Editor LauraAre you a prospective law student? If so, this guide will help you determine whether or not you qualify for admission to study law in South Africa.
Requirements To Study Law In South Africa
To be eligible for admission, applicants must have completed an approved tertiary qualification. The following are considered as acceptable qualifications:
- Matriculation exemption of certificate. This is an exemption from the full matriculation requirements and is granted to students who have already completed a recognised qualification (minimum of NSC/SET levels 4-6) at another institution within or outside South Africa.
- National Senior Certificate with a bachelor’s endorsement. This will only be considered if you have previously studied at a university or college in South Africa and obtained your BTech degree there before moving abroad; or if you are a registered student at one of our partner institutions abroad, where you are completing your first year studies towards obtaining your BTech degree with a bachelor’s endorsement from VUT/VUT Bloemfontein Campus (only available for certain countries).
NOTE: If you do not meet all the above requirements but believe that there might be other ways that they can assist with your application, please contact them via email ([email protected]) or phone (+27 51 576 2614) so that they may discuss this with you further and advise on which procedure will work best for each individual case while still keeping in mind their entry requirements as set by the Department of Higher Education & Training
Matriculation exemption of certificate
You will need a Matriculation Exemption of Certificate if:
- You have completed matric and wish to pursue further studies at university level.
- You are transferring or applying for admission at another tertiary institution, and you already hold a higher education qualification such as an NQF level 4 certificate, diploma or degree. This exemption allows applicants who have already passed their matriculation examinations (Grade 12) to be considered for admission without having obtained the South African Senior Certificate.
National Senior Certificate with a bachelor’s endorsement
If you don’t have a bachelor’s endorsement, the next step would be to get one. You can do this by completing a tertiary qualification at any accredited institution of higher learning in South Africa. This qualification should be recognised by Umalusi as being equivalent to at least 60% of an undergraduate degree (eg BA), or its equivalent.
Once you have your bachelor’s endorsement, you must apply for admission into a law programme at any recognised law school in South Africa.
Education qualifications from countries other than South Africa
In order to study law in South Africa, you must meet the requirements set by the University of South Africa (UNISA). These are:
- You should be a South African citizen.
- You need to have completed at least a bachelor’s degree (honours degree) or an equivalent qualification from an accredited university or institution. If your bachelor’s degree is not in law, then you must also take the Law Admissions Test (LAT). The LAT consists of two parts: firstly, there will be a written component that tests your knowledge of legal principles and secondly, there will be an oral component which tests your capacity for critical thinking and analysis; this final part is taken after acceptance into UNISA and before registration for your studies.
Closing
The requirements for admission to study law in South Africa are very strict. It is therefore advisable to start planning early on when you apply for admission as a student of law.