UJ APS Calculator: Work Out Your Admission Point Score Before You Apply

Matric results come out, and suddenly a term you’ve half-heard for years, APS, becomes the single number standing between you and the course you want. It’s a strange piece of admin to figure out under pressure, especially when every university seems to calculate it slightly differently and half the explanations online contradict each other. Our UJ APS Calculator uses the University of Johannesburg’s actual method, so you get a number you can trust before you submit an application or start comparing programmes.

Here’s exactly how UJ calculates APS, what counts and what doesn’t, and a few mistakes worth avoiding while you’re working it out.

How UJ Calculates Your APS

UJ uses the standard 7-point NSC scale applied to your best 6 subjects, with Life Orientation excluded entirely from the total. That gives a maximum possible APS of 42 (6 subjects, 7 points each). It’s one of the more straightforward calculation methods among South African universities, and it lines up closely with how institutions like UP, NWU and UFS calculate APS too, which makes UJ relatively easy to compare against those specific universities. It’s a different method from UCT or Wits, though, so don’t assume your UJ score will match what those institutions would calculate for the same results.

The points scale itself is simple:

• 80–100% = 7 points
• 70–79% = 6 points
• 60–69% = 5 points
• 50–59% = 4 points
• 40–49% = 3 points
• 30–39% = 2 points
• 0–29% = 1 point

Take each of your best 6 subject percentages, convert them using this scale, and add the points together. That total is your APS.

Why Life Orientation Doesn’t Count

This trips a lot of matrics up, since Life Orientation is a compulsory NSC subject and your final mark for it appears on your certificate just like any other. UJ, along with most South African universities, simply doesn’t include it in the APS calculation. It’s not weighted differently or given partial credit, it’s excluded entirely. If you’re doing the maths yourself and your total looks lower than expected, double-check you haven’t accidentally included your LO mark in the six subjects you’re counting.

What Happens If You Took More Than 6 Non-LO Subjects

Most matric students take exactly 7 subjects: 2 languages, Mathematics or Maths Literacy, Life Orientation, and 3 electives, which leaves exactly 6 subjects after LO is excluded. But if you took an extra elective, 8 subjects total instead of 7, you’ll end up with 7 non-LO subjects rather than 6, and only the best 6 of those actually count. This means your lowest-scoring elective effectively doesn’t help your APS at all, even if you passed it comfortably. Our calculator handles this automatically: enter every subject you took, tick the Life Orientation box for that one subject, and it’ll work out your best 6 and clearly show you which subject (if any) got excluded from the total.

What a Realistic Target Looks Like

UJ’s minimum entry requirements vary meaningfully by faculty and programme, and change from year to year, so treat any specific number you see online with some caution and always confirm it in the current UJ prospectus before applying. That said, as a general orientation:

• A basic Bachelor’s degree admission generally sits somewhere around the mid-20s APS as a floor, though oversubscribed programmes routinely require more.
• Competitive and professional programmes, things like Engineering, Chartered Accountancy-track BCom, and similar high-demand fields, tend to sit considerably higher, often into the mid-30s.
• Extended or foundation programmes, designed to give students an additional year to build up to full degree-level work, generally accept a lower APS than the mainstream equivalent.

Because popular programmes are often oversubscribed, meeting the published minimum APS doesn’t guarantee a place, it usually means you’re eligible to be considered, with the actual cutoff for that intake sometimes ending up higher once all applications are in. It’s worth applying with some buffer above the stated minimum where you can, rather than aiming to just scrape in.

Subject Requirements Beyond Just APS

A high APS alone doesn’t guarantee admission to every programme. Many courses have specific subject prerequisites layered on top of the raw score, commonly:

• English (Home Language or First Additional Language) at a minimum level, required by virtually every programme
• Mathematics (not Mathematical Literacy) for most STEM, commerce, and health science programmes, often at a specific minimum percentage rather than just a pass
• Physical Sciences for Engineering and most science degrees
• Accounting for certain BCom specialisations, though not always compulsory depending on the specific programme

Always check a specific programme’s requirements against your actual subject marks, not just your total APS, since a strong overall score can still fall short if a required subject sits below the programme’s specific threshold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does UJ use the same APS scale as every other South African university?

No. Some universities use different scales entirely, weight certain subjects, or include Life Orientation with a bonus point. UJ’s method (best 6, standard 7-point scale, LO excluded) is one of the more common approaches, but always use each university’s specific method rather than assuming they’re interchangeable.

What’s the maximum possible APS at UJ?

42, if you scored 80% or above in all 6 counted subjects.

Does a low APS mean I definitely won’t get in?

Not necessarily. Extended programmes exist specifically for students who don’t meet the standard entry requirement but show potential, giving an additional foundation year before the mainstream curriculum. It’s worth checking whether your intended faculty offers one.

Should I include my Life Orientation mark anywhere in this calculator?

Yes, enter it along with all your other subjects, just make sure you tick the “Life Orientation” checkbox for that row. The calculator will show it as excluded in the breakdown, but including it means your subject list is complete and accurate for your own records.

Related Calculators

Planning for university often connects to broader financial questions too. A few tools on our Calculator hub worth checking alongside this one:

• Loan Calculator – useful if you’re weighing up a student loan for tuition or accommodation
• Investment Growth Calculator – if you’re saving toward tuition costs ahead of time
• SARS PAYE Calculator – handy once you’re weighing up study costs against future earning potential in a specific field
• VAT Calculator – useful for budgeting textbooks, equipment, or other VAT-inclusive study costs

You can browse the full Calculator hub for everything else we’ve built.

A Final Word

Your APS is one number among several things UJ looks at, but it’s the one that determines whether you clear the first hurdle for a given programme, so it’s worth getting right before you apply rather than guessing. Run your actual results through the calculator, double-check any programme-specific subject requirements against your marks individually, and if your APS falls just short of what you’re aiming for, look into whether an extended programme route is available before ruling out your first-choice course entirely.

This calculator and article are for general informational purposes only and don’t constitute official admissions guidance. Please confirm your exact APS, subject requirements, and programme cutoffs directly with the University of Johannesburg or the current UJ prospectus before applying.