Law requirements in South Africa start with a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a bachelor pass, plus the English level, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy level and points score (APS) that each university’s law faculty sets. There is no single national subject list, so the requirements to study law differ from one university to the next.
The degree is the LLB (Bachelor of Laws). It is the law degree in South Africa that leads, with further training, to admission as a legal practitioner. You can take it as a four-year degree from matric or, at some universities, after another degree. The examples below come from the universities’ own pages and apply to the 2027 intake.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
- Pass level: an NSC bachelor pass at most universities. Unisa asks for degree endorsement and at least 50% in the language of teaching and learning.
- English: a faculty-set level. Wits asks for level 6; Rhodes asks for 60% in Home Language or 70% in First Additional Language.
- Mathematics: set by some faculties (Wits, Rhodes) and not required by UCT.
- APS: each faculty sets its own cut-off, and meeting it does not guarantee a place.
- Graduate routes: Wits and UCT accept applicants with a degree average of at least 65%.
- Extra selection: UCT requires the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs) for the four-year LLB.
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
These are the published LLB entry requirements at four universities:
- University of the Witwatersrand: the four-year LLB direct from matric asks for an APS of 46 or more, English (Home or First Additional Language) at level 6, and Mathematics at level 5 or Mathematical Literacy at level 6. Applicants with an APS of 40 to 45 who meet those subject levels may be wait-listed, subject to places. See the Wits LLB page.
- Rhodes University: for the LLB 1 route, normally an APS of 45 across six subjects, at least 60% for English Home Language or 70% for English First Additional Language, and 50% for Mathematics or 60% for Mathematical Literacy. Places are limited and preference goes to qualifying Black South African and disabled applicants. See the Rhodes LLB page.
- University of Cape Town: no specific school subjects are required for law and Mathematics is not required. The four-year LLB requires the NBTs. See the UCT Faculty of Law admission page.
- Unisa: the distance LLB (98680) is NQF level 8, 480 credits, with an admission score of 20. It accepts an NSC with degree endorsement and at least 50% in the language of teaching and learning, a Senior Certificate with matriculation exemption, a Higher Certificate in Law or Criminal Justice with an average of at least 60%, a 360-credit Diploma in Law or a related NQF level 6 diploma, or a B Iuris, B Proc, BCom Law or BA Law degree. See the Unisa LLB page.
Meeting the minimum does not secure a place at any of these universities. Rhodes and Wits also run graduate routes, and UCT’s graduate LLB needs a minimum 65% GPA and no NBTs.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
What subjects are needed for law? English is the only subject every faculty assesses, at a level it sets. Mathematics is where faculties differ. Wits needs Mathematics at level 5 or Mathematical Literacy at level 6, Rhodes needs 50% in Mathematics or 60% in Mathematical Literacy, and UCT does not require Mathematics at all.
APS methods also differ. Rhodes counts six subjects, so a score from one university cannot be compared directly with another’s. Work out your score using each faculty’s own published method.
For a worked example, see our UJ law requirements guide. UJ publishes its minimum APS, English, additional language and Mathematics levels on the UJ LLB page; check the current figures there before you apply.
Documents and Application Requirements
Apply through each university’s own application portal. Unisa accepts undergraduate applications online only. The documents requested differ by university, so use the checklist on the portal you apply through. Two requirements are stated on the faculty pages:
- UCT’s four-year LLB requires NBT results.
- The graduate LLB routes at Wits and UCT are assessed on your undergraduate degree average, so you will need to supply your university results.
Dates have moved on for the 2027 intake. Wits listed 30 September 2026 as its closing date, and Unisa’s undergraduate window ran from 17 August to 9 October 2026. Both have closed. If you are applying for a later intake, check each university’s page for the new closing date and the date by which the NBTs must be written.
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
Meeting the minimum puts you in the pool; it does not secure a place. Wits wait-lists applicants just below its APS cut-off, and Rhodes limits its places and gives preference to qualifying Black South African and disabled applicants. Unisa also states that admission is not automatic.
The LLB does not make you a lawyer on its own. Under the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, you qualify to be admitted and enrolled as a legal practitioner if you have completed an LLB from a registered South African university, completed practical vocational training and passed a competency-based assessment. The Act requires an LLB of not less than four years, or not less than five years if it is preceded by another bachelor’s degree.
Candidate attorneys serve a practical vocational training contract of 2 years, with at least 150 notional hours of structured coursework during the contract or within a year after it. The contract is 1 year if a structured coursework programme of at least 400 notional hours over not more than six months was completed. The contract must be lodged with the Legal Practice Council’s provincial office within 2 months of its date. See the LPC requirements for registering a practical vocational training contract. The format and pass mark of the assessment are not published in the sources we checked, so confirm them with the Legal Practice Council.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an LLB in law?
LLB stands for Legum Baccalaureus, or Bachelor of Laws. It is the degree that, together with practical vocational training and the assessment, qualifies you to be admitted as a legal practitioner. The LLB degree is offered at universities including UJ, Wits, UCT, Rhodes and, by distance, Unisa.
What are the requirements to study law in South Africa?
You need an NSC bachelor pass (at Unisa, degree endorsement and 50% in the language of teaching and learning) and must meet the faculty’s English, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy and APS requirements. UCT also requires NBTs for the four-year LLB. Compare each faculty’s figures above, then confirm them on its own page.
What subjects are needed for law?
English is assessed everywhere. Wits asks for English at level 6 and Mathematics at level 5 or Mathematical Literacy at level 6; UCT states there are no specific subject requirements and Mathematics is not required. UJ sets English, additional language and Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy levels on its LLB page.
Can I study law if I don’t meet the APS?
Possibly, through another route. Unisa’s distance LLB has an admission score of 20 and also accepts a Higher Certificate in Law or Criminal Justice with a 60% average. Wits and UCT accept graduates with a degree average of at least 65%. Wits may wait-list applicants with an APS of 40 to 45 who meet its subject levels.
How long does a law degree take in South Africa?
Wits and UCT describe the LLB from matric as a four-year degree, and the Legal Practice Act sets a minimum of four years, or five if the LLB is preceded by another bachelor’s degree. Wits also offers a three-year LLB for graduates of non-law degrees and a two-year LLB for Wits BA(Law) and BCom(Law) graduates.
Does an LLB let me practise as a lawyer?
Not on its own. You must also complete practical vocational training and pass the competency-based assessment, as described above.
Requirements change each intake cycle, so confirm the current figures and closing dates with each law faculty, and confirm the route to practice with the Legal Practice Council. See admission requirements and browse all education requirements.