This final year of high school will have a huge effect on the rest of a matric student's life. Knowing where you want to go and what you want to become is never an easy journey to take. Gaining knowledge about the steps you need to take to get there is therefore of utmost importance. Before you get there, there are a few things you need to know. Like National Senior Certificate (NSC) qualifications.
Getting your NSC, also known as your school leaving certificate, is your ticket out of high school. Hopefully, you've gained the skills you need post-matric and have obtained the required results to get into an institution where you can further those skills and build a name for yourself. That certificate will show these institutions whether or not you are competent to be a part of their institution.
In South Africa, students are required to achieve Grade D or better in order to gain admittance to the Undergraduate programme in South African Higher Education Institutions. This Grade D is a Diploma. So let's lay out what those grades and names mean.
In order to get your NSC, you need to obtain the following:
- 40% in Home Language (code 3)
- Three other subjects passed with 40% or more (code 3)
- Three other subjects passed with 30% or more (code 2)
Grade 12 student are allowed to fail one subject provided there is full evidence of the School-based Assessment (SBA) having been completed.
There are three different qualifications involved with getting your NSC:
- Higher Certificate
- This allows you to study towards a Higher Certificate
- Diploma
- This allows you to do a bridging course at a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college or a diploma course at a university of technology.
- Bachelors
- This allows you to do obtain a degree at a University or University of Technology.
The qualification you get when you pass matric is based on the results you obtained.
Different results for qualifications:
- Higher Certificate
- 40% in Home Language (code 3)
- Three other subjects passed with 40% or more (code 3)
- Three other subjects passed with 30% or more (code 2)
- 30% or more in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) of the institution
- Diploma
- 40% in Home Language (code 3)
- NSC Requirements with four other subjects, excluding Life Orientation, passed with 40% or more (code 3)
- 30% or more in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) of the institution
- Bachelors
- 40% in Home Language (code 3)
- NSC Requirements with four other subjects, excluding Life Orientation, passed with 50% or more (code 4)
- 30% or more in the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) of the institution
- Institution and programme needs may require additional combinations of recognised NSC subjects and levels of achievement
Once you have your goals set in your mind and you do the work needed, getting where you want to be will be easy for you. Good luck!
