South Africa
Undergraduate entry requirements for students from South Africa.
Students from South Africa will normally be considered with the Matric - National Senior Certificate (NSC) or Independent Exam Board (IEB.
Science and Engineering degree programmes
Applicants to degrees in the College of Science and Engineering must meet a minimum requirement of five subjects, four of which must be at Grade 6 (70%) or higher, including any required subjects at Grade 6 (or Grade 7 (80%) where an A is required).
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences degree programmes
For applications to degrees in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the minimum requirement is Grade 6 (70%) in at least four NSC subjects, excluding Life Orientation
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine degree programmes
For Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences, there is a minimum requirements of five subjects; three must be at a Grade 6 (70%) or higher including Biology and Chemistry and one must be at Grade 7 (80%).
For Veterinary Medicine there is a minimum requirement of four subjects at Grade 7 (80%), to include Physical Sciences and Life Sciences. This should not include Life Orientation.
For Medicine (MBChB) there is a minimum requirement of four subjects at Grade 7 (80%), to include Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and Maths. This should not include Life Orientation. Applicants should also have a minimum of a Grade 6 (70%) in English.
NSC and IEB English Language Requirements
Achievement at the following level/grade in English is accepted for entry by the University and applicants are not required to provide a further English qualification.
Science and Engineering degree programmes:
- Grade 4 in English as First/Home Language.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences degree programmes:
- Grade 4 in English as First/Home Language.
Medicine and Veterinary Medicine degree programmes:
- a) Oral Health Sciences and Medical Sciences: Grade 5 in English as First/Home Language, if not covered by other entry requirements; and
- b) Medicine & Veterinary Medicine: Grade 6 in English as First/Home Language.
Other qualifications
If you have not studies for the South African Matric – NSC or IEB - you will normally be considered for entry to the University of Edinburgh with these other international examinations:
Further guidance on academic entry requirements
Each course may have further specific entry requirements. All applicants must meet these requirements. Staff in the Admissions Offices will be able to provide further guidance:
Undergraduate admissions contact form
English Language requirements
All applicants are required to demonstrate a level of English language competency, regardless of their nationality or country of residence. These requirements are listed by programme.
Specific English language requirement by programme
Applicant support
Our representatives for Africa are Alistair Hudson and Aly Stewart. You can contact us for advice and support by emailing:
Browse our events calendar to see if we are hosting an event in your area:
Review student visa requirements on our Student Immigration Service website:
Support in your country
We currently work with education agents in many different countries and regions globally:
View our agents in your country