How to work out your APS score

Updated October 2026 · 5 min read

Your APS (Admission Point Score) is the number most South African universities use to decide whether your matric results are good enough for a course. You can calculate your APS score yourself in a few minutes from your latest report, with the calculator below or by hand.

This guide shows you how, with a worked example, and explains where universities do it differently. It is written for Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners, and for parents who want to check where their child stands.

What is an APS score?

APS stands for Admission Point Score. It turns your marks into one number that a university compares with the minimum for each course. Each subject's percentage becomes a level from 1 to 7, and the levels of six subjects are added together. You may also see it called APS points or an admission score.

APS calculator

Step 1: Turn each mark into APS points

Every NSC subject mark falls into one of seven achievement levels. The level, not the percentage, is what most APS systems count.

*Some universities give 8 points for a mark of 90% or more. Most give 7 for any mark from 80%.

So 74% in Mathematics is a level 6, and 59% in English is a level 4. One mark can make a full level of difference: 69% is a 5, but 70% is a 6.

Step 2: Leave out Life Orientation (it usually doesn't count)

Most universities do not count Life Orientation in your APS, or count it for much less than other subjects. Unless the university you are applying to says otherwise, set it aside.

Step 3: Add up your six subjects (out of 42)

Take the levels of your six remaining subjects and add them together. That total is your APS score. The maximum APS on this system is 42 (six subjects at level 7). At a university that gives 8 points for 90% or more, it is 48. So when you see an APS "out of 42", it means six subjects at level 7.

Worked example: Caleb's APS

Caleb's Grade 12 September results:

His APS: 5 + 5 + 6 + 5 + 7 + 4 = 32.

Notice two things. His 85% in Life Orientation adds nothing. And his Mathematics mark of 74% is six marks away from a level 7, which would lift his APS to 33.

How APS scores differ between universities

The steps above are the most common way of working out an APS, but they are not the only way. Before you rely on your number, check how the university you want works it out. The differences you are most likely to meet:

• Some use percentages instead of levels. A few universities add up your actual percentages, or work out an average, so 74% and 79% count differently even though both are level 6.
• Some add bonus points. Mathematics or English may count extra for certain courses.
• Marks below 40% may earn nothing. At some universities, a subject under 40% adds no points at all.
• Some count seven subjects. A few universities count your best seven subjects, including Life Orientation, and add bonus points for English and Mathematics, so their scores run higher than 42.
• Life Orientation may count a little. Some give it a small number of points instead of leaving it out completely.
• Mathematical Literacy may count for less. For courses that need Mathematics (engineering, science, many commerce degrees), Maths Literacy is often not accepted at all, or counts for fewer points. Still choosing? Our guide on Maths or Maths Lit helps you decide.
• Each course has its own minimum. The APS a university asks for is different for every course, and many courses also need a minimum level in particular subjects, such as level 5 in Mathematics.

The university's undergraduate prospectus, usually a PDF on its website, sets all of this out. Search for the university's name and "undergraduate prospectus" with the year you will start studying.

Which marks count: Grade 11 or Grade 12?

When you apply in Grade 12, universities usually look at your Grade 11 final results or your Grade 12 June or September results to make a first decision. This early decision is often called a provisional or conditional offer. It stands only if your final NSC results still meet the course's requirements, so a drop in your final marks can cost you the place. The APS you work out now is a guide to where you stand, not the final word.

If you are in Grade 11, your final Grade 11 results may be the marks a university sees first next year, so they matter more than many learners expect.

How to improve your APS score

1. Compare it with the courses you want. Write down the APS and the subject minimums for each course and university you are interested in.
2. Look for marks close to the next level. A mark of 68% or 69% is close to the next level. Raising one subject by a few percent can add a full point, which is where our cheat sheets can help, one topic at a time. For Maths, our guide on how to study for Grade 12 Maths shows where the marks are.
3. Check your subject minimums first. A high APS will not get you into a course if you are below its minimum in a required subject. If a course needs level 5 in Mathematics, that subject comes first in your revision.
4. Apply with room to spare. Apply for at least one course where your APS is comfortably above the minimum, as well as the ones you are hoping for.

For parents: working out your child's APS

If your child shows you their report, you can work out their APS with them using the table above: turn each mark into a level, leave out Life Orientation, and add up the six. It takes five minutes, and it turns "my marks are fine" into a clear picture of which courses are in reach and which subjects need work.

A useful habit is to work it out together after each term's report and write the numbers down. You will both see which subjects are moving and which are close to the next level. The most useful question to ask is not "is this a good APS?" but "which subject is closest to the next level?". If you want somewhere to start, our free cheat sheets cost nothing.

Questions learners and parents ask