Use this free APS score calculator to work out your Admission Point Score from your matric percentages. Enter a mark for each subject and the calculator converts it to an NSC achievement level, then adds your best six subjects excluding Life Orientation — the method most South African universities use. Your APS is what a university compares against the minimum for a course, so it tells you which programmes you can realistically apply for. Every institution sets its own rules, so treat the number below as a solid working estimate and confirm it against the prospectus of the university you are applying to.
Enter your percentage for each subject. Leave a row blank if it does not apply.
Nothing you type is sent anywhere — the calculation runs entirely in your browser.
To calculate your APS score by hand, convert each subject percentage to an NSC achievement level from 1 to 7, then add the levels for your best six subjects excluding Life Orientation. Under the most widely used system the achievement level is the number of APS points that subject is worth:
| Percentage | Achievement level | APS points | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80–100% | 7 | 7 | Outstanding achievement |
| 70–79% | 6 | 6 | Meritorious achievement |
| 60–69% | 5 | 5 | Substantial achievement |
| 50–59% | 4 | 4 | Adequate achievement |
| 40–49% | 3 | 3 | Moderate achievement |
| 30–39% | 2 | 2 | Elementary achievement |
| 0–29% | 1 | 1 | Not achieved |
The calculator adds your best six subjects, excluding Life Orientation. That gives a maximum of 42 points. If you enter seven subjects, your weakest one is dropped automatically.
There is no single pass mark for APS, because every programme sets its own minimum. As a rough orientation, higher-demand degrees such as medicine, engineering, actuarial science and law typically ask for the highest scores, general BA, BSc and BCom degrees sit in the middle, and diploma and higher certificate programmes ask for less. Two things matter as much as the total:
APS is built from percentages, so every mark you move counts — and the jumps are worth knowing. Going from 68% to 71% in one subject is a single extra point, but so is 79% to 80%, which is often a much smaller gap than learners assume. Three practical points:
If a specific subject is holding your total down, one-on-one tutoring is the fastest way to move it. We tutor Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Accounting and English from Grade R to matric, online, with the first lesson free.
Under the most common system it does not — your best six subjects excluding Life Orientation are used. Some universities do count it, usually at reduced weight. Check the institution you are applying to.
42 points under the standard system: seven points for each of six subjects. Universities that award an extra point for marks above 90% use a higher maximum.
Yes, and it is worth doing. Use your most recent term or trial results to get an estimate, which tells you how far you are from the programmes you want while there is still time to act.
No. Your NSC pass level — Higher Certificate, Diploma or Bachelor’s — is decided by its own requirements. APS is a separate score universities use to rank applicants. You can have a Bachelor’s pass and still fall short of the APS a particular programme asks for.
No. The 42-point best-six-excluding-Life-Orientation method is the most widely used and is what this calculator applies, but individual universities vary in how they treat Life Orientation, marks above 90% and subject weighting. Always confirm against the prospectus.
Tell us which subject is holding your APS down and we will match you with a tutor. The first lesson is free and there is no lock-in contract.
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