Careers › Health

How to become a Nurse

Front-line patient care in hospitals, clinics and communities.

7 specialties once you qualify →

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 Nurse actually do?

More about this career

Front-line patient care – from basic care to complex procedures, depending on your qualification level (there are several routes: diploma, degree, and different levels of registration with SANC). Nurses work in hospitals, clinics and community health, and can specialise into areas like ICU, midwifery or theatre nursing.

Where this degree can take you

  • Midwife
  • ICU/Critical Care Nurse
  • Community Health Nurse
  • Nurse Educator

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

Specialising after the Nurse degree

7 specialties

After qualifying and registering as a general nurse, further post-basic qualifications registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) let you specialise - historically as separate SANC-registered certificates, now being phased into postgraduate diplomas under the national Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework.

SANC post-basic specialities

  • Midwifery / Advanced Midwifery – ~1 year postgraduate
    Pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care.
  • Clinical Nursing Science (Health Assessment, Treatment and Care) – ~1 year postgraduate
    Advanced clinical assessment and management - the base qualification behind most ICU, trauma and emergency nursing roles.
  • Operating Theatre Nursing – ~1 year postgraduate
    Perioperative care - preparing for, and assisting during, surgery.
  • Community Nursing Science – ~1 year postgraduate
    Primary healthcare and nursing at community and clinic level.
  • Psychiatric Nursing – ~1 year postgraduate
    Mental health nursing care.
  • Nursing Education – ~1 year postgraduate
    Trains and assesses future nurses, usually at a nursing college or university.
  • Nursing Administration – ~1 year postgraduate
    Manages nursing staff and services, typically at a more senior hospital or facility level.

General overview, not from one single official source: SANC regulates these post-basic qualifications, but the register is actively transitioning from legacy certificates to HEQSF-aligned postgraduate diplomas at the time of writing - confirm the current structure and which route a specific university offers with SANC or the university directly.

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

  • Life Sciences – asked for by 20 of 20 programmes
  • Mathematics – asked for by 19 of 20 programmes
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 12 of 20 programmes
  • Mathematical Literacy – asked for by 9 of 20 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

20 programmes at 18 universities. More are added as we verify them.

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Partly verified

Bachelor of Nursing (BPNURS)

Health & Wellness Sciences, Bellville Campus · 4 years

CPUT APS 30 points (method varies by programme)

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: 50% OR Mathematical Literacy: 60%
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

CPUT’s Nursing page publishes its APS only as an image, so the 30 and subject levels here could not be re-read as text. Calculated on CPUT’s "Method 1" (best six subjects including the required ones, excluding Life Orientation, percentages summed and divided by 10 - see CPUT_APS). Only 30 applicants are accepted a year; shortlisted applicants complete an online interview, and Hepatitis B and Covid-19 vaccination are required for registration. Closes 30 June 2026 - notably earlier than CPUT’s other programmes in this batch.

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

Durban University of Technology

Partly verified

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

DUT APS 28 points

  • English: level 3 (40% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy or Physical Science – Mathematics at level 4, or Mathematical Literacy at level 6, or Physical Science at level 4.
  • Two more subjects – Two further 20-credit NSC subjects.

A 5-year Extended Curriculum Programme route is also available. Several other DUT Health Sciences programmes (Chiropractic, Clinical Technology, Emergency Medical Care, Radiography, Dental Assisting) close much earlier - 15 June or 31 August 2026 - not the standard 30 September date. Closes 30 September 2026 for Nursing. From DUT’s 2027 Study Opportunities prospectus. Applications go through the CAO (cao.ac.za), not directly to DUT; general closing date 30 September 2026 (fee R250 SA / R300 international).

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

Nelson Mandela University

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

NMU Applicant Score (AS) 370 out of 600

  • Mathematics: 50% OR Mathematical Literacy: 65%
  • Life Sciences: 60%
  • Physical Sciences: 50%

AS 370 on the Mathematics route, 385 on the Mathematical Literacy route. RAW-CONFIRMED against the user-supplied NMU Z-Card admissions summary, which also gave the duration (4 years, previously null) and an Extended Curriculum route (5 years, AS 330/345). From NMU’s own faculty "UG Guide" PDFs, most of which are dated/closing in 2024 - apparently covering the 2025 intake, not independently confirmed as current for 2027 (NMU appears to roll these forward with the same structure each year, but treat the figures as "last confirmed" rather than "2027-verified"). No 2027 closing date is stated.

Source: View the official page (nursing.mandela.ac.za) (opens the official page)

North-West University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Nursing Science

Health Sciences · 4 years

NWU APS 25 points out of 48

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

Applications close 31 July due to high application volumes - earlier than NWU’s general closing date. Job shadowing (40 hours) is recommended but not compulsory. Raw-confirmed against the user-supplied NWU 2026 Faculty Yearbook. NWU adds your six best subjects (excluding Life Orientation) on an 8-point scale, for a total out of 48 - read from NWU’s own APS calculator. The requirement shown is what NWU publishes.

Source: View the official page (health-sciences.nwu.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery

School of Health Care Sciences

SMU APS 25

  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 3 (40% or more)
  • Two more subjects – Two further subjects at level 3 or better.
  • SANC registration – Registration with the SA Nursing Council is compulsory within the first 30 days of admission.

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against SMU’s own admission-requirements page for this school (points and subject minimums match). SMU also lists an older "Bachelor Nursing Sciences and Arts" qualification explicitly marked as being phased out - not included here. Closes 31 July 2026 for undergraduate programmes (applications open 1 April 2026) - notably earlier than most universities in this batch.

