South Africa’s Tertiary Legal Framework

Section 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, affirms every South African’s right to basic and further education. It explicitly protects the freedom to choose the form, content, and structure of that education. This foundational provision legitimizes diverse educational approaches, including private schooling, homeschooling, and other individualized or community-based models.

Building on this, the Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997) reinforces the constitutional right to further education by mandating that higher education institutions promote access, equity, and quality for all learners in South Africa. It provides the legislative basis through which recognized qualifications – regardless of the educational route – may be considered for admission into higher education.

Within this framework, two key regulatory bodies play a pivotal role in evaluating and facilitating access to tertiary studies for students with international or alternative qualifications:

SAQA’s Role

The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) ensures that foreign qualifications are fairly and consistently evaluated in terms of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). SAQA’s role is to determine whether an international qualification, such as the American High School Diploma, is comparable to the South African NQF Level 4, which is equivalent to our South African matric certificate. Through this gatekeeping function, SAQA supports the broader objectives of the Act to provide a coordinated, credible, and accessible system of lifelong learning.

USAf’s Role

Universities South Africa (USAf), the statutory representative body of the country’s public universities, oversees the issuance of matriculation exemption certificates for students holding non-South African school-leaving qualifications. While its primary mandate is tied to the public university sector, several private higher education institutions also align with USAf’s exemption criteria (especially where Bachelor degrees are offered). USAf’s exemption process provides a legal bridge between flexible educational choices and formal university admission, ensuring that constitutional rights to access are upheld.

The University’s Role

Finally, the Higher Education Act upholds the autonomy of South African tertiary institutions to determine their own admission criteria. This institutional autonomy allows universities to recognize a diverse range of school-leaving qualifications, including those earned through the American High School Diploma, IB, Cambridge, and other non-traditional educational models.

Tertiary resources

2026 Applications

Herewith the application dates and portals for the South African public universities: 2026 Applications: dates, requirements, and-how-to-apply

Bursaries:

• South African Bursaries Portal
• US university ACSI scholarships (our Kairos enrolled families qualify)

Tertiary Application of Your HLA Diploma in South Africa:

As an international qualification, local studies require translations to a SA matric equivalent and/or university exemption:

• USAf’s Exemption Application
• SAQA’s NQF Evaluation

Standardized Testing:

Only do if and where need be:

• SAT scheduling and information
• AP program information
• NBT scheduling and information:

Admission Requirements of Some of Our SA Universities:

• Akademia
• Eduvos
• North West University
• Open Window
• Soltech
• Stadio
• University of Cape Town
• University of the Free State
• University of Pretoria
• University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)
• University of Stellenbosch with