UWC faculties and Requirements 2026

Applications for the 2026 academic year at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) are now open. All prospective UWC students should carefully review the minimum entry requirements for their chosen course before applying. We have outlined the prerequisites for each course to help ensure that applicants meet the necessary criteria for admission in 2026.

Programme Choices: Undergraduate – You may apply for a maximum of 2 choices

UWC Admission Requirements for 2026 Intake:

The following prerequisites must be satisfied for you to be accepted into any of the faculty programs:

Bachelor’s Degree Selection Criteria:

The National Senior Certificate (NSC), as certified by Umalusi, must have four subjects with an achievement rating of 4 (Adequate achievement, 50-59 percent) or better, chosen from the list of accepted 20-credit NSC subjects below (known as the ‘designated subject list’):

Accounting, Agricultural Sciences, Business Studies, Dramatic Arts, Economics, Engineering Graphics and Design, Geography, History, Consumer Studies, Information Technology, Languages (one language of learning and teaching at a higher education institution and two other recognized language subjects), Life Sciences, Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy, Music, Physical Sciences, Religion Studies, Visual Arts.

Diploma Admission Criteria:

The minimum admission requirement is a National Senior Certificate as certified by Umalusi with an achievement rating of 3 (moderate Achievement, 40-49%) or better in four recognized NSC 20-credit subjects.

Higher Certificate Admission Criteria:

The minimum admission requirement is a National Senior Certificate as certified by Umalusi. The Point System For admission to degree and diploma programmes, UWC will use a weighted system for calculating points, stated as follows:

NSC Level	Percentage	*Points for English ()**	Points for Maths or Maths Lit	Points for Life Orientation	Points for each Other Subject
8	90-100%	15	15	3	8
7	80-89%	13	13	3	7
6	70-79%	11	11	2	6
5	60-69%	9	9	2	5
4	50-59%	7	7	2	4
3	40-49%	5	5	1	3
2	30-39%	3	3	1	2
1	20-29%	1	1	1	1
	less than 20%	0	0	0	0

(*) – ‘English’ here refers to either English home language or English first additional language, not a second additional language, which would rather fall under ‘other subjects.

For more information about the University of Western Cape, browse the official page