Categories: University Admissions 2023

UNISA 2026 Admissions: How to Apply Online

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is now accepting new applications for undergraduate, postgraduate, and short-learning courses for the 2026 academic intake. All applications must be submitted online through UNISA’s application tool, as hard copies or applications submitted in person or by mail will not be accepted.

The Unisa online application portal for admission to diploma, higher certificate, and bachelor’s degree qualifications for the 2026 academic year will be open from August 19 to November 22, 2025, and hard copy application forms are not accepted.

key UNISA 2026 Application Dates

Unisa is accepting the 2026 applications by:

Undergraduate Qualifications: October 11, 2025.
UNISA Honours and Postgraduate Diplomas Application Dates: October 11, 2025
UNISA Master’s and Doctoral Qualifications: September 14 – November 22, 2025.

Manual applications will not be considered for the 2026 academic year, and any online application submitted after the deadline will be disallowed. Therefore, applicants are advised to submit all documents through the UNISA online application tool before the deadlines.

Who qualifies to apply for Unisa Online Admissions 2026

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is taking applications from the following persons for the Unisa online admissions 2026

All fresh and first-time Unisa applicants.
All Domestic and International Applicants
All existing Unisa students are changing to a new qualification and specialization.
All Applicants who previously applied for admission and were not offered a space or who were offered a space accepted the offer and did not register.
All students completing a higher certificate or any other program and who wish to continue with further undergraduate studies.
An applicant with a South African-approved ID or international passport

Supporting Documents For Unisa Online Admissions 2026

Since the University of South Africa does not accept hard-copy or paper-based applications, then all the documents below must be uploaded online:

Domestic students

A Certified Copy of the Senior Certificate or National Senior Certificate
A Certified Copy of your official tertiary academic record(s) (if applicable) (internet copies will not be accepted)
A Certified Copy of your ID document
A Certified Copy of your marriage certificate (if applicable) or divorce decree (if applicable)
Sworn translations of documents if they are not in English or Afrikaans

Foreign Students

Copy of your school qualifications.
Copy of your tertiary academic qualifications (if applicable)
Copy of your passport
Copy of your marriage certificate (if applicable) or divorce decree (if applicable)
Original sworn translations of documents if they are not in English or Afrikaans
M30 form – Application for a Certificate of Conditional Exemption (ONLY for admission to bachelor’s degree studies) (PDF 157KB) and supporting documents if you are applying for a certificate of exemption.

UNISA Booklet or Prospectus

The UNISA booklet or prospectus for 2026 must be downloaded and studied to make sure you meet the entry requirements and the admission point Score of the chosen programme. Don’t take a chance with Unisa entrance because there is intense competition for the available courses and exceeding the entry requirement may provide additional benefits. Because UNISA can only accept about 60% of the total applications received owing to capacity, not all applicants who match the entry requirements of the chosen courses are admitted.

Qualifications offered by Unisa in 2026

Unisa offers different levels of qualifications and these are listed below:

Undergraduate higher certificates
Diplomas & Degrees
Advanced Certificates
Advanced Diplomas & Postgraduate Certificates
Honours Degrees And Postgraduate Diplomas
Master’s Qualifications
Doctoral Qualifications
Short learning programmes

How to Apply Online for 2026 at UNISA

Complete the Unisa online admission form for 2026 and submit it electronically by following the steps below:

Go to the Unisa online application form at www.unisa.ac.za
Select and choose your Qualification to apply for.
Read every instruction from Step 1 to Step 3 and understand every data.
Click on the “Apply for Admission” Option
Click on first-time Unisa Applicants/ Returning Applicants
Enter your passport or ID number
Complete the entire online application form
Upload the documents that apply to you
After a successful application, a student number will be generated automatically.
Proceed to effect the Unisa Application fee payment for 2026.