Careers › People & society

How to become a Social Worker

Supports individuals, families and communities through crisis and change.

This needs more than the degree

Registration with the SACSSP (South African Council for Social Service Professions) is required to practise – check the current registration process directly with them.

What does a Social Worker actually do?

More about this career

Supports individuals and families through crisis – abuse, poverty, addiction, foster care – usually for the Department of Social Development, an NGO, a hospital, or a school. It’s emotionally demanding work with high demand and, honestly, stretched public-sector resources, so many social workers specialise (child protection, substance abuse, school social work) to focus their caseload.

Where this degree can take you

  • Child Protection Social Worker
  • School Social Worker
  • Medical/Hospital Social Worker
  • Community Development Worker

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

  • English
  • Life Sciences or History (helpful)

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 5 of 22 programmes
  • Mathematical Literacy – asked for by 5 of 22 programmes
  • Life Sciences – asked for by 2 of 22 programmes
  • Technical Mathematics – asked for by 1 of 22 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

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

Durban University of Technology

No cut-off publishedSelection programme

Bachelor of Child & Youth Care

Health Sciences · 4 years

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

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Three more subjects – Three 20-credit subjects at level 4 (not more than one language), plus one recognised subject at level 4.
  • Interview and assessment – An interview and entrance assessment are required; only applicants who ranked the programme 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice are considered.

New row, read directly from DUT’s 2027 Study Opportunities prospectus (dut-pass-3). Four-year professional degree, offered full-time in Durban. Applicants should be 18/21 or older. Closes 30 September 2026. 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 Social Work (BSW)

Health Sciences · 4 years

NMU Applicant Score (AS) 350 out of 600

  • Mathematics: 40% OR Mathematical Literacy: 65% OR Technical Mathematics: 40%

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from the user-supplied NMU "Undergraduate Programmes 2027" Z-Card (A-Z table of Applicant Scores and subject percentages). AS 350 with Mathematics, 365 with Mathematical Literacy or Technical Mathematics.

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

North-West University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Social Work

Health Sciences · 4 years

NWU APS 28 points out of 48

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language

Applications close 30 June. 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)

Stellenbosch University

Selection programme

Bachelor of Social Work

Arts and Social Sciences · 4 years

Stellenbosch aggregate 63 %

  • Language – Home Language 50% and First Additional Language 50%.

Read 2026-10-04 from the Stellenbosch 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (page images). The number shown is the NSC aggregate (excluding Life Orientation). Page 6. 100 places in the programme. Every Stellenbosch programme is a selection programme. The figures shown are the published minimum requirements - the actual selection threshold is usually higher.

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

University of Cape Town

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities · 4 years

UCT Faculty Points Score 450 out of 600 (band a)

  • English: 50% if it is your Home Language, 60% if it is your First Additional Language
  • NBT – An NBT Academic Literacy result of Lower Intermediate or Basic normally rules an applicant out.
  • Interview – Applicants may be required to attend an admissions interview and demonstrate they will meet the South African Council for Social Service Professions’ professional requirements.

Band A (guaranteed offer) is an FPS of 450. Band B (likely offer) is a WPS of 450 - the WPS adds a 0-10% disadvantage factor that we cannot work out from your marks, so we only check you against Band A. Band C (380) applies to redress categories only. A standalone structured degree (not a BA/BSocSc major), capped at 80 places a year. This qualification lets you register as a professional social worker with the South African Council for Social Service Professions.

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

University of Fort Hare

Bachelor of Social Work

Social Sciences and Humanities · 4 years

UFH APS 27

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Another language – Another language at level 4.
  • Four more subjects – One further subject at level 3 and three at level 4 or better.
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)

APS confirmed at 27 from the user-supplied Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities 2026 Prospectus' qualifications summary table, which also confirmed the 4-year duration. 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 Social Work

Humanities · 4 years

UJ APS 31 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language

RESOLVED 2026-10-02 by a screenshot of the live page (uj.ac.za is blocked for automated fetches, so the user checked manually): APS 31, English 5 (60%+) - settles the earlier 31-vs-31.5 conflict between two indexed copies of this page in favour of 31. No Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy requirement is stated.

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

BA in Community Development and Leadership

Humanities · 3 years

UJ APS 27 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language

Read from the 2027 UJ Undergraduate Prospectus, page 75, programme code B7015Q. Offered on the Soweto campus. No Mathematics requirement.

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

University of KwaZulu-Natal

From an older document

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities · 4 years

UKZN APS 28 points out of 48

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Orientation: level 4 (50% or more)
  • One listed subject – One subject from UKZN’s designated list at level 5 (Business Studies, Consumer Studies, Dramatic Arts, Economics, Geography, History, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy at level 2, Music, Religion Studies, Visual Arts, or a language at Home or First Additional level 5).

Read 2026-10-04 from the table in the Study@UKZN 2026 brochure (CAO code KN-H-BSX); published APS range 48-28. 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 Social Work (BSW)

Humanities · 4 years

UL APS 23 points

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Additional language – An additional language at level 4.
  • Mathematics: level 3 (40% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 5 (60% or more)
  • 3 more subjects – Three further subjects at level 4 or better contribute to the minimum APS total.

