Check Your APS: Journalism Entry Requirements in South Africa

Most journalism programmes in South Africa require a National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a minimum achievement rating of 3 in English, an Admission Point Score (APS) that meets the faculty’s bachelor-degree threshold, and clearance through a writing test or interview. Mature applicants without formal school qualifications can often apply through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

TL;DR:

• Most South African journalism programmes require an English achievement rating of at least 3 and an APS score that meets each institution’s specific thresholds.
• A timed writing test and an interview are standard selection steps, with practical writing samples or portfolios often strongly influencing admissions.
• Postgraduate honours programs usually demand a relevant bachelor’s degree, a strong academic record, a writing sample, and evidence of commitment, with cohort sizes typically limited to around 24 students annually.
• Checking the NQF level via SAQA and preparing early for required tests like the National Benchmark Test improve admission prospects, especially for mature applicants through Recognition of Prior Learning.
• Applying early and to multiple programmes, with a focus on structured writing and curated portfolios, increases chances of acceptance in competitive journalism courses.

Table of Contents

• What are the entry requirements for journalism at undergraduate level?
• What selection steps go beyond your matric marks?
• How do honours and career-entry journalism requirements differ?
• How do I check my own eligibility before applying?
• How Nkosi suggests you strengthen your application
• What’s the realistic application timeline?
• Realistic expectations, from Nkosi
• Where AskSmarty fits into your journalism application
• Where to confirm the exact rules for your programme
• Sources
• FAQ

What are the entry requirements for journalism at undergraduate level?

Every bachelor-level journalism qualification in South Africa is pegged to NQF Level 7 under the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework. That single fact drives almost every other rule you’ll encounter on a prospectus.

Take Durban University of Technology’s Bachelor of Journalism. Its brochure spells out the baseline clearly: an NSC with an English achievement rating of at least 3, plus a rating of at least 4 in four 20-credit NSC subjects. That’s the G7 framework in action, and it’s a useful template even if you’re applying elsewhere, because most universities build their own minima around the same structure. Beyond the marks, DUT’s prospectus states plainly that candidates must sit a selection test and, if they clear that bar, attend an interview.

Your APS score is the number that actually gets you through the door for consideration. It’s calculated from your best six or seven NSC subjects, and different faculties set different cutoffs for communication and media degrees. You won’t find one universal APS figure quoted across every journalism programme in the country. That’s precisely why checking the specific programme page matters more than trusting a rule of thumb you heard from a friend.

Subject choice matters less than people assume, but it isn’t irrelevant. Here’s what tends to show up across journalism and media studies pages:

• English at a strong achievement level, since almost every journalism programme treats it as non-negotiable
• A language, humanities, or social science subject that shows you can write and argue in prose
• Life Orientation and Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, counted the same way most bachelor degrees count them

North-West University’s Journalism and Media Studies page reflects a pattern you’ll see at several institutions: screening isn’t limited to entry marks. NWU also applies pass-rate checks on core modules once you’re registered, and some programmes run selection interviews on top of the standard admission criteria set out on their Journalism and Media Studies programme page. If a qualification is registered with SAQA at NQF Level 7, that’s your confirmation it sits at proper bachelor status rather than a shorter diploma or certificate track. Checking a SAQA ID before you apply saves you from discovering, halfway through the year, that a qualification doesn’t carry the credit weight you assumed.

What selection steps go beyond your matric marks?

Marks get you shortlisted. They rarely get you admitted outright, because most journalism schools treat writing ability and judgment as separate, testable skills.

