Current students: FAQs

Either arrive at the student advisor's office during an "open door" time  or email student-advisors@cs.uct.ac.za to make an appointment.

Student advisors are academics who have many other duties in teaching, research and administration. Though they try to be in their offices during posted "open door" times, other important tasks may crop up.  So, if you urgently need to see a student advisor, email them to make an appointment.

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that he/she meets the requirements for graduation.  Student advisors will try to give the best possible advice and guidance, but it remains the student's responsibility to understand the rules for her/his degree and to ensure that he/she complies with them.

To transfer to the Science Faculty, you need to submit a motivation and a change of curriculum form to the Science Faculty.

The Science Faculty Admissions committee will consider these applications once the November exam results are available.  You are  advised to write your  exams and to get the best possible marks, particularly in any Science subjects you may be registered for.

If there is a chance that you may be excluded from your current faculty, you should follow the Readmission Appeal (RAC) procedure.  In this application, you may indicate that your first choice is to be considered for admission by the Science Faculty.

Note that you will not necessarily get credits for any non-Science courses that you have done.  The Science faculty will determine which credits you will get if you are accepted.  You can consult a student advisor in the Science Faculty for some indication on which courses we give credit for.

Transferring Students

You will be considered on the basis of your school-leaving results and your higher education results. Generally, you must have a good academic record and must submit an academic transcript with your application, or submit this as soon as it is available.

The Faculty of Commerce requires students wishing to transfer into the Faculty (either from within UCT or from other universities) to meet the following criteria:

• Meet the minimum school subject and points requirements for Commerce.
• Have a good academic record acceptable to the Faculty. It is unlikely that students who have failed one or more courses will be accepted. Particular attention will be paid to courses relevant to degrees in the Faculty and to the proposed programme.
• All Transferring applicants must write the National Benchmarking Test. If you have written in the past 3 years the test score is valid.
• NBT results may be considered where available.

Application for Credit Exemption

Please complete the following form to apply course credits and exemptions :

• Application for External Academi Credit and Exemption

The following list contains the various courses that are recognised at UCT for degree purposes:

• Equivalent Credits WITS
• Equivalent Credits STELLENBOSCH
• Equivalent Credits - NNMU
• Equivalent Credits - UNISA

ENTRANCE EXAMS for transferring students

Please confirm with the programme convenor whether an entrance exam is required for your preferred programme/ major. To continue with any Financial Reporting courses at UCT an entrance exam must be written and the entrance criteria met as outlined in the Faculty handbook.

For example: The Financial Reporting (Accounting) requirements are as follows:

For ease of reference the entrance criteria are summarised below:

• Entrance requirement for ACC2012W, Financial Reporting 2 is ≥ 60% in ACC1011S.
• Entrance requirement for ACC3020W, Corporate Reporting is ≥ 50% in ACC2012W.
• Entrance requirement for ACC3009W, Financial Reporting 3 is ≥ 60% in ACC2012W.

Students have the opportunity to attain these criteria through an entrance exam:The entrance exam will be either the final examination paper or the supplementary examination paper in the Financial Reporting subject for which you are requesting credit and exemption.

NB: A student who wishes to graduate from UCT in a programme with an Accounting major is required to complete ACC 2012W and ACC 3009W/ 3020W at UCT

Process for students transferring from outside UCT

The student who wishes to obtain credits for University courses successfully completed elsewhere is required to do the following

• UNISA COURSES
  - Standard credits awarded are listed on the Faculty Website.
• ALL OTHER COURSES
  - The student is required to liaise with the course convenor of the course for which he/ she is applying for credits and/ or exemption.
  - The student is required to produce the course outline and final exam paper.
  - The student is required to complete a credit and exemption request form and have this signed off by the relevant     course convenors and programme convenor.

Other than South African Qualifications

Your application will be assessed individually. If you have not completed Mathematics in your final year of schooling you will not be considered.

LEVEL / AS – LEVEL/ O– LEVEL

Bachelor of Business Science

• Applicants must have at least an A- Level D or AS – level C in Mathematics
• Applicants must have at least A- Level E or AS- Level D or O – level B in English

Bachelor of Commerce

• Applicants must have at least an A– Level D or AS – level C in Mathematics
• Applicants must have at least A– Level E or AS– Level D or O – level B in English

Bachelor of Business Science – Actuarial Science

• Applicants must have at least an A– Level A in Mathematics
• Applicants must have at least A– Level C or AS– Level C or O – level A in English

HIGCSE AND IGCSE

Bachelor of Business Science

• Applicants must have HIGCSE level Grade 3 in Mathematics
• Applicants must have HIGCSE level 3 or IGCSE B in English

Bachelor of Commerce

• Applicants must have HIGCSE level Grade 3 in Mathematics
• Applicants must have HIGCSE level 3 or IGCSE B in English

Bachelor of Business Science – Actuarial Science

• Applicants must have HIGCSE level Grade 1 in Mathematics
• Applicants must have HIGCSE level Grade 3 IGCSE A in English

SAT RESULTS

• SAT I score of 1050 or more with sub minima of 500 for both the Verbal and Mathematics score or
• STAII score of 1050 or more for English and one of Physics or Chemistry with sub minimum of 500 for either the English or Physics or the Chemistry score

Holders of other qualifications are considered individually. A Scholastic Aptitude score of 625 for each of Mathematics and Verbal is required of holders of USA school-leaving certificates. IB Mathematical Studies at subsidiary level will not be accepted.