Early University Deadlines 2027: The Ones People Miss
If you want to study medicine, pharmacy, nursing, radiography or another selection programme, your deadline is not the one on the university's front page. These programmes commonly close on 30 June, three months before the general September deadline, and several universities state plainly that no late application will be considered. There is no appeal for a missed closing date: it costs a full year.
Verified early deadlines for 2027
Each of these closes before its own university's general deadline. The gap column shows by how much.
| University | Programmes that close early | Closes | General deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wits | BA General (Part-Time), July intake | 31 May 2026 | 30 September 2026 4 months later |
| UP | Veterinary Science UP is the only South African university offering veterinary science. | 31 May 2026 | 30 June 2026 1 month later |
| TUT | Some specialisation qualifications, and all international applicants Stated as 15 June of the preceding year. | 15 June 2026 | 31 July 2026 2 months later |
| Wits | Health Sciences, BAFT, BAS, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Three months before the general Wits deadline. | 30 June 2026 | 30 September 2026 3 months later |
| NMU | MBChB, Nursing, BPharm and Radiography (Diagnostic) NMU states no late applications are considered after the published closing date for these programmes. | 30 June 2026 | 3 August 2026 1 month later |
This table only lists early deadlines aps.guide has verified against the institution's own source. Several universities on the site have not confirmed their 2027 dates yet, and they may well have early deadlines too - check each one directly rather than assuming an absence here means there is no early date.
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.
The single most common way applicants lose a year
Almost every South African university publishes one closing date prominently and a set of much earlier ones in the fine print. The prominent date is the general one, often 30 September. The earlier ones apply to exactly the programmes that attract the most applicants: medicine, pharmacy, nursing, radiography, veterinary science, and courses with auditions or portfolios. Those commonly close on 30 June, three months sooner.
The failure mode is predictable. An applicant reads the general date, plans around it, and discovers in August that the programme they actually wanted closed in June. Because these are selection programmes, there is usually no late window and no clearing route into them: NMU, for instance, states that no late applications are considered after the published closing date for MBChB, Nursing, BPharm and Radiography. The cost of the mistake is a full year, and it is entirely avoidable.
How to protect yourself against it
Build your shortlist first, then find the closing date for every programme on it individually, on that university's own portal rather than a summary page. Take the earliest date you find and treat it as your deadline for the entire application effort, with a month of margin. If one programme on your list closes on 30 June, that is your June, regardless of what the other universities say.
Then work backwards through the things that take time and are outside your control. NBT sittings have to be booked and written, portfolios and auditions have to be prepared and scheduled, and supporting documents have to be certified. These routinely take longer than the application form itself, and their own slots fill up ahead of the deadline. Anything requiring another party's diary should be started first, not last.
Every verified 2027 date, in order
| 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 |
Early deadlines: frequently asked questions
When do health sciences applications close in South Africa?
Commonly 30 June of the year before you study. For 2027 entry, Wits Health Sciences closes 30 June 2026, and NMU's MBChB, Nursing, BPharm and Radiography programmes close 30 June 2026 with no late applications considered. That is three months before the general September deadline at the same universities, which is why so many applicants miss it.
Why do medicine and health sciences close so early?
Because they select rather than simply admit. These programmes are heavily oversubscribed and use interviews, aptitude and benchmark tests, and detailed ranking on top of your marks, all of which takes months. UCT, for example, requires NBT results from applicants, and those have to be booked and written separately. Closing early is what makes that process possible before the academic year starts.
Which other programmes close early besides medicine?
More than most applicants expect. Among the verified 2027 dates, UP's Veterinary Science closes 31 May 2026, Wits closes BAFT, BAS, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology on 30 June 2026 alongside Health Sciences, and TUT closes some specialisation qualifications on 15 June 2026. Any programme involving auditions, portfolios, interviews or fitness tests is a candidate for an early deadline.
Can I apply late to a health sciences programme?
Usually not. NMU states plainly that no late applications are considered after the published closing date for MBChB, Nursing, BPharm and Radiography, and other universities take the same line. Unlike a general programme, there is normally no late window and no clearing route into medicine. If you miss it, the realistic options are a related degree now with a possible transfer later, or reapplying next cycle.
How do I make sure I do not miss an early deadline?
Work backwards from the earliest date on your shortlist, not the latest, and diarise it with a month to spare. Confirm the date on each university's own portal rather than a summary page, because dates change and programmes close when full. If a programme requires the NBTs, an audition or a portfolio, book that first: those slots run out before the application deadline does.