1. Writing test. Expect a timed exercise, often 300 to 500 words, built around a news brief, a summary task, or a short opinion piece. Markers look for structure (a clear lede, logical flow, a nut graph that explains why the story matters), grammatical accuracy, and whether you can write plain, tight sentences under pressure.
2. Interview. This is where panels probe motivation and ethical reasoning. A common question style: “You’ve been offered an exclusive story but the source demands anonymity that could compromise accuracy. What do you do?” There’s no single right answer. What panels want is evidence you can think it through.
3. Portfolio review. If you’ve written for a school paper, run a podcast, contributed to community radio, or published freelance pieces, submit them. Panels weigh prior practical engagement heavily, treating it as proof you already understand deadlines and public accountability, per the Wits Centre for Journalism’s honours admissions guidance.
4. Scheduling. Selection tests and interviews usually happen in the months after your initial application, once the faculty has done a first pass on academic eligibility. Shortlisted applicants are typically contacted directly, so check your email and spam folder obsessively during application season.

Pro Tip: Practice writing a full news piece against a 30-minute clock before you ever sit a real selection test. Timed writing under pressure is a different skill from a leisurely school essay, and the gap shows up fast if you haven’t rehearsed it.

How do honours and career-entry journalism requirements differ?

Postgraduate journalism programmes shift the goalposts. You’re no longer being judged on matric performance. You’re being judged on whether your undergraduate record and your writing suggest you can handle a newsroom-paced year.

The Wits Centre for Journalism’s career-entry honours is the clearest benchmark here. It typically requires a completed bachelor’s degree in any field, not necessarily journalism or media studies, alongside a final-year average at or above the programme’s stated minimum. Selection then weighs three things together: your academic record, a writing sample, and evidence of genuine commitment to the field, according to the Wits honours programme page.

Cohort size is worth knowing before you apply, because it changes how you should think about your chances:

• Career-entry honours programmes often cap intake around 24 students per year, which makes them genuinely competitive regardless of your degree background
• A strong interview and writing sample can sometimes offset a mark that sits just under the stated average, particularly when paired with solid work evidence
• Some prospectuses warn upfront that the year is intensive enough to limit part-time work, so budget your finances before committing

If your undergraduate degree wasn’t in a related field, that’s rarely disqualifying on its own. What matters more is whether you can demonstrate, through your writing and your interview, that you understand what the profession actually demands day to day.

How do I check my own eligibility before applying?

Start with your APS. Add up your best subjects using your province’s NSC results, following the same method AskSmarty’s requirements guide walks through for NSC passes, NQF levels, and National Benchmark Tests. That single number tells you which bachelor programmes are realistically within reach before you spend time on an application.

The National Benchmark Test comes into play at some institutions as an additional academic-readiness check, particularly for English and quantitative literacy. If a programme lists it as a requirement, book your slot early. NBT sessions fill up, especially close to application deadlines.

If you left school years ago or don’t hold a standard NSC, RPL is a formal, recognised route rather than an informal workaround. SAQA’s own guidance describes how institutions assess RPL applicants, and DUT’s admissions documentation specifies that mature-age candidates generally need to show at least three years of appropriate work experience, assessed through a Senate-approved process, as outlined in SAQA’s qualification registry.

A few practical steps to run through before you submit anything:

• Calculate your APS using AskSmarty’s APS calculator and cross-check it against the specific programme’s published minimum
• Search for the programme’s SAQA ID to confirm its NQF level matches what the prospectus claims
• Note whether the institution requires an NBT and, if so, register for a test date well ahead of the application deadline
• If applying via RPL, start gathering employment references and work samples months in advance, since Senate-approved assessments take time to schedule

Career-entry honours cohorts capped at 24 students a year mean your application timing and preparation carry real weight, not just your marks.

How Nkosi suggests you strengthen your application

If you’re sitting a timed writing test, structure beats flair. Lead with the most important fact, follow with context, and keep sentences short enough that a tired editor can scan them in seconds. That’s the skill panels are actually testing.

For your portfolio, curate rather than dump everything you’ve written. Pick three to six of your strongest pieces across whatever formats you’ve worked in, print, audio, video, or blog, and add a short note explaining the context and your specific contribution to each one. A tool like Payhip’s website builder for journalists can help you host that portfolio somewhere a panel can actually click through cleanly.

