APS Calculator: how it works in South Africa
The Admission Point Score (APS) is how South African universities turn your National Senior Certificate (NSC) results into an admission number. The catch: there is no single national APS. Each university defines its own method, so the same matric results produce different scores at different institutions.
The canonical NSC 1-7 scale
Most points-based methods build on the Department of Basic Education's 7-point scale, which converts a subject percentage into a level from 1 to 7. The standard APS (used by UP and UJ) sums your best six subjects on this scale, excluding Life Orientation, for a maximum of 42.
Each university calculates differently
This is the core thing to understand. Pick your university below to use a calculator that follows its exact published method - not a generic estimate.
More universities are coming in a later stage. Meeting a minimum never guarantees admission.