APS explained

Introduction

This article was written to provide an overview of the APS for parents and students that will be studying in South Africa, particularly from South African IEB and CAPS schools.

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In that time, we have taught over 2800 students, helping them get into universities in South Africa and all over the world.

We hope to give you an overview of the APS score and how you can structure your studies to optimise your APS, and therefore improve your chances of getting into your desired degree programme at your desired institution!

What is the APS?

APS stands for Admission Points Score, which is a benchmark score that is used to determine whether you qualify for entry into a particular course or faculty. Many universities in South Africa will only accept your application to a specific faculty if you have the minimum APS requirements for the degree in question.

Why do universities use it?
The APS is calculated because it is a convenient way for universities to process applicants. Given the thousands of applications received yearly, the APS assists with the application process by cutting down on administrative work.

Before applying, potential students know which courses they qualify for and thus do not have to contact the university regarding admission requirements.

The application committee has a regular system for determining whether an individual has met the minimum requirements or not.

How to calculate the APS

Unfortunately, universities vary in their calculation rules – so your APS score for one university will not be the same for your APS score at another.

This is further complicated by the fact that your APS score for one faculty in a university might be different to your APS score in another: this is because most APS scores require you only use your best 6 or 7 best subjects, including subjects required for the relevant course.

For example, if you took History as an extra subject in high school and performed very well in it (and poorly in Physical Science), you will be able to use History in your APS calculation for entry into a BA in place of Physical Science. However, if you are applying for Engineering, you will be required to use Physical Science, since this subject is a requirement for the degree.

Although the universities vary in the way they approach the APS, there are some commonalities:

• Most universities exclude Life Orientation – and the ones that don’t tend to rate it on a separate scale.
• Most universities require you to choose a subset of 6 or 7 of your chosen subjects, and:
  • in most cases, these will have to include Mathematics (Maths or Mathematical Literacy) and English (Home Language or First Additional Language).
  • the selection will probably have to include course-mandatory subjects (for example, Physical Science for Engineering).
• Most Universities use a 7- or 8-point scale that looks something like this:

The APS is typically based on your end of Grade 11 results for provisional acceptance, and your final results for final acceptance.

As mentioned earlier, each university has its own version of APS calculation. We provide an overview of APS calculations for some of the best universities in South Africa below, but if the university you are applying for is not on the list then a quick Google search – something like APS score calculation for ‘University Name’ – will quickly get you to that university’s admission requirements and own individual APS calculation.

APS Optimisation

Because of the way some universities calculate their APS scores, it is important to structure your focus and attention to each subject in a way that gets the most APS ‘bang’ for your buck. Here is an example of how a student with a lower matric average can have a much higher APS score for entrance into a Bachelor of Science in Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg:

In this example, Savannah spent a lot less time on Afrikaans, History and Life Orientation, and a little more time on English, Life Science, Mathematics and Physical Science – not because they are more important subjects for Engineering (although that is a factor) – but because she was only a few percentage points away from an APS increase in each.

Remember, there is a huge difference in the effort and attention applied between 71% and 78%, but no difference in many universities’ APS results.

When employing an APS optimisation strategy, you need to be exceedingly clear about which universities you are applying to and their APS systems. A good strategy for one university might be a bad strategy for another.

What other entrance requirements are there?

It is important to calculate your APS before applying to universities; however, you should also take into consideration any specific subject requirements listed for the courses offered. For example, some courses require that applicants have achieved 50% and above for certain subjects like English and Mathematics.

In addition to APS and subject-specific requirements, students can also do the National Benchmark Test (NBT), which determines academic readiness for university – a requirement for certain institutions. You should start planning for your NBT towards the end of Grade 11.

APS Optimisation and IEB and CAPs Support

Grade 9 (before you make your subject choice) is a good time to start thinking about all of this. You should tailor your subject choice, and subsequently your study schedule, to match the degree and institution you are aiming for.

That’s where we come in. We identify strong and weak areas, and APS opportunities and threats, in our assessment process. We can also provide guidance on how to work smart to maximise your chances of getting into your desired course.

We then fill in those gaps systematically through premium, one-on-one tuition with our trained in-house team of tutors. This can be done online or in person.

See what our parents have to say.

Why Genius?

Genius has been supplementing the school system and preparing students for South African and international universities for 28 years.

We are not a just tutoring agency; our team of tutors are in-house instructors who have been through a very rigorous vetting and training programme, and we work very closely with them, the school, and your family over the duration of the course to ensure a great result.

Here are some of the things that parents have said about our programme:

• The assessment process is convenient and pain-free.
• The lessons happen at a time that suits you, even if that means mornings or weekends.
• These are one-on-one lessons that happen in your home or online.
• You will improve your APS.
• You will, therefore, have access to a bigger pool of courses and universities to choose from.
• Once your kid gets there, they will be well-positioned to excel academically.

You can book an assessment by heading over to our contact page, or reaching us directly on dean@geniuspremium.com, or +27 11 467 9884.

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Hannes is an educational psychologist in Centurion and Parkhurst (Johannesburg). He strives to help his students live rich and meaningful lives and provides an excellent subject choice assessment that many of our students have benefited from greatly.

FAQS

1. What is the APS?

The APS (Admission Points Score) is a benchmark score used by South African universities to determine whether a student meets the minimum academic requirements for a particular course or faculty. It converts your high school marks into a standardised “points” system that helps universities compare applicants from diverse curricula.

