Unisa is known as a provider of fair and equitable access to higher education opportunities. Flowing from its social responsibility to address past inequalities, Unisa has an application and selection process that effectively addresses historical imbalances without sacrificing quality standards.

This process promotes focused attention towards improved student support, and the alignment of our new student intake with the available academic capacity and required infrastructure to maximise all students’ chances of success.

What does the selection process entail?

Unisa will assess your application according to the academic admission requirements of your qualification(s) of choice and the final mark obtained for your major subjects at third-year undergraduate level. If you do not meet these requirements, your application will be declined. 

Please note that meeting the minimum admission requirements is not a guarantee that you will be admitted to a higher-level qualification (postgraduate diploma or honours degree), as spaces are limited.

The application process

• You may apply for a maximum of three qualifications, ranked in order of preference. Should you be granted admission to more than one qualification, you may only register for one. 
• Unisa will inform you of the outcome of your application. If successful, Unisa will indicate for which qualification you have been accepted and will offer you a space for the period for which you have applied (eg semester 1).
• You must accept or decline Unisa's offer within the prescribed period of time. If you miss this deadline, Unisa will withdraw the offer and give your space to another applicant.
• You may only accept one offer. This means that when you accept an offer for one qualification (irrespective of whether it is your first, second or third qualification of choice), the other offers will automatically fall away.
• First-time applicants to Unisa must complete the First-Year Experience MOOC (massive open online course) before being able to accept Unisa's offer.
• If you accept Unisa's offer, you must register for the period for which you have been granted admission. Should you not register for the relevant semester/year of study, you will need to re-apply for admission during the next application period.

Who must apply for admission?

Everyone wanting to start a new qualification must apply for admission. This includes

• first-time Unisa applicants.
• Unisa students changing to a new qualification and/or changing the specialisation of a current qualification.
• applicants in their final year of an undergraduate qualification who wish to continue with postgraduate studies.

How to track the status of your application

Check the status of your application here.