an offer.

Step 4: Track your application and respond to offers

Check your application status through the Stellenbosch applicant portal rather than waiting for a phone call or letter. Respond to any conditional offer by its stated deadline, and submit your final NSC results once released to confirm a firm place.

Where you will study

Most Stellenbosch faculties teach on the main Stellenbosch campus, while Medicine and Health Sciences operates from the Tygerberg campus in Cape Town, and Military Science runs from the South African Military Academy in Saldanha. Confirm your programme's campus before you commit, since daily logistics and residence options differ between the three.

Non-NSC and international qualifications

If you completed a qualification other than the NSC, for example the IEB, Cambridge A-Level, IB, or another SADC school-leaving certificate, request a SAQA equivalence evaluation through the South African Qualifications Authority and include this with your Stellenbosch application.

Confirming your place

Once Stellenbosch confirms your offer, pay the required registration deposit by its deadline to secure your place, then complete the university's own registration steps such as module selection and, where relevant, residence application. An offer that misses these follow-up deadlines can lapse even after you accepted it online, so treat the offer as the start of a process rather than the end.

Applying for residence

Apply for a place in a Stellenbosch residence separately from your academic application, and as early as possible once your academic application opens, since residence spaces fill up ahead of the main application deadline in many years. A confirmed academic offer does not include a guaranteed residence place, particularly at the Tygerberg campus where space is limited.

Choosing your faculty wisely

APS minimums and subject percentage requirements differ across Stellenbosch's faculties, from AgriSciences and Arts and Social Sciences to Engineering, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Science. A borderline APS or subject percentage in one competitive programme sometimes still clears the bar in a related but less oversubscribed programme, so compare your options within a faculty rather than fixing on a single course.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying after your faculty's specific deadline instead of the general university deadline

• Listing Mathematical Literacy for a programme that requires Mathematics

• Skipping the National Benchmark Tests, which almost all first-time applicants must write

• Not requesting a SAQA evaluation early enough for a non-NSC qualification

Documents to prepare

• Certified copy of your ID document or passport

• Latest NSC or equivalent school results

• NBT results, required for nearly all first-time undergraduate applicants

• Proof of application fee payment, or an approved fee waiver