University of Cape Town Application Guide: NBT, Requirements and Deadlines
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 18, 2026 • Admissions & Applications
UCT admission runs on your National Senior Certificate results combined with a required National Benchmark Test score, blended into a Faculty Points Score that decides whether you get an offer.
🎓 Register for the National Benchmark Tests (AL, QL and MAT where required) through the national NBT system.
📩 Apply online with your Grade 11 or Grade 12 results and your NBT scores.
Your Faculty Points Score formula differs by faculty: some use your APS alone, others blend in NBT percentages.
Science uses NBT results for placement into extended or mainstream degrees, not for the initial admission decision.
Each programme sets its own minimum FPS every year, so there is no single university-wide cut-off.
How UCT decides who gets in
UCT does not use a single national points system shared with every South African university. It converts your National Senior Certificate (NSC) results into an Admission Points Score (APS), then blends this with your National Benchmark Test (NBT) results to produce a Faculty Points Score (FPS), which your faculty actually uses to rank applicants. Full detail sits in the UCT undergraduate prospectus .
Step 1: Register for the National Benchmark Tests
Register for the NBTs through the national NBT website , administered by the Centre for Educational Testing for Access and Placement (CETAP) on behalf of Universities South Africa. You write Academic Literacy (AL) and Quantitative Literacy (QL) as a combined session, and Mathematics (MAT) if your intended course needs it. Book your session early, since UCT requires NBT results before it finalizes most offers, and test dates fill up ahead of the application deadline.
Step 2: Apply online and submit your NSC results
Apply through UCT's online undergraduate application system with your Grade 11 results, or Grade 12 results if you already have them, and pay the application fee, or request a fee waiver if you qualify. Add your NBT results once available. UCT matches these to your application through your ID number, so register for the NBTs under the same details you use on your UCT application.
Step 3: How your Faculty Points Score is calculated
The FPS formula changes by faculty.
| Faculty | How FPS works |
|---|---|
| Commerce, Engineering & the Built Environment, Humanities, Law | FPS equals your APS, out of 600 |
| Science | FPS out of 800, based on your best five subjects. NBT results feed into placement rather than the admission decision itself |
| Health Sciences | FPS combines your APS with your NBT AL and QL percentages, out of 900 |
Source: UCT National Benchmark Tests page .
Step 4: Meet your programme's minimum FPS
Each faculty, and within it each degree programme, sets its own minimum FPS every year, and competitive programmes such as Medicine, Actuarial Science and Law ask for more than the general floor. Check the current minimum for your specific programme in the UCT prospectus before you apply, since a single university-wide cut-off does not exist.
Extended degree programmes
UCT uses part of your NBT results to place you into an extended (four-year) or mainstream (three-year) version of certain degrees, giving you an additional foundation year of academic support where your NBT scores show you need it. This applies mainly in Science, Commerce and Health Sciences, and it affects which version of the programme you start in, not whether you receive an offer.
Application windows
UCT opens undergraduate applications in the first half of the year before you would start, and closes them mid-year for most programmes, with Health Sciences closing earlier than the general deadline. Confirm the exact dates for your intake on the UCT admissions page , since missing your faculty's deadline means waiting for the next intake.
Non-NSC and SADC qualifications
If your school qualification is not the NSC, for example Zimbabwe's ZIMSEC, another SADC certificate, or an international qualification, submit it for evaluation through the UCT admissions office to confirm its equivalent APS. Most non-NSC applicants still need NBT results.
Confirming your offer
UCT sends admission decisions and conditional offers through its online applicant portal and by email, so check your application status there instead of waiting for a phone call. Respond to a conditional offer by its stated deadline and submit your final NSC results as soon as they release, since UCT converts a conditional offer to a firm one only once it has your confirmed results.
Paying your first-year deposit
Once UCT confirms your offer, pay the required deposit by its deadline to secure your place, then complete UCT's own registration steps such as course selection and, where relevant, residence application. A confirmed offer that misses UCT's own deposit and registration deadlines can lapse, so treat the offer as the start of the process rather than the end.
Documents to prepare
Certified copy of your ID document or passport
Latest NSC or equivalent school results
NBT results (AL, QL, and MAT where required)
Proof of application fee payment, or an approved fee waiver
For non-NSC applicants: certified qualification documents for equivalence assessment