University of Cape Town Prospectus 2025/2026

Details of all undergraduate programmes offered are provided. We recommend that you also visit the websites of faculties and departments in which you may be interested. To help you understand the contents of this prospectus, we list below some of the terms that we use in this prospectus and what we mean by these terms.

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University of Cape Town Application Form

University of Cape Town Online Application

University of Cape Town Fee Structure

Admission Points Score (APS): This is the measure of your academic achievement based on your school-leaving results (or an acceptable equivalent). The APS either on its own or (as in some faculties) combined with your NBT scores produces a Faculty Points Score (FPS) which we use to rank applicants.

Admissions selection criteria: We use these to select whom we will accept to study at UCT. First, we decide who has met the (minimum) admission requirements. Then, we apply the admissions selection criteria for the programme concerned.

Applicant: You (A person who applies to study for a degree, diploma or certificate). Once you register at UCT, you become a student.

Application fee: This is the fee required as part of your application. It is non-refundable, even if your application is unsuccessful.

Applicant number: An alpha-numeric number will be allocated to you to identify and track your application. It normally consists of the first three consonants of your surname, and the first three characters of your first name, followed by a unique three-digit number.

It is important that you quote this number in any subsequent correspondence that you have with us.

Applicant status: Once you have submitted your application, you can check the progress of your application on the UCT website. You will need to use your application number or personal details to access information.

Disadvantage factor: This is a percentage, between 0 and 10%, by which we adjust the FPS of South African NSC candidates to arrive at the WPS. The disadvantage factor is in turn derived from factors related to the disadvantage experienced by applicants in their school and at home.

Early conditional offer: This is an offer of admission, made during the course of the year preceding admission, which is conditional on performance in your final school examinations. Early conditional offers are not made to all applicants.

An early conditional offer will be withdrawn if the conditions for admission are not met.

Faculty Points Score (FPS): This is the score we use to rank applicants. In two faculties it combines the APS and NBT scores. In other faculties, it is the APS.

Faculty: A faculty is a grouping of departments and offers specific degree and diploma programmes. There are six faculties at UCT. Students register in a faculty.