APS Score Explained: How to Calculate Yours for University

If you're applying to university in South Africa, you'll hear one phrase over and over: APS. It decides which courses you can get into — so it's worth understanding exactly how it works.

What is an APS?

APS stands for Admission Point Score. It's a number universities use to turn your matric (NSC) results into a single figure they can compare against a course's entry requirement. The higher your APS, the more courses are open to you.

The 7-point scale

Most universities convert each subject percentage into a level from 1 to 7:

Mark (%)	Level (APS points)
80–100	7
70–79	6
60–69	5
50–59	4
40–49	3
30–39	2
0–29	1

How to calculate your APS

The standard method:

1. Take your best six subjects.
2. Convert each to its level using the table above.
3. Add those six levels together.

Most universities ask you to exclude Life Orientation from the six, or count it separately at a reduced weight. So your six usually means: your two languages, Maths or Maths Literacy, and your three other subjects.

Worked example:

• English 72% → 6
• Afrikaans 65% → 5
• Mathematics 58% → 4
• Physical Sciences 61% → 5
• Life Sciences 68% → 5
• Geography 70% → 6

APS = 6 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 6 = 31

Important: every university counts APS differently

This is where students trip up. The scale above is the common one, but:

• UCT uses its own Faculty Points Score (FPS) and may weight or exclude certain subjects.
• Wits uses a composite/Maths-weighted score for some programmes.
• UP, UJ, UKZN, Stellenbosch each have their own tables — some give bonus points for high Maths marks or count LO differently.

Always calculate your APS using the specific university's published method for the specific course you want. Two universities can give the same matric results different APS totals.

What APS do you need?

It depends entirely on the course:

• Higher-demand degrees (Medicine, Engineering, Actuarial Science, Law at top universities) often want an APS in the high 30s to 40s, plus specific subject minimums.
• Many general Bachelor's degrees sit around the high 20s to mid 30s.
• Diplomas and Higher Certificates usually need less.

Subject minimums matter as much as the total — e.g. a degree may require "Level 5 (60%) in Mathematics" regardless of your overall APS.

How to boost your APS

• Target your strongest subjects to push them up a level — going from 69% to 70% in two subjects is +2 APS.
• Maths counts twice in a sense: many courses both require it and give bonus points for high marks.
• A few percent across several subjects can lift your APS by several points — small gains compound.

If you're a few marks short of the course you want, focused tutoring before finals can be the difference. See tutoring options, and read our university application timeline to plan your applications.

Always confirm requirements on the official university website — entry scores and methods change year to year.