The University of Cape Town (UCT) is one of South Africa\u2019s most competitive universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aspiring students must meet specific academic requirements <\/a>to be considered for undergraduate admission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One key part of the process is the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n These tests help UCT assess a student\u2019s academic readiness beyond school results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. All undergraduate applicants who are residents or studying in South Africa must write the NBTs if they want to apply to UCT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Applicants to the Faculty of Health Sciences must also write the NBTs regardless of where they live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n International applicants for the undergraduate LLB programme must write at least the Academic Literacy part of the NBT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UCT does not generally list exceptions where the NBTs are not required for undergraduate study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The requirement applies to all faculties for South African applicants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One minor exception is for international applicants to specific programmes like undergraduate LLB, where only the Academic Literacy section of the NBT may be required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Benchmark Tests are standardised tests used by South African universities to compare learners from different schooling backgrounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They assess foundational skills separate from school curricula. UCT uses these scores alongside your school results when considering your application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two main parts of the NBTs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your Admission Point Score (APS) is calculated using your National Senior Certificate (NSC) results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n APS is based on your six best subjects, excluding Life Orientation. Your grade performance determines a numerical score that UCT uses in its admissions process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NBT scores are different. They measure readiness rather than subject achievement. A high APS tells UCT how well you performed in school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your NBT scores tell UCT how ready you are for university-level study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n UCT uses both sets of results together: your APS shows your academic performance, and your NBT result shows your skills in literacy, numeracy, and reasoning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Strong performance in both increases your chance for admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Registration for the NBTs must be done directly through the official NBT website before you apply to UCT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You also need to include your NBT registration number in your UCT application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Registration is open to all students, including those who also plan to apply to other universities that require NBT scores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the general steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most applicants write the NBT early in their Grade 12 year to ensure results are available before application deadlines. Some test centres also offer online sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UCT uses the NBT results as part of a holistic assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your NBT results are used to determine whether you are ready for university-level study in certain skill areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The results are not the sole criterion; they are considered with your APS and other requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A very high APS with poor NBT results can weaken an application, while good NBT results can strengthen admission chances, especially where APS scores are borderline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many bursaries for UCT students consider academic achievement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some bursaries also look at both APS and NBT results for eligibility, especially those linked to academic readiness or supporting study in numeracy-intensive fields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A few examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While UCT has not yet published the official 2027 NBT calendar, historically, students are advised to write the NBTs before the end of the year before admission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means writing the test in 2026 so that results are available for the application process early in 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing early improves your chance of having your scores factored into conditional offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The University of Cape Town (UCT) is one of South Africa\u2019s most competitive universities. Aspiring students must meet specific academic requirements to be considered for undergraduate admission. One key part of the process is the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs). These tests help UCT assess a student\u2019s academic readiness beyond school results. Is an NBT Required…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"iawp_total_views":54,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nbt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":421,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions\/421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bursariesafrica.co.za\/universities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Is an NBT Required for UCT Admission in 2027? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Exception Faculties or Programmes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
UCT NBT Requirements 2027 Explained<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Comparison: NBT Scores vs APS Scores<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Register for the NBTs (Even If Not Required Elsewhere)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How UCT Uses NBT Results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Relevant Bursaries Related to UCT NBT Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Key Dates and Deadlines for 2027 Entry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n