2. Why do South African universities use the APS system?

Universities use the APS as a convenient and consistent way to process thousands of applications. It allows both applicants and admissions committees to quickly determine eligibility based on a student’s academic performance, ensuring that prospective students meet the minimum requirements for the course or faculty they are applying for.

3. How is the APS calculated?

1. While calculation methods vary between institutions, the basic process involves:

• You should convert your final-year marks for each subject into quality points using a specific conversion table, typically on a 7- or 8-point scale.
• You should select your best 6 or 7 subjects, usually including mandatory subjects like mathematics and English and any course-specific subjects.
• You can calculate your overall APS by averaging the quality points from these subjects.
  Note that some universities calculate a provisional APS based on Grade 11 results, with a final APS determined after Grade 12 results are available.

4. Which subjects are typically included in the APS calculation?

4. Most universities require that your APS calculation includes your best-performing subjects, which almost always must include:

• Mathematics: (or Mathematical Literacy, depending on course requirements)
• English: (either Home Language or First Additional Language)
• Additionally, any subject that is mandatory for the course (for example, Physical Science for Engineering) must be included. Life orientation is usually excluded or rated on a separate scale.

5. How do I optimise my APS score?

5. Optimising your APS involves strategic subject selection and focused study:

• Choose Wisely: If you have an extra subject where you excel, you might substitute it for a required subject in your APS calculation (if permitted) to boost your overall score.
• Target Improvement: Concentrate on subjects where a few extra percentage points can lead to a higher quality point.
• Tailored Effort: For instance, a student might opt to devote more time to subjects such as English, Mathematics, and Physical Science, particularly if they provide a higher overall score in APS.

6. How do APS calculations differ between universities?

Each university in South Africa may have its APS conversion table and rules. For instance:

• University of Cape Town (UCT): Uses a direct percentage-to-points conversion (e.g., 82% equals 82 APS points) for your best six subjects.
• University of the Witwatersrand (Wits): It uses a system that favours high marks in mathematics and English and may even allocate points for life orientation (albeit less than for other subjects).
• Other institutions like UKZN, NWU, UJ, UP, and UWC each have their unique variations. It’s essential to check the specific APS calculation method for each institution you’re interested in.

7. Are there other entrance requirements besides the APS?

7. Yes. In addition to your APS, universities often require:

• There are specific subject minimums, such as achieving at least 50% in English or Mathematics.
• Sometimes, performance in the National Benchmark Test (NBT) determines overall academic readiness.
  These additional criteria help paint a fuller picture of your academic capabilities.

8. How can I calculate my APS if I’m still in high school?

If you’re in Grade 10, 11, or 12, you can estimate your APS by:

• Convert your current subject marks to quality points using the relevant conversion table.
• We calculate an average for each year (or for each subject individually) and then combine these averages.
• For subjects you haven’t completed, you can project your best possible marks (for example, assuming you achieve 4s in the remaining assessments) to estimate your final APS.

9. What role does Genius Premium Tuition play in APS optimisation?

9. Genius Premium Tuition offers personalised, one-on-one support that helps you:

• Identify your academic strengths and weaknesses.
• Develop targeted strategies to improve subjects that have a significant impact on your APS.
• Optimise your overall academic profile, ensuring you’re better prepared for both APS calculations and any additional entrance requirements.

10. Where can I find specific APS guidelines for different universities?

Most South African universities publish detailed APS calculation guidelines and minimum requirements on their official websites. You can also perform a quick online search (for example, “APS score calculation for University of Cape Town”) to access the specific admission requirements for each institution.

University APS Variations

Here is a list of some of the top universities in South Africa and how they vary from the standard APS calculation.

University of Cape Town
Find out more.

UCT has a very different APS system from most universities. Percentages aren’t converted to a score based on their range; they are instead translated to APS scores directly (82% = 82 APS points).

Your 6 best subjects (excluding LO and all AP subjects, and including English HL/ FAL, and any required subjects for the relevant programme) are chosen, their APS points are calculated according to the table below and added to get the APS.

Note: if you are applying to UCT, you should also learn about their Faculty Point Score (FPS), Weighted Points Score (WPS), and Medical Points Score (MPS).

University of Witwatersrand
Find out more.

Wits uses an APS system that biases high marks in Mathematics and English, and does allocate points for LO – although less than for other subjects:

In this system, like UCT, no APS points are awarded for results below 40%

Stellenbosch University
Find out more.

Stellenbosch University does not use the APS system: the specific requirements for your chosen course can be found here.

University of KwaZulu-Natal, and North West University
Find out more: UKZN, or NWU.

Your 6 best subjects are chosen, their APS points are calculated according to the table below and added to get the APS. Note that LO and Mathematics Paper 3 are excluded from the calculation, while English HL or FAL, Math or Math Lit, and any required subjects for the relevant programme must be included.

University of Johannesburg, and University of Pretoria
Find out more: UJ, or UP.

Your 6 best subjects (excluding Life Orientation) are chosen; their APS points are calculated according to the table below and added to get the APS.

Unlike Wits, UKZN and NWU, an A+ in a subject is not awarded more points than an A.

University of the Western Cape
Find out more.

UWC, like Wits, uses an APS system that biases high marks in Mathematics (literacy or core) and English (HL or FAL), and does allocate points for LO – although less than for other subjects:

In this system, no APS points are awarded for results below 20%