University of Cape Town (UCT) Application 2026 – How to Apply

The University of Cape Town (UCT) will soon begin its application for admission into the 2026 academic year, so if you are a high school leaver, and you are looking to gain admission into this Institution, then I advise you to go through this article

UCT is a community of exceptionally talented students, teachers, and researchers – and a wide range of professional, administrative support, and service staff – all of whom are committed to helping change this world for the better. The university encourages each student to work hard, not only to earn degrees or public recognition but also to be leaders in this increasingly changing world.

The UCT application is expected to begin around June 2025, but the school is yet to confirm that. This post will provide you with information like available courses, admission requirements, how to apply, and track your application when it eventually opens.

Available Courses at UCT

• commerce
• Engineering & the Built Environment
• Health Sciences
• Humanities
•  Law
• Science
• School of Business

To check out the full list of courses under each of these faculties, check out the school’s prospectus 

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate Certificate Study

To confirm eligibility for admission to undergraduate certificate study, applicants must consult the Admissions Office or the faculty concerned.

Undergraduate Diploma Study

The minimum requirement for admission to undergraduate diploma study is a National Senior Certificate (NSC) as certified by Umalusi with an achievement rating of 3 (Moderate Achievement, 40-49%) or better in 4 recognized NSC 20-credit subjects.

Bachelor’s Degree Study

To be eligible for admission to degree study, applicants need to meet minimum requirements for eligibility:

• Applicants holding a South African National Senior Certificate (NSC) need to pass a minimum of 4 subjects at a rating of 4 (Adequate Achievement, 50-59%) or better in any four 20-credit NSC subjects.
• Applicants holding a South African Senior Certificate need matriculation endorsement.
• Applicants holding non-South African school-leaving certificates must qualify for a matriculation exemption certificate. For more information please visit the website of the Matriculation Board.

Minimum language proficiency

All applicants must have attained a certain level of proficiency in English and are required to submit evidence of this, as outlined below, as part of their application to study.

South African Senior Certificate undergraduate applicants

• South African Senior Certificate undergraduate applicants to UCT must have achieved a pass of 40% or more on the Higher Grade in English (First or Second Language) at Senior Certificate level.

South African NSC undergraduate applicants

• South African NSC undergraduate applicants to UCT, must have achieved a rating of 2 (Elementary Achievement, 30-40%) or better at the Home Language or First Additional Language level.

How to Apply to UCT

The University of Cape Town currently isn’t accepting applications for the 2026 Academic year. The Applications are expected to open in June 2025, so you have to wait till then.

Tracking your UCT Application

1. Once you have applied, you can track your application status by going to the page you applied on
2. Enter your log-in details which were given to you during the initial application process
3. You’ll now be on the Student Centre page
4. Click on ‘Admissions’
5. Click on ‘Overall Application Status’
6. This page will show your current Academic Application, Housing, and Funding Application statuses.
7. On the same page, you can confirm your admission offer.

Final acceptance is dependent on your final school leaving results meeting the minimum admission requirements for your chosen program, or the submission of your final academic record and certificate of conduct if you are studying elsewhere.