In interviews, concrete examples of curiosity beat abstract claims about “loving stories.” Describe a specific moment you chased down a fact that didn’t add up. If you’re applying through RPL, translate your work history into learning outcomes explicitly: what did managing deadlines, sources, or public scrutiny in your previous job actually teach you that maps onto journalism training?

Pro Tip: Reframe your work experience as evidence, not backstory. An admissions panel wants to see the skill transfer, not just the job title.

What’s the realistic application timeline?

Application windows for most South African journalism programmes open the year before intake and close mid-year, though exact dates shift annually, so always confirm on the institution’s own page.

1. Submit your application with certified NSC or degree transcripts, ID copy, and any portfolio links as soon as the window opens.
2. Sit your writing test and, if shortlisted, attend an interview, usually scheduled a few months after the initial deadline.
3. Watch for offer communication by email, then complete registration, pay initial fees, and attend orientation once accepted.

Programmes flagged as intensive, including several honours-level options, note that mid-year deadlines can restrict part-time work, so plan your finances around the academic calendar rather than around a job you might have to drop.

Realistic expectations, from Nkosi

Marks open the door, but panels are hunting for evidence you can actually do the job. Apply to more than one programme, and apply early, because writing tests and interviews fill calendars fast. Honours, undergraduate, RPL, or diploma routes are all legitimate entry points. Pick the one that fits where you are in life, then go verify the exact dates and rules on the institution’s own page before you build your whole plan around it.

— Nkosi

Where AskSmarty fits into your journalism application

AskSmarty is the fastest way to find out which South African journalism programmes your marks actually qualify you for, without hunting through a dozen separate university sites. Run your NSC results through the APS calculator and you’ll see, within minutes, whether you clear the threshold for a bachelor’s programme or whether a diploma or RPL route makes more sense right now.

From there, AskSmarty’s university directory links you straight to programme pages for institutions including Stellenbosch, UCT, UJ, UFS, and UNISA, where you’ll find verified deadlines, fees, and the official application portal for each one. The service does not process your application itself. It maps your marks against real programme requirements and points you to the exact page where you submit. Your results never leave your device, and there’s no cost to use the calculator. Check your APS now and see exactly which journalism programmes are within reach this application cycle.

Where to confirm the exact rules for your programme

Prospectuses change, and cutoffs shift year to year, so treat any article, including this one, as a starting point rather than the final word.

• SAQA’s qualification registry confirms the NQF level and RPL rules attached to any specific qualification ID
• Institutional prospectuses (DUT, Wits, NWU, Boston Media House, Revolution) list the exact subject minima, test dates, and interview processes for their own programmes
• A faculty prospectus reflects that year’s actual rules; a registry entry confirms the qualification’s official standing

Sources

• BA Hons in Journalism and Media Studies (Career-entry) | Wits Centre for Journalism
• Bachelor of Journalism NQF Level: 7 SAQA ID: 111451 (DUT prospectus/brochure)
• SAQA qualification registry (NQF and RPL information)
• Journalism course South Africa | NQF 5 (Revolution)

FAQ

What are the requirements to study journalism in South Africa?

Most bachelor programmes require an NSC with English at achievement rating 3 or higher, an APS meeting the faculty’s bachelor-level threshold, and successful completion of a writing test and interview.

What APS score do I need for journalism?

There’s no single national APS figure for journalism. Each university sets its own cutoff for communication and media faculties, so check the specific programme page or run your marks through AskSmarty’s APS calculator to confirm.

How much do journalists earn in South Africa?

Journalism salaries vary widely by outlet, experience, and specialisation, and no single reliable national figure covers the whole industry, so treat any number you see elsewhere with caution.

What should I study to become a journalist in South Africa?

A Bachelor of Journalism or Media Studies at NQF Level 7 is the standard undergraduate route, though career-entry honours programmes like Wits’ accept graduates from any degree background with a strong final-year average.

Can I still get into journalism without matric?

Yes, through Recognition of Prior Learning. Institutions like DUT typically require at least three years of relevant work experience, assessed through a Senate-approved process, as an alternative to standard NSC admission.

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