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

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

B Nursing

Medicine & Health Sciences · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 60 %

  • Mathematics: 40% OR Mathematical Literacy: 70%
  • Life Sciences: 50%

Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher. About 50 students are selected.

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

Tshwane University of Technology

Bachelor of Nursing

Science · 4 years

TUT APS 27 points

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against TUT’s 2026 faculty prospectus: APS and subject levels match. Closes earlier than most TUT programmes - 15 June 2026. From TUT’s 2027 First-Year Course Information and General Information PDFs. Applications opened 1 April 2026 (fee R240).

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

University of Fort Hare

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

UFH APS 28

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Two more subjects – Any other two subjects at level 4 or better.
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)

RESOLVED 2026-10-03: the user-supplied Faculty of Health Sciences 2026 Prospectus gives this programme's own admission table - APS 28 on the Mathematics route, 29 with Mathematical Literacy. 2027 undergraduate applications: opened 1 May 2026, close 31 October 2026 (from ufh.ac.za/admission).

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

University of Johannesburg

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

UJ APS 30 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Interview – An interview is required. Selection also weighs English proficiency, and Mathematical Literacy, Technical Mathematics and Technical Science are explicitly not accepted.

CONFIRMED 2026-10-02 by a screenshot of the live page (uj.ac.za is blocked for automated fetches, so the user checked manually): APS 30, English 5 (60%+), Mathematics/Physical Sciences/Life Sciences all 4 (50%+). Campus: Doornfontein.

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

University of KwaZulu-Natal

From an older document

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

UKZN APS 30 points out of 48

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 3 (40% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 3 (40% or more)

The published APS range is 48-30. This comes from the Study@UKZN 2026 brochure, the most recent official source we could find. UKZN had not published a 2027 table when we checked, so treat these as 2026 figures pending a 2027 update. Applications go through the CAO.

Source: View the official page (studyatukzn.ukzn.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of Limpopo

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

UL APS 26 points

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 5 (60% or more)
  • Two more subjects – Two further subjects at level 4 or better.

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against UL’s 2027 prospectus Health Sciences table (APS and levels match). From UL’s 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus. UL states that meeting the minimum APS does not guarantee admission. No official 2027 closing date was found in the sections we read.

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

University of Pretoria

Selection programme

BNurs (Nursing Science)

Health Sciences · 4 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)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

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 Free State

Selection programme

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences

UFS AP score 30 points out of 49

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Mathematics: 40% OR Mathematical Literacy: 70%
  • Life Sciences: level 5 (60% or more) OR Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

RESOLVED from the 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus, replacing a 2023 booklet: either Mathematics (level 3, 40%) or Mathematical Literacy (level 6, 70%) is required, and either Life Sciences (level 5, 60%) or Physical Sciences (level 4, 50%). Closing date for applications is 31 July.

Source: View the official page (ufs.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of the Western Cape

Bachelor of Nursing

Community & Health Sciences

UWC weighted points 30 points out of 65

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Another language – Another language (Home or First Additional) at level 3.
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 6 (70% or more)

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from UWC’s own 2026 programme rules (the "Program Overview" PDF on the programme page, Calendar 2026). UWC points are its own weighted score (see the calculator note). A 5-year extended programme (code 8310) has the same requirements and APS 30.

Source: View the official page (uwc.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Selection programme

Bachelor of Nursing (Extended Curriculum Programme)

Community & Health Sciences · 5 years

UWC weighted points 30 points out of 65

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Another language – Another language (Home or First Additional) at level 3.
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 6 (70% or more)

Read 2026-10-04 from UWC’s 2026 programme rules (the programme’s own "Program Overview" PDF, Calendar 2026). UWC points are its own weighted score. Code 8310: NSC for Bachelor’s degree study with no fewer than 30 points.

Source: View the official page (uwc.ac.za) (opens the official page)

University of the Witwatersrand

No cut-off published

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 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)
  • 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

University of Venda

Bachelor of Nursing

Health Sciences · 4 years

Univen APS 38

  • English: 60%
  • Mathematics: 50%
  • Physical Sciences: 60%
  • Life Sciences: 60%

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from Univen’s 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (April 2026), faculty programme tables. APS and subject levels match. From Univen’s 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus. We could not confirm the application closing date from the pages we read (applications opened 1 May 2026) - check the current date on univen.ac.za.

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

Diploma in Nursing

Health Sciences · 3 years

Univen APS 28

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 3 (40% or more)

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from Univen’s 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (April 2026), faculty programme tables. Online applications are free and run 1 May - 30 September 2026.

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

University of Zululand

From an older document

Bachelor of Nursing (General Nursing and Midwifery)

Science, Agriculture & Engineering (Department of Nursing Science) · 4 years

UniZulu APS 30 points out of 48

  • English: 50%
  • Life Sciences: 50%
  • Mathematics: 50% OR Mathematical Literacy: 50%

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against the admission tables in UniZulu’s 2026 faculty handbook (APS, language and Mathematics rules match). A separate "pipeline" version of this degree exists for existing students only (no new intake) and is not shown here. From UniZulu’s own 2026-labelled faculty handbooks, which contain no 2027-specific intake or closing-date information at all - do not assume a date, and treat this as the most recent official figures available rather than confirmed-current for 2027.

Source: View the official page (unizulu.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Walter Sisulu University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Nursing

Medicine & Health Sciences · 4 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).
  • Additional selection criteria – Further faculty-specific selection criteria apply beyond these subject minimums.

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). 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?