Requirements For PGCE at UNISA (2024)

University of South Africa (UNISA) is one of the best universities in Africa. So if you want to study PGCE, choosing an institution like UNISA is ideal.

UNISA is one of South Africa’s top universities that is renowned for its world-class facilities, long history, robust curriculum, and knowledgeable lecturers. 

UNISA enrolls a third of all South African students in higher education and it has nearly 400,000 students throughout its numerous colleges and faculties, including international students from 130 countries 

This institution is one of the universities that offer PGCE In South Africa.

What Is PGCE?

PGCE stands for Post Graduate Certificate in Education. It is a course that teaches students how to become professionals in the field of education. The PGCE program is primarily a teaching program, and it is a course throughout the world.

There are numerous advantages to enrolling in PGCE programs as a student. First, the course prepares students to be excellent tutors and provides them with a better opportunity to network and travel throughout the world based on their professional credentials.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) also has a curriculum that teaches students about teaching theories. As a PGCE student, you will learn about the fundamentals of teaching as well as ways for providing professional educational services. With this, you can work as a freelance teacher online just from the comfort of your home and make money.

Requirements For PGCE at UNISA

Before you can enroll for PGCE at UNISA, there are some certain and important requirements you need to meet, which are: 

• An APS score of 42 (This is the minimum score)
• A Senior Certificate with exemption, as well as a Bachelor’s degree from an approved institution, are required (360 or 480 credits)
• National Diploma (360 or 480 credits)
• Linguistics or African Literature or an African language or Afrikaans must also have been completed up to the second-year level with English 1.
• You must also have completed Computer Literacy skills up to the first level in addition to the preceding prerequisites.

Failure to meet up the requirements listed above will result in automatic disqualification and you won’t get accepted to study PGCE at UNISA.

Things To Know Before Applying 

• Before applying, make sure you have no outstanding admission paperwork or information that needs to be evaluated.
• Visit www.unisa.ac.za/register for more information on how to complete the exercise.
• Additionally, if the official registration dates are not available on other platforms, this is where you will discover them. 

Possible Reasons Why Your Application Might Be Rejected

• You didn’t finish the registration process
• You have outstanding admission paperwork or information that needs to be evaluated
• Unsuccessful payment
• Failure to meet the admissions requirements of the university
• Payment of the registration fee after the deadline has passed

Levels of PGCE that are available at UNISA and their price

Foundation phase and Childhood Development

Before applying for this certificate, you must meet some specific requirements. In most cases, a candidate must be able to communicate in two official languages and show proof of school completion with at least a 2nd level in one topic.

Cost:

• When applying online, the fee is R105
• For hard copy applications, R160 is required.

You should be aware that this is a non-refundable fee.

Intermediate and Senior Phases

There is no other way to secure admission into UNISA without meeting up the requirements. For this PGCE level, It is important to possess the required qualifications which are;

• Proof that you have finished at least two school subjects at the second level.
• Fluency in two official languages.

When you take this degree at the UNISA, you are frequently offered additional assistance that will help develop you after you have completed your schooling. 

Cost: 

• There is a non-refundable charge of R105 for online applicants and R160 for hard copy applicants.

Senior High School and Post-Secondary Education and Training

For the Senior High School and Post-Secondary Education level, its requirements and expenses are similar to those of the other two certificate levels. For example, depending on the form of registration, an admission fee of R105 to R160 is required.

Furthermore, an applicant must have completed one school course (at least up to the 2nd-year level and another on the 1st-year level).

Other Fees

• When applying for any course at the university, each applicant is required to pay a fee (this might vary, as there is no fixed price). 
• Even if you’ve once studied in the university, as a returning student, you must pay an R105 application fee before enrolling for PGCE.

Important Things To Note

• This qualification will not be offered by teachers who are already professionally trained to teach. 
• It is the student’s obligation to seek advice from the appropriate Education Department districts or Provincial Education Departments on how to advance to higher REQV levels. 
• For non-degree purposes, outstanding entry requirements may not be available. 
• Students who do not meet all of the entry requirements for this degree should apply for a BEd degree instead (if not already professionally qualified). 
• UNISA maintains the right to cancel any PGCE modules that exceed this limit. 
• Students who are completing their PGCE across more than one year must register for Teaching Methodology and Teaching Practice in the same year.
• The MAXIMUM number of years it takes to complete a PGCE qualification is 3 years

Related:

• Requirements For Law At Unisa
• Nursing Requirements At UNISA
• Requirements For PGCE at UNISA
• List of Bridging Courses at CPUT
• List Of Bridging Courses At UP

Conclusion 

You must meet the specific entrance requirements for your selected qualification in order to be admitted to UNISA. Students who do not meet all of the requirements are advised to apply for a Bachelor of Education degree instead.