A bachelor pass is the highest achievement level of the National Senior Certificate, awarded on your Grade 12 results, and it is the level that makes you eligible to apply for degree study at a South African university.
It is awarded on 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. Those thresholds are set in national policy by the Department of Basic Education.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
The National Senior Certificate is awarded at several levels, determined by your Grade 12 results.
- Bachelor pass, allowing application for degree study at a university
- Diploma pass, allowing application for diploma study
- Higher certificate pass, allowing application for higher certificate study
- National Senior Certificate pass, a pass without direct entry to those routes
- Where the pass requirements are not met, supplementary or rewrite options may apply
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
The bachelor pass has a defined 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.
The exact percentages and the number of subjects at each level 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 published elsewhere.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
Achieving a bachelor pass is separate from meeting a specific degree programme subject requirements. You can hold a bachelor pass and still be ineligible for a programme because you did not take a required subject at the required level.
This is why the subject choices made in Grade 9 matter. Mathematics rather than Mathematical Literacy is required for most science, engineering, health science and commerce degrees, and it generally cannot be substituted afterwards.
Universities then calculate a points score from your results, and the method differs between institutions. Calculate it against each institution published method separately.
Documents and Application Requirements
To apply for degree study on the strength of a bachelor pass you will normally need the following.
- A certified copy of your identity document
- Your National Senior Certificate or latest statement of results
- Proof of the application fee, where one is charged
- Your final matric results, used to confirm any conditional offer
- A SAQA evaluation certificate, if you hold a foreign qualification
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
Universities commonly make conditional offers on Grade 11 or mid-year Grade 12 results and confirm them once final results are released. A conditional offer is not a place until confirmed.
If your final results fall short, supplementary examinations where you qualify for them, rewriting subjects, or entering through a higher certificate or diploma and articulating into a degree are all realistic routes.
Many students reach degree study through the second route rather than directly, and institutions are set up to accommodate it. See bachelor pass requirements for the wider picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bachelor pass in Grade 12?
The highest achievement level of the National Senior Certificate, which makes you eligible to apply for degree study at a university.
Where do I confirm the exact percentages?
With the Department of Basic Education or your school, since they are set in national policy and can be adjusted.
Does a bachelor pass guarantee university admission?
No. Programme subject requirements, institution points scores and competition for limited places all still apply.
What if I miss it?
Supplementary examinations, rewriting subjects, or entering through a higher certificate or diploma and articulating into a degree are all realistic routes.
Confirm the current bachelor pass thresholds with the Department of Basic Education, and programme requirements with each university. See admission requirements and browse all education requirements.