· Built around the Univen APS calculator
Photo: Mickael Ange Konan on Pexels (free licence)
Part three of our university APS series covers six universities that many matrics apply to through the CAO or directly: the University of Venda, Mangosuthu University of Technology, the University of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu University, the University of Zululand and Vaal University of Technology. Results come out in mid-January; the time to know how each one scores you is now. Part one covered Wits, UCT, Stellenbosch, UP, UJ and UKZN, part two NWU, TUT, UFS, Rhodes, Limpopo, CUT, Nelson Mandela and UWC. The standard scale is in the APS calculator.
Our sample learner
Lindiwe is the same made-up learner in every post of the series:
- isiZulu Home Language 91% (level 7)
- English First Additional Language 72% (level 6)
- Mathematics 68% (level 5)
- Physical Sciences 64% (level 5)
- Life Sciences 75% (level 6)
- Geography 38% (level 2)
- Life Orientation 84% (level 7)
A bachelor's pass (matric pass level calculator) and a standard APS of 31 of 42.
Lindiwe's score at each university
Run your own marks
Univen is pre-filled with Lindiwe's marks and the LLB minimum of 38. Type your own percentages - Univen counts up to seven subjects.
Univen: marks divided by ten, up to seven subjects
- Each subject scores its percentage divided by ten - 90-100% is 9.0 to 10, 40-49% is 4.0 to 4.9.
- Under 40% scores 0, and Life Orientation is left out.
- Lindiwe: 9.1 + 7.5 + 7.2 + 6.8 + 6.4 + 0 = 37.0.
- A bachelor's degree needs at least 26; she clears it easily.
- The LLB asks 38 with 60% in English - her English is fine, but she is 1.0 short on points.
- Univen counts up to seven subjects, so a seventh subject adds to the score instead of only replacing the weakest.
MUT: no points under 40%
- MUT scores the best six subjects, Life Orientation out: 8 for 90-100%, 7 for 80-89% ... 3 for 40-49%.
- Its table has no points under 40%, so her Geography 38% adds nothing: 8 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 0 = 30.
- MUT asks at least 25 points with English at level 4 - the Diploma in Information Technology asks 25 in the best six, its extended version 23.
- She clears 25 by 5; engineering diplomas add 50% in English, Maths and Physical Science.
Fort Hare: Life Orientation counts, up to level 4
- Fort Hare adds the NSC levels (7 = 80-100%) of six subjects plus Life Orientation.
- "For all degrees, Life Orientation will be capped at level 4" - her 84% is level 7 but counts as 4.
- Lindiwe: 7 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 2 = 31, plus 4 = 35 of 46.
- The BA asks 27 (26 for the extended programme) and the BCom in Accounting 32 - she clears both on points.
Photo: Andy Barbour on Pexels (free licence)
Walter Sisulu: two languages, then the best four
- WSU splits the six subjects into two groups: up to two languages (Category 1), then the four highest other subjects, Life Orientation out (Category 2).
- Category 1: English 72% = 6 and isiZulu 91% = 8 - 14 points.
- Category 2: Life Sciences 6, Maths 5, Physical Sciences 5, Geography 2 - 18 points. Total 32 of 48.
- For the BEd in Foundation Phase Teaching, Life Orientation is added as a seventh subject - her 84% adds 7, so 39 of 56. That programme asks 24 with Life Orientation at level 5 (60%).
- Diplomas such as Accountancy start at 21.
Zululand and VUT: six subjects on an 8-point scale
- Both add six subjects, Life Orientation out, with 8 for 90% or more: 8 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 2 = 32 of 48.
- UNIZULU's BEd in Foundation Phase Teaching asks 26, with isiZulu home language and English first additional at level 4 and Maths at level 3 - she meets all of it.
- VUT's Diploma in Information Technology asks 26 with Maths (28 with Maths Literacy) and English at level 4 - she has 6 points to spare.
Worked example 2: Geography re-marked from 38% to 45%
- Univen jumps from 37.0 to 41.5 - past the LLB's 38.
- MUT jumps from 30 to 33 - the subject now scores 3 instead of 0.
- Fort Hare, WSU, UNIZULU and VUT gain 1 point each - 36, 33, 33 and 33.
- Near 40% is where re-marks pay most - see the exam mark calculator before you decide.
Worked example 3: a seventh subject, Accounting 62%
- At Univen it is added on top: 37.0 + 6.2 = 43.2, because up to seven subjects count.
- At MUT, UNIZULU and VUT it replaces the 38%: MUT 35, UNIZULU 35, VUT 35.
- WSU goes to 35 and Fort Hare to 38 - the 62% pushes out Geography there too.
Checked against the universities' own methods
Each calculator was run on Lindiwe's marks in a browser against the live calculator code, and its rule checked against what the university publishes:
- Univen 2027 Prospectus, "Scoring scale": 90-100% = 9.0-10 down to 40-49% = 4.0-4.9, under 40% and Life Orientation not included, "only the 7 subjects with the highest marks". Matches.
- MUT First-Year Prospectus 2026: 8 to 3 by band, no row under 40%, "best six subjects excluding Life Orientation", minimum 25 with English level 4. Matches.
- Fort Hare Study Guide 2027: Life Orientation "capped at level 4"; the BA row adds up to its published 27 on our calculator.
- WSU 2027 Undergraduate Information Brochure: Category 1 and 2 as above, Life Orientation added for Foundation Phase. WSU's own two examples (33 and 35) give 33 and 35 on ours.
- UNIZULU Faculty of Education Handbook 2026: six subjects, 8 for 90-100% down to 1, Life Orientation excluded. Matches.
- VUT Applied and Computer Sciences admission page: "a maximum of 6 subjects ... excluding Life Orientation", 8 for 90%+. Matches.
- No calculator needed a fix for this post.
Not verified from a primary source this run: MUT's newest prospectus online is the 2026 edition, and UNIZULU's is the 2026 Education handbook - other UNIZULU faculties use the same six-subject APS but set their own minimums. VUT does not print the points for under 40%; the calculator uses the NSC levels 2 and 1, so Lindiwe's 38% counts as 2 at VUT - if VUT scores it 0, her VUT score is 30. Univen's PDF table prints one NSC level column shifted by one; its percentages and the website table agree with what we use. Check your programme's current prospectus before you apply, and apply for NSFAS separately (NSFAS calculator).
What to do before results day
- Work out your score at each university you applied to - from 30 to 37 for the same learner here.
- If you are close to 40% in a subject, plan for a re-mark - at Univen and MUT it is worth 3 or more points.
- Check the subject levels as well as the total - a programme can turn you down on one subject even with points to spare.
Sources
- University of Venda, 2027 Prospectus, Scoring scale / Calculation of Admission Point Score: univen.ac.za PDF, read 16 October 2026.
- Mangosuthu University of Technology, First-Year Prospectus 2026: mut.ac.za PDF, read 16 October 2026.
- University of Fort Hare, Study Guide 2027: ufh.ac.za, read 16 October 2026.
- Walter Sisulu University, 2027 Undergraduate Information Brochure & Admission Requirements: wsu.ac.za PDF, read 16 October 2026.
- University of Zululand, Faculty of Education Undergraduate Handbook 2026: unizulu.ac.za PDF, read 16 October 2026.
- Vaal University of Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences programmes: vut.ac.za, read 16 October 2026.
Calculators used in this post
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