University Application Closing Dates 2027
South African universities do not share a closing date. For 2027 entry the verified dates run from 31 May 2026 to 30 September 2026, and health-sciences and selection programmes close months before general programmes at the same university. Sort your own shortlist by the earliest date on it, not the latest.
All verified 2027 closing dates
12 verified application windows across 5 universities, soonest first. Amber rows close before that university's own general deadline. Click a date's verification stamp to open the source document.
| University | Programmes | Closes | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wits | BA General (Part-Time), July intakeearly | 31 May 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| UP | Veterinary Scienceearly | 31 May 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| TUT | Some specialisation qualifications, and all international applicantsearly | 15 June 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| Wits | Health Sciences, BAFT, BAS, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiologyearly | 30 June 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| UP | General (all other faculties) | 30 June 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| NMU | MBChB, Nursing, BPharm and Radiography (Diagnostic)early | 30 June 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| TUT | General (year and first-semester qualifications) | 31 July 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| NMU | General (early applications) | 3 August 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| Wits | General (all remaining undergraduate programmes) | 30 September 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| NMU | General (late applications) | 30 September 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| NMU | International applicants | 30 September 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
| DUT | General (through the CAO) | 30 September 2026 | 22 July 2026 |
Universities change closing dates, and many close applications early once a programme is full. Some also stop taking applications for individual programmes while the general window is still open. Treat every date here as a prompt to check the official portal, not as a guarantee that you still have time.
Not yet confirmed
These universities are covered by aps.guide, but their 2027 dates could not be confirmed against their own website or prospectus when this page was last built. They are listed here deliberately: an absent date is information, and a guessed one would be worse than useless.
Closing dates: frequently asked questions
Which South African university closes applications first?
Of the dates aps.guide has verified for 2027, the earliest are Wits BA General part-time and UP Veterinary Science on 31 May 2026, followed by TUT's specialisation and international applications on 15 June 2026, then the cluster of health sciences deadlines on 30 June 2026. UP's general deadline of 30 June 2026 is also unusually early for a general window.
Why do universities have different closing dates?
Each university sets its own admissions calendar, and programmes that select rather than simply admit need longer to run interviews, portfolios, tests and ranking. That is why health sciences closes months ahead of general programmes. There is no national body that harmonises the dates, so the only safe approach is to check each institution and each programme separately.
Does aps.guide publish unconfirmed closing dates?
No. A date appears here only once it has been read off the university's own website or official prospectus, and each row shows when it was verified and links to the source. Where a date could not be confirmed, the page says "not yet confirmed" and links you to the official page instead. Conflicting closing dates for the same university circulate widely on aggregator sites, which is exactly what this rule guards against.
What happens if I miss a university closing date?
For most selection programmes, you wait a year. For general programmes you may still have options: some universities run late-application windows, and the national CACH clearing service matches students to unfilled places after matric results are released in January. Both leave you with far fewer choices than applying on time, so treat the earliest date on your shortlist as your real deadline.