Every January, thousands of learners open their results and realise they will not start university this year. Maybe the marks were not what you hoped. Maybe you did not apply in time. Maybe you got in nowhere you applied. It feels like the end of the road. It is not. There are more routes into tertiary study than most people are told about, and many successful graduates took one of them.

This guide walks through your options, step by step.

Step 1: Know exactly what your results open

Start with your pass level, because it decides which doors are open right now. The National Senior Certificate has three pass levels for further study:

  • Bachelor's pass: you may apply for degrees (subject to each programme's own requirements).
  • Diploma pass: you may apply for diplomas, and for higher certificates.
  • Higher Certificate pass: you may apply for higher certificates.

Then work out your APS. Our guide to APS and pass levels shows the 1-to-7 table, or you can use the free APS checker, which does it for you.

A programme's minimum APS is only one requirement. Many programmes also need a minimum mark in specific subjects, such as Mathematics for engineering. Check both before you decide what to do next.

Step 2: Decide whether to rewrite subjects

If one or two subjects stand between you and the course you want, rewriting them can be the fastest fix. The Department of Basic Education runs a free Second Chance Matric Programme that lets you rewrite NSC subjects in the May/June exams, with free classes, online lessons and TV and radio broadcasts for the main subjects, including Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Accounting.

Things to know before you register:

  • It is free. Nobody should charge you to register.
  • You can only rewrite subjects you wrote in your original matric. You cannot add a subject you never took at school.
  • You do not have to rewrite everything. Focus on the subjects that block your course, and on any that raise your APS the most.
  • Registration usually opens in October and closes in early February. You register online at eservices.gov.za or at your district education office, with your ID and your statement of results. Check the current dates as soon as you decide.
  • Ask how your new results will be combined with your original ones on your statement of results, so you know what universities will see.
  • Treat it like a job: a study timetable, past papers, and a study partner if you can find one.

Step 3: Look at the routes that start now

You do not have to wait a year to start studying. Some routes open with the results you already have.

  • TVET colleges. Public TVET colleges offer National Certificate (Vocational) and N4 to N6 programmes in fields like engineering studies, business, IT, hospitality and agriculture. Fees are low, NSFAS funds qualifying students at public TVET colleges, and some programmes lead to work or to further study.
  • Higher certificates. A one-year higher certificate at a university or college is a qualification in its own right, and at several institutions it can lead into a diploma or degree in the same field. Ask the institution exactly how its higher certificate articulates before you enrol.
  • Extended programmes. Many universities offer extended or foundation programmes that add a year of support for learners who meet the minimum requirements but not the full ones. They are a respected route into degrees, not a lesser one.
  • Late applications. Some institutions reopen applications or take late applications for programmes with space. Our guide to closing dates and your options once one has passed lists the late windows that have actually happened.

Step 4: If you take a gap year, use it

A gap year is not wasted if you plan it. By the time applications for the next intake open, you want to be a stronger applicant than you are today. Aim for four things:

  1. Better marks in the subjects that matter, through the rewrite.
  2. Work or volunteer experience. Any job, internship or community project shows reliability. It also gives you something real to write about in bursary motivation letters.
  3. A short course or a skill. Free online courses, a driver's licence, or computer skills all add to your CV.
  4. Your applications done early. Most universities open applications for the next year from about April to June. Apply on the first day you can, not the last.

You can still apply to NSFAS for the year you start studying, as long as you meet its criteria. A gap year does not count against you.

If you finished matric a long time ago

If you matriculated before 2008, you hold a Senior Certificate with symbols, not the NSC, and the rules are different. Some institutions accept older certificates directly; others require a matriculation exemption, and some offer a route for applicants aged 23 or older. Scenda's guide checks Senior Certificate symbols against the routes institutions have published, so you know what is open before you apply.

How Scenda helps

Scenda shows you what your results open, tracks the verified closing dates for you, and submits up to five university or college applications, three bursaries, two accommodation applications and your NSFAS application from one profile. Start with the APS checker, then create your profile and choose the next intake.