A bridging course, in the simplest terms, can be defined by its title. It is a course that aids in “bridging” an educational gap by enrolling students who do not immediately meet the requirements for tertiary education into 6 month-1 year courses that will better prepare them for tertiary education.
Being that it is such an essential course for those with the potential to meet tertiary entrance requirements, there are a number of universities and colleges in South Africa that offer such courses. The following are a few colleges and universities where these courses are offered:
- Intec College - Based in Cape Town, the college allows the student to redo any subject that they may have completed in high school, and you should be able to provide proof that you completed that subject. The course is said to take between 12-24 months.
- Oxbridge Academy - They offer an N3 Technical Matric, which is equivalent to the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and will allow the student to pursue practical and technical-based courses at tertiary level.
- Taal-Net Training Institute - Subjects can be redone on a full-time/part-time basis and once complete, the new marks will be accredited by Umalusi.
- Damelin - Students can simply select the number of subjects they would like to redo and register with their grade 12 statement of results.
- Stellenbosch University - The university offers a University Preparation Programme known as “SciMathUS”. If a student has passed matric with a 60% average, they will be granted a chance to improve their marks through this programme with a focus on Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
- College SA - Their bridging programme is designed to help students qualify for their National Technical Certificate (NTC) N1 courses and it only offers students the opportunity to redo Mathematics and Physical Science.
- UNISA - The university offers bridging courses to allow students the opportunity to earn qualifications in the following: Teaching, Nursing, Child and Adolescent Development, and Guidance Counseling and Life Skills Development. Each of these courses have different sets of requirements, all of which can be found here.
- University of Johannesburg (UJ) - The university offers a number of bridging courses for students who would like to pursue studies in the field of economics. More information on these bridging courses can be found here.
- University of the Free State (UFS) - The university offers a University Preparation Programme (UPP) for students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in a form of high education that emulates a bridging course. It functions within three fields of study over the course of a year. The fields of study include Economic and Management Sciences, Humanities, and Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
This list features just a few of the many available bridging courses available in South Africa. For detailed information on some of these bridging courses, click here.
