South African
National Senior Certificate
The following information is provided to assist domestic students who have completed or are
undertaking their senior secondary studies in South Africa and intend to seek admission to
undergraduate study at The University of Queensland (UQ).
About the South African National
Senior Certificate
In 2008 the South African National Senior Certificate (NSC)
replaced the Senior Certificate as the senior leaving exit
qualification. For the NSC, all subjects are now oered at the
same level, which is the same as the former higher grade level.
Each subject is worth 20 credits, except Life Orientation which
is worth 10 credits. In order to receive NSC a student must have
gained 130 credits exclusively in Year 12.
Entry requirements
For entry to all undergraduate programs at UQ applicants must
meet two basic entry requirements:
1. Eligibility (i.e. satisfy the subject prerequisites and other
requirements)
2. Merit (i.e. possess a selection rank high enough for a place in
the program†)
† Selection ranks range from 1 to 99.95 (maximum). As admission is
competitive the minimum selection thresholds for programs can fluctuate
from year to year.
For detailed program information, including prerequisite
requirements and minimum selection thresholds from previous
admission periods, please refer to study.uq.edu.au.
Satisfying subject prerequisites
The successful completion of the following South African
senior secondary subjects at the specified grade level will
meet the listed subject prerequisites for admission to most
UQ undergraduate programs*.
Qld Year
12 Subject
Prerequisites
South African
Senior Certificate
(pre-2008)
South African
National Senior
Certificate
(since 2008)
English (Units 3
& 4,C)
English 1st
Language
(Higher Grade)
English Home
Language or
English (Additional
First Language)
General
Mathematics
(Units 3 & 4, C)
Mathematics
(Standard Grade)
Mathematical
Literacy
Mathematical
Methods (Units 3
& 4,C)
Mathematics
(Higher Grade)
Mathematics
Biology (Units 3
& 4, C)
Biology
(Higher Grade)
Life Sciences
Chemistry (Units 3
& 4,C)
Physical Science
(Higher Grade)
Physical Science
Physics (Units 3
& 4,C)
Physical Science
(Higher Grade)
Physical Science
Minimum grades required to pass prerequisites:
South African Senior pre-2008: grade of D (or 50%) or better
South African NSC since 2008: grade of 4 (or 50%) or better
*Contact UQ Admissions if applying for an Education program
with this qualification.
South African
National Senior Certificate
Correct as at November 2022
study.uq.edu.au
UQ Domestic Admissions
The University of Queensland
Brisbane Qld 4072 Australia
T: +61 7 3365 2203
E: [email protected]
CRICOS Provider Number 00025B • TEQSA PRV12080
South Africa – National Senior
Certificate (NSC) (since 2008)
1
Grade Average of best five
subjects in final year
a, b,c, d
Selection Rank
Grade Average of best five
subjects in final year
a, b,c, d
Selection Rank
6.78 99.85 5.87 91.00
6.75 99.80 5.83 90.50
6.73 99.75 5.80 90.00
6.71 99.70 5.77 89.50
6.69 99.65 5.73 89.00
6.67 99.60 5.70 88.50
6.64 99.55 5.67 88.00
6.62 99.50 5.63 87.50
6.60 99.45 5.60 87.00
6.58 99.40 5.57 86.50
6.55 99.35 5.53 86.00
6.53 99.30 5.50 85.50
6.51 99.25 5.47 85.00
6.49 99.20 5.43 84.50
6.47 99.15 5.40 84.00
6.44 99.10 5.37 83.50
6.42 99.05 5.33 83.00
6.40 99.00 5.30 82.50
6.37 98.50 5.27 82.00
6.33 98.00 5.23 81.50
6.30 97.50 5.20 81.00
6.27 97.00 5.13 80.00
6.23 96.50 5.05 79.00
6.20 96.00 4.98 78.00
6.17 95.50 4.90 77.00
6.13 95.00 4.83 76.00
6.10 94.50 4.75 75.00
6.07 94.00 4.68 74.00
6.03 93.50 4.60 73.00
6.00 93.00 4.53 72.00
5.97 92.50 4.45 71.00
5.93 92.00 4.38 70.00
5.90 91.50 4.30 69.00
Tables this page © 2021 Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre Ltd
1. For students who completed studies pre 2008 please
contact the UQ Admissions oce regarding selection ranks
a. As certified by Umalusi with an achievement of the minimum
requirement for admission to Diploma or Bachelor degree study.
b. Excluding the subjects Life Orientation and Mathematics (Third
Paper).
c. A National Senior Certificate with an endorsement is assessed
using a grade average of best four subjects. These qualifications
are issued to candidates who are identified and registered as
having special education needs.
d. Where: 7=80-100%, 6=70-79%, 5=60-69%, 4=50-59%, 3=40-
49%, 2=30-39%, 1=0-29%.