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How to become a Clinical Associate

Works alongside doctors in district hospitals, doing clinical care.

Apply early

Selection programmes like this often close months before the standard application deadline, and marks alone don’t guarantee a place. See the Dates page for the exact closing dates.

What does a Clinical Associate actually do?

More about this career

A relatively new SA qualification – works under a doctor’s supervision doing much of the clinical work (examinations, basic procedures, managing common conditions), especially in under-resourced district hospitals. It’s a shorter route into clinical medicine than the full MBChB, aimed specifically at strengthening rural and district-level healthcare.

Where this degree can take you

  • District Hospital Clinician
  • Emergency Care Clinical Associate
  • Rural Health Practitioner

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy
  • Life Sciences

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the programmes we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 3 of 3 programmes
  • Life Sciences – asked for by 3 of 3 programmes
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 3 of 3 programmes
  • Mathematical Literacy – asked for by 1 of 3 programmes

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each programme links to the page it came from.

Programmes that lead here

3 programmes at 3 universities. More are added as we verify them.

University of Pretoria

Selection programme

BCMP (Clinical Medical Practice)

Health Sciences · 3 years

UP APS 28 points

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more) OR Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

New row, from the user-supplied Health Sciences 2027 Faculty Yearbook (programme code 10130012). A selection programme. Most UP closing dates are 30 June; Veterinary Science closes 31 May. Grade 12 applicants apply with their final Grade 11 results.

Source: View the official page (drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

University of the Witwatersrand

No cut-off published

Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice

Health Sciences · 3 years

No points cut-off published for this one – see the note below.

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 7 (80% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more) OR Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

CONFIRMED 2026-10-02 by a direct fetch of the live course-finder page (both figures and the Life Sciences AND/OR Physical Sciences alternative, previously shown as Physical Sciences only): Wits Health Sciences uses a Composite Index (75% school average across 5 subjects, 25% NBT), not APS, and does not publish the cut-off scores - the NBT must be written in person by 17 August.

Source: View the official page (wits.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Walter Sisulu University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Medicine in Clinical Practice

Medicine & Health Sciences · 3 years

WSU APS 24 points out of 48 (56 for Education programmes)

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • African language – Another African language at level 4.
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • One more subject – Any other subject at level 4 (excluding Life Orientation).

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from WSU’s own 2027 Undergraduate Information Brochure & Admission Requirements (main-stream figures; Extended Curriculum Programmes accept a lower APS, noted where the brochure gives one). Mthatha. Additional faculty selection criteria apply. Applications: the brochure lists no closing date - check wsu.ac.za.

Source: View the official page (wsu.ac.za) (opens the official page) · 2027 intake

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every programme above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?