University of the Free State (UFS)

Written by Mohapi · Last updated 15 August 2026 · How these figures are checked

Everywhere else, Life Orientation either counts fully or not at all. UFS does something in between that no other institution on this site does.

What that actually means for you

A learner with 58% in Life Orientation gets nothing. A learner with 61% gets one point. A learner with 95% also gets one point.

So the entire Life Orientation question at UFS reduces to a single yes-or-no: did you reach 60%? If you are sitting on 57% or 58% and there is any prospect of a remark or improvement, that is worth one point at UFS. If you are already at 65%, pushing higher gains you nothing here.

One point sounds trivial, and on a competitive programme where applicants are separated by one or two points, it is not.

No points below 30%

UFS awards no points for achievement levels lower than 30%. A subject in that range contributes zero rather than a low score.

This is the same shape of rule as Rhodes, which sets its line at 40%, and TUT, which discards any Level 1. UFS sits between them. If you have a subject under 30%, work your UFS position out with it set to zero.

UFS uses its own conversion table

Rather than applying the standard NSC levels directly, UFS publishes a conversion table that turns achievement levels into admission points, and it states that the table applies to all examination authorities in South Africa and internationally.

That last part is useful if you wrote something other than the NSC: an IEB certificate, a Cambridge qualification, or a foreign school-leaving certificate. UFS has a defined route for converting those, rather than treating them as a special case.

The point values in that conversion table are not reproduced here. Work from the table itself, linked above, since it is the authoritative version and it is revised.

Space is the constraint, and UFS says so

UFS states plainly that meeting the minimum admission requirements for a programme does not guarantee admission, because limited space is available in each programme, and that final selection depends on the availability of space, academic results and other requirements.

Read that as written. The published minimum is the floor for being considered, not the level at which you are admitted.

Three campuses, and they are not equivalent

UFS runs the Bloemfontein Campus, the South Campus in Bloemfontein, and the Qwaqwa Campus in the eastern Free State.

The South Campus matters if your marks came in below what the main campus requires. It runs extended and access programmes designed for students who need a longer runway into degree study, and its entry requirements differ accordingly. If UFS is where you want to be and your score is short, ask about South Campus specifically rather than assuming the door is closed.

Qwaqwa is roughly 300km from Bloemfontein, so campus choice is a relocation decision, not a detail.

Applying

• Apply directly to UFS. It is not part of the CAO.
• Check whether your Life Orientation reached 60%. That is the whole question, and it is worth one point.
• Use the UFS conversion table rather than a generic calculator.
• Ask about the South Campus if your score is short of the main campus requirement.
• Residence and funding are separate applications.

Per-programme requirements, application fees and closing dates are set per cycle and are not stated here. Confirm on the UFS site.

Who UFS genuinely suits

• Learners in the Free State and surrounding provinces wanting a comprehensive traditional university.
• Students whose marks fall short of a mainstream degree but who want a supported route in, given the South Campus programmes.
• Applicants for health sciences, where UFS has a substantial faculty and a teaching hospital