APS calculator and matric pass checker

The four matric passes

Your results show one of four passes. Each higher pass needs everything the one before it needs, and more.

The matric pass types and what each needs

Pass	What you need
National Senior Certificate (NSC)	40% or more in your home language and in 2 other subjects, 30% or more in 3 more, and at most one subject below 30%
Higher Certificate	An NSC pass, and 30% or more in the language the university or college teaches in
Diploma	A Higher Certificate pass, and 40% or more in 4 subjects other than Life Orientation
Bachelor's	A Higher Certificate pass, and 50% or more in 4 subjects other than Life Orientation

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) sets the rules for the National Senior Certificate (NSC). The minimum marks for a Higher Certificate, Diploma or Bachelor’s pass come from the minimum admission requirements for higher education, published under the Higher Education Act.

How your marks become levels

Each final mark falls on one of seven levels on the DBE’s scale of achievement.

NSC achievement levels and the marks for each

Level	Mark	Description
7	80% to 100%	Outstanding achievement
6	70% to 79%	Meritorious achievement
5	60% to 69%	Substantial achievement
4	50% to 59%	Adequate achievement
3	40% to 49%	Moderate achievement
2	30% to 39%	Elementary achievement
1	0% to 29%	Not achieved

How the APS works

Your Admission Point Score (APS) adds up the levels of your 6 subjects other than Life Orientation. The highest possible APS is 42.

Universities don’t all count the APS the same way, and each programme sets its own minimum APS and subject marks. Use the APS here as a guide, then check the admission requirements of the university you want to apply to.

How the pass rules work

• The NSC. You need 40% or more in your home language and in two other subjects, and 30% or more in three more subjects. One of your seven subjects can be below 30%, as long as you handed in its school-based assessment. Life Orientation counts as one of the seven.
• Condonation. If one subject is no more than 2% short of a pass mark, the DBE can add those marks, in one subject only, when that is all you need for the NSC. The calculator tells you when this could apply; your results statement shows whether it did.
• The language rule. A Higher Certificate, Diploma or Bachelor’s pass also needs 30% or more in the language the university or college teaches in, usually English. That can be your first additional language. It doesn’t lower the NSC rule: your home language still needs 40%.
• The four subjects. For a Diploma or Bachelor’s pass, any four subjects with 20 credits count. Life Orientation has 10 credits, so it never counts towards the four. The list of designated subjects for a Bachelor’s pass was revoked in 2018.
• Whole marks. The DBE rounds each final mark to a whole percentage, so type the marks from your results statement.

What this tool can’t do

• It checks the minimums only. A pass lets you apply; universities and colleges set higher marks and subject requirements for each programme, and they decide who gets a place.
• Only your official results statement and certificate show your pass.
• It doesn’t cover the Senior Certificate for adults, which has its own pass rules (see how to rewrite or upgrade your matric), a second home language, the language concession for immigrant learners, an NSC with endorsement for learners with barriers to learning, or an eighth subject.

If your marks fall short

You can rewrite subjects to improve your marks: see how to rewrite or upgrade your matric. A TVET college is another route, and NSFAS can fund study at public universities and TVET colleges.