Raw-read 2026-10-04 from UL’s own 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus faculty tables (images of the table, since the PDF’s text layer cannot be read reliably). APS 23 with Mathematics, 25 with Mathematical Literacy. UL says meeting the minimum APS does not guarantee admission. No 2027 closing date appears in the prospectus - see the dates page.

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

University of Mpumalanga

From an older document

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities and Social Sciences · 4 years

UMP APS 32

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Mathematics: level 2 (30% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 3 (40% or more)

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against UMP’s "Undergraduate Programmes" PDF, which is still linked from UMP’s 2027 online-applications page - the file itself is dated October 2023, so treat figures as the latest UMP publishes rather than re-issued for 2027. Read directly (pdftotext) from UMP’s own consolidated Undergraduate Programmes brochure. We could not confirm the 2027 application closing date on ump.ac.za itself (only unverified third-party claims).

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

University of Pretoria

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities · 4 years

UP APS 28 points

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Police clearance – A police clearance certificate is required, and registered student social workers must complete Form 30 in Part B of the National Child Protection Register under the Children's Act.

From the user-supplied Humanities 2027 Faculty Yearbook (programme code 01130144). 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 South Africa

Bachelor of Social Work

Human Sciences

Unisa APS 21 points

  • English: 60%
  • Four content subjects – Four further subjects at 60% or better.

Re-read 2026-10-04 against Unisa’s live qualification page: APS, language/Mathematics percentages and the 17 August - 9 October 2026 window all match. A police clearance certificate, two testimonials and an online screening test are also required before registration; registers with SACSSP. NSC with Bachelor’s Degree endorsement required. Maximum 10 years to complete. Confirmed current for the 2027 intake: Unisa’s own pages state its 2027 application window as 17 August - 9 October 2026.

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

University of the Free State

Selection programme

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities

UFS AP score 35 points out of 49

  • English: level 5 (60% or more)

CORRECTED 2026-10-03: the 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus publishes a numeric AP minimum of 35, which an earlier pass had concluded did not exist (UFS’s own Social Work admissions page describes AP 35+ as merely "more likely to be selected" among only the top 50 candidates, with no guarantee). Both are true at once - 35 is the published entry threshold; clearing it still does not guarantee a place, since selection among eligible applicants goes further. Closing date 31 July.

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

Selection programme

Bachelor of Community Development (BCommDev)

Humanities (Qwaqwa campus) · 3 years

UFS AP score 30 points out of 49

  • English: level 5 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language

Read 2026-10-04 from the table on the faculty’s page in the UFS 2027 Undergraduate Prospectus (page images). Plan code QC140400. AP 30 or a Diploma in Vocational Skills with level 4 in English; subject to a selection process.

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

University of the Western Cape

Bachelor of Social Work

Community & Health Sciences · 4 years

UWC weighted points 34 points out of 65

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 5 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Another language – Another language (Home or First Additional) at level 4.
  • Mathematics: level 3 (40% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 4 (50% 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). The earlier row showed APS 30 - the 2026 rules say 34.

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

From an older document

Bachelor of Community Development

Community & Health Sciences · 4 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.
  • Mathematics: level 3 (40% or more) OR Mathematical Literacy: level 4 (50% or more)

Read 2026-10-04 from UWC’s "General Admissions Criteria for 2026" brochure (faculty minimum admission requirements). UWC points are its own weighted score. Minimum 30 UWC points.

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

University of the Witwatersrand

University of Venda

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities, Social Sciences and Education · 4 years

Univen APS 35

  • English: 50%

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

University of Zululand

From an older document

Bachelor of Consumer Science (Extension and Rural Development)

Science, Agriculture & Engineering · 4 years

UniZulu APS 28 points out of 48

  • English: 50%
  • Life Sciences: 50%

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against the admission tables in UniZulu’s 2026 faculty handbook (APS, language and Mathematics rules match). Community/rural development work specifically - filed under the closest existing career category. 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)

From an older document

Bachelor of Social Work

Humanities & Social Sciences · 4 years

UniZulu APS 26 points out of 48

  • English: level 4 if it is your Home Language, level 4 if it is your First Additional Language
  • Designated subjects – Level 4 (50-59%) in five subjects from the designated list: Business Studies, Dramatic Arts, Geography, History, Tourism, Visual Art, and languages (a language of learning and teaching plus two other recognised languages).

Read 2026-10-04 from UniZulu’s 2026 Humanities & Social Sciences handbook (Table 1): minimum entry for a Bachelor’s degree is 26 points. 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

Bachelor of Social Work

Law, Humanities & Social Sciences · 4 years

WSU APS 26 points out of 48 (56 for Education programmes)

  • English: level 4 (50% or more)
  • African language – Another African language at level 5.
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Three more subjects – Any other three subjects at level 4 or better, excluding Life Orientation.
  • Character reference check – WSU conducts a character reference check for all admitted students; a negative result may lead to deregistration.

Raw-confirmed 2026-10-04 against the 2027 brochure table (APS and subject levels match). From WSU’s 2027 Undergraduate Information Brochure & Admission Requirements. We could not confirm the application closing date from the pages we read - check the current date on 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?