A bachelor pass is the highest achievement level of the National Senior Certificate and it is the level that makes you eligible to apply for degree study at a South African university. It is awarded on the results of your matric examinations, based on how many subjects you passed and at what level.
A bachelor pass makes you eligible to apply for a degree. It does not admit you to one. Universities apply their own programme requirements and points scores on top of it, and most degree programmes require considerably more than the bare pass.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
The National Senior Certificate is awarded at several achievement levels, and which one you receive determines the kind of qualification you can apply to study.
- Bachelor pass, which allows you to apply for degree study at a university
- Diploma pass, which allows you to apply for diploma study
- Higher certificate pass, which allows you to apply for higher certificate study
- National Senior Certificate pass, which is a pass without direct entry to those routes
- Failing to meet the pass requirements, in which case supplementary or rewrite options may apply
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
The bachelor pass is defined by the Department of Basic Education in terms of the number of subjects you pass and the minimum percentage achieved in each, with different thresholds applying to your home language, your other required subjects and your electives. The exact percentages and the number of subjects at each level are set nationally.
Because those thresholds are set in national policy and can be adjusted, confirm the current definition with the Department of Basic Education or your school rather than relying on a figure you read elsewhere. This page deliberately does not restate the percentages, because an out-of-date threshold is worse than none.
What matters practically is that the bachelor pass has a structure: a minimum standard in your home language, a higher minimum in a set number of subjects, and a lower minimum permitted in a limited number of others. Life Orientation is treated separately from your other subjects in most university points calculations.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
Achieving a bachelor pass is separate from meeting a degree programme’s subject requirements. A programme can require specific subjects at specific levels, and you can hold a bachelor pass while still being ineligible for that programme because you did not take a required subject.
This is why the subject choices made in Grade 9 matter so much. Mathematics rather than Mathematical Literacy is a requirement for most science, engineering, health science and commerce degrees, and it usually cannot be substituted after the fact.
Universities then calculate a points score, commonly called an APS, from your results. The method differs between institutions: some exclude Life Orientation, some weight designated subjects, and some use their own scale entirely. Calculate your score against each institution’s own published method.
Documents and Application Requirements
To apply for degree study on the strength of a bachelor pass, you will normally need the following.
- Your National Senior Certificate, or your statement of results if the certificate has not been issued yet
- A certified copy of your identity document
- Proof of the application fee, where the institution charges one
- Your final results, which universities use to confirm a conditional offer
- An evaluation certificate, if you hold a foreign qualification instead of a National Senior Certificate
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
Universities commonly make conditional offers on the basis of Grade 11 or mid-year Grade 12 results, then confirm or withdraw them once final matric results are released. A conditional offer is not a place until it is confirmed.
Meeting the minimum for a programme rarely secures admission to a competitive one. Places are limited and institutions select from the applicants who apply, so the effective entry standard for programmes such as medicine, actuarial science or engineering is set by competition rather than by the published minimum.
If your results fall short of a bachelor pass, you have routes available: supplementary examinations where you qualify for them, rewriting subjects, or entering through a higher certificate or diploma and articulating into a degree later. Many students reach degree study by that second route, and universities are set up to accommodate it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a bachelor pass guarantee me a place at university?
No. It makes you eligible to apply for degree study. Programme-specific subject requirements, points scores and competition for limited places all still apply.
Can I get a bachelor pass with Mathematical Literacy?
Yes, the pass level itself does not require Mathematics. But many degree programmes do require Mathematics, so you may hold a bachelor pass and still not qualify for the programme you want.
What if I miss a bachelor pass by a small margin?
Ask your school about supplementary examinations or rewriting specific subjects, and ask universities about higher certificate or diploma routes that articulate into a degree.
Where can I confirm the exact pass requirements?
The Department of Basic Education sets and publishes them. Confirm the current thresholds with the department or your school, since they are set in national policy.
Confirm the current bachelor pass thresholds with the Department of Basic Education, and confirm programme requirements with each university you apply to. For the wider picture see admission requirements and browse all education requirements.