APS Score (Admission Point Score) – How To Calculate Your Score

What is APS Score?

APS is an abbreviation of Admission Point Score. This is an average mark from an applicant’s overall matric score, predominantly six of the subjects they wrote.

Each one of these marks is converted to a mark out of ten and added together to give the admission point score or what we have come to simply call APS.

APS score is of much relevance when it comes down to university admission and many, if not almost all South African universities use it as a criterion to determine if an applicant is eligible for a specific course they have chosen. Whereas some courses may require a higher APS score, others are quite minimal.

Importance Of APS

As mentioned previously, the Admission Point Score plays a pivotal role in the general admission of an applicant. Listed below are some of the relevance of APS.

1. APS is important in the acceptance of an applicant
2. APS is a determiner of whether an applicant meets the minimum admission requirement
3. Colleges and universities use the APS score as a yardstick to decide whether your application will be approved
4. Colleges and universities equally use it to determine whether you are capable of studying a specific course

How Does One Get To Know His or Her APS Score

Getting to know your Admission Point Score is one of the simplest things to get around. To get your score, you first have to;

1. Get your final matric examination certificate
2. The top seven matric subjects are converted into a points system that will work out your APS
3. All the points are then calculated and the total gives you the APS score

How To Calculate Your APS Score

The Admission Point Score is calculated using the APS calculator. It has the percentage ranges score of all the matric subjects with its reflecting or the corresponding point. Below is the percentage score with its respective points.

Matric Subjects Symbol                                         Admission Point Score

1. A (80-100%)                                                7
2. B (70-79%)                                                  6
3. C (60-69%)                                                  5
4. D (50-59%)                                                  4
5. E (40-49%)                                                  3
6. F (30-39%)                                                  2
7.   G (0-29%)                                                  1

This table means that;

1. There is a point for each matric subject an applicant writes
2. The number of points you get for each of your final matric exams subjects is dependent on the percentage you get for each subject
3. The points gotten is then added to get your APS score
4. This means that, if an applicant had between 50-59% for a subject, they key in 4 as their APS score and do that for all of the subjects concerning the corresponding point and when they are done, they add all the points to get the final APS score.

What Score Is Termed As A Good/Highest APS Score

For it to be said that an applicant has achieved the highest Admission Point Score, that applicant may have to amass as much as 47 points. This means that, once all subjects of the matric have been summed up, the highest an applicant can achieve is this 47.

What is the Minimum APS 

The minimum Admission Point Score is 28 and that is for courses in Humanities. Meanwhile, a 27 score may be considered if there are still slots available.

For Undergraduate qualifications, the minimum APS required is;

• Higher Certificate – 15 points
• Diploma – 18 points
• Bachelor’s Degree – 21+ points dependent on the qualification

How Does Universities Use APS Score

Many universities and colleges in South Africa have incorporated the use of APS as a tool in their selection or admission process.

They use these Admission Point Score to ascertain the strength of an applicant to offer a specified course. They equally use the APS to inform applicants on the type of courses available for them to offer per their APS turn out.

This in many ways lightens the burden of the selection and admission processes of applicants. It must be noted that, for some qualifications, it will take more than a higher APS to be accepted.

The APS is calculated by adding your best six subjects from the Matric examinations, excluding Life Orientation.

When Is It Necessary To Use Admission Point Score

The Admission Point Score is needed for varied reasons. Listed below are some of these reasons in no particular order;

1. When one wants to be accepted into a university of choice
2. When you want other organizations to get access to your marks
3. When you want to know if you meet the minimum requirements to study a specific course at the university

What Can You Study With A Bachelor Pass?

• Bachelor of Commerce 
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Science 
• Bachelor of Fine Arts 
• Bachelor of Engineering

What Can I Study With A Diploma Pass?

If an applicant has a Diploma APS pass of 18, they are at liberty to study all Diploma courses a university or college offers.

What Can I Study With Higher Certificate Pass?

With a Higher Senior Certificate pass of 15, one can offer courses higher certificate courses at the university or college. They can as well offer courses by the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) or NATED courses.

What Can I Study With National Senior Certificate Pass?

For a National Senior Certificate pass of at least 3 in your home language, applicants can study courses like;

1. ICB Courses
2. Courses that do not require matric
3. NATED courses