A Bachelor’s Pass is the highest achievement pass for the National Senior Certificate (NSC). Achieving a Bachelor’s Pass allows students the opportunity to continue their studies into tertiary education. It affords the student the possibility of being able to study at any tertiary institution so long as they have met the requirements for their field of study.
Both CAPS and IEB secondary institutions have set requirements for a student to be able to achieve a Bachelor’s Pass, and both adhere to the same conditions. Over the years, the requirements have changed, with the pass percentage rate conditions becoming gradually lower, making the possibility for a degree entry much more attainable.
Bachelor's Pass Requirements
According to the IEB website, under their regulations the student is required to pass at least one official language at Home Language level with 40% or more. Furthermore, the student is expected to pass 4 other subjects, with the exclusion of Life Orientation, with at least 50%. Finally, the student is required to pass 2 other subjects with at least a 30% average.
In some cases there are exceptions to this requirement. If a student requires up to 2% in one subject to achieve a 30% or 40% average, then the student will be able to achieve their degree pass if they meet the requirements of the Bachelor's Pass once the maximum 2% remainder is added.
In other cases, students with learning barriers are also granted the opportunity to apply for “accommodations or exemptions as appropriate to their specific conditions”, as stated on the IEB website.
