For South Africa’s matriculants, the joy of receiving their final results is quickly overshadowed by the crushing reality of university admissions.

Across the country’s top institutions, application volumes for the 2026 academic year have soared to overwhelming levels, turning the pursuit of a degree into a fierce, numbers-game battle.

With universities like the University of Cape Town (UCT) receiving over 100,000 applications for a few thousand spots, meeting minimum requirements is no longer a guarantee — it’s merely the entry ticket to a hyper-competitive race for a coveted place.

A crucial factor in the high application volumes is that a single matriculant often submits applications to multiple universities and for numerous different degree programmes, meaning the application figures are significantly inflated compared to the actual number of individual students seeking a place.

Across South Africa’s top public universities, the picture is one of extreme, almost overwhelming, demand vastly outstripping the available places.

A review of application figures for the 2026 academic year reveals a stark reality for thousands of hopefuls: meeting minimum requirements is often just the start of a fierce, numbers-game battle for one of the few coveted spots.

The numbers speak for themselves. UCT, a perennial favourite, received a staggering 102,182 first-year applications for approximately 4,000 available places.

Similarly, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) saw its application total soar past 160,000 for some 5,800 places.

At Stellenbosch University (SU), 106,578 individual undergraduate applicants vied for a total enrolment target of 6,074 first-time entering undergraduate students.

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) topped the charts in sheer volume, processing over 450,000 applicants who collectively submitted 870,000 study choices for an undergraduate first-year intake of 11,200 students.

This tidal wave of applications is a clear indicator of the sustained and growing appeal of higher education, but it simultaneously highlights a national capacity crunch.

“The volume represents a continued increase in demand for places at UCT,” the university stated, acknowledging that, as in previous years, “the number of applications significantly exceeds available capacity”.

The trend holds true across the board. The University of Pretoria (UP) reported that of the approximately 340,000 who started an application, about 57,000 met some form of the requirements, yet only about 16,000 were made an admission offer for the approximately 9,700 spaces available.

This competitive environment makes for a heartbreaking reality for many qualifying students.

As UCT noted: “Due to the high number of applications received and intense competition, meeting the minimum requirements does not always guarantee admission.”

The most coveted degrees

The application data also provides a clear snapshot of the nation’s academic aspirations, with a handful of degrees dominating the application figures. Fields aligned with national skills priorities — particularly Health Sciences, Engineering, and Law — are experiencing the most intense pressure.

At UCT, the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (EBE) received the highest number of applications, followed by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Commerce, and Humanities.

“These trends align with national skills priorities and UCT’s strong academic reputation in these fields,” UCT confirmed.

Stellenbosch University provided granular detail on the fierce competition for specific programmes.

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences received a massive 65,710 programme applications, making it the most sought-after faculty.

Specific degree figures at Stellenbosch University paint an even starker picture of scarcity:

• BNursing Science: 22,556 applications for just 50 places.
• LLB: 19,137 applications for 120 places.
• MBChB: 17,363 applications for 300 places.

The demand for Health Sciences is mirrored at UP, where the Faculty of Health Sciences had the highest number of candidates for consideration. UP noted: “These professional degrees are very popular and ‘sought after’. Almost all other professional degrees receive a large number of applications.”

At the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), among the most sought-after programmes were the Bachelor of Nursing (27,763 applications), the Bachelor of Education (25,826 applicants), and the Bachelor of Laws (25,231 applications).

Managing the influx: technology and transparency

In the face of these staggering volumes, universities rely on technology and stringent internal oversight to maintain fairness and transparency in their admissions processes.

Wits registrar Carol Crosley detailed their use of an automated system. “Wits has an inbuilt rules engine set up in its Student Information Management Systems (SIMS), in use for the last 10 years, which checks, among other things, the Applicant Point Score (APS) and subjects such as English, Maths, and Physical Science. Automated decision making, based on the points and subjects, is then applied to the applicant database, which ensures fairness and consistency.”

UCT’s approach is similarly robust, assessing academic performance alongside school context and redress considerations for a holistic evaluation.

The university stressed the centralised control: “While faculties make admissions decisions, all decisions are made within a centrally governed framework and are subject to rigorous oversight, ensuring consistency, fairness, and accountability.”

Stellenbosch University also employs automated systems, waiting lists, and multiple offer rounds to manage the process, all while ensuring compliance.

Capacity constraints and future growth

A major hurdle for every institution is the physical and financial limit to expansion. Public universities agree on enrolment targets with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), making significant, rapid growth nearly impossible.

Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi, vice-chancellor and principal of UJ, summarised the institutional responsibility: “While demand continues to grow, our responsibility is to manage access fairly, securely, and efficiently within the constraints of the national higher education system.”

SU explicitly noted that public universities and the DHET agree on enrolment targets. “Increasing capacity across the post-school sector (including at universities) is a national challenge and would need to be addressed collectively and in a collaborative way,” said Stellenbosch University.

Despite the limitations, SU is planning for conservative growth, projecting its total headcount enrolment to grow to 34,454 by 2030, an average increase of about 7.7%.

UP, too, is projected to grow by approximately 6% over the 2026–2030 period, but noted that growth is influenced by “structural constraints, particularly the pool of students who qualify to study in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) fields”.

Facing limited infrastructure, universities are increasingly turning to technology to expand their reach.

UCT is investing in “technology-enhanced teaching and learning, including lecture recordings, blended learning models, and digital platforms”.

Wits is developing ‘Smart Class Rooms’ that enable simultaneous teaching at multiple venues and is expanding its part-time and online offerings.

The University of Johannesburg has made the most significant digital leap, officially launching UJ Digital, a comprehensive online learning platform offering fully online qualifications and short learning programmes in high-demand fields.

The mental health and alternative path imperative

The reality of being turned away — often due to capacity reasons rather than a lack of academic merit — has a significant mental and emotional impact on applicants. Universities are making efforts to communicate outcomes sensitively and to provide guidance on alternative post-schooling options.

“UCT, therefore, strives to communicate admission outcomes respectfully,” the university said, adding that the Student Recruitment team provides one-on-one advising for applicants who seek further guidance.

Wits explicitly manages expectations by creating awareness of the high demand and reminding applicants to have alternate options, recommending TVET colleges, private accredited institutions, learnerships, or a gap year for skills improvement.

The university advocates for a national shift in focus.

“A greater emphasis on investment and commitment to uplifting alternative PSET options at the national level would benefit the country as a whole,” Wits stated.

Stellenbosch University supports this view, saying learners should consider other options, including vocational skills training, “of which there is a shortage in South Africa”.

SU also offers a lifeline to some through its SciMathUS bridging programme, which supports 100 eligible applicants who do not initially qualify for admission by strengthening academic readiness.

UP echoes the systemic nature of the challenge, noting that while capacity plays a role, a significant part of the issue relates to subject choice and preparedness at the school level, especially for STEM fields.

UP’s view is that long-term solutions “depend on strengthening the entire education and training pipeline rather than focusing on universities alone”.

The 2026 application cycle is a powerful reminder that the journey from school leaver to university student is fiercely competitive.

Have thoughts on this topic or other subjects you’d like us to explore? Want to share your experiences? Reach out to me at karen.singh@inl.co.za – I’d love to hear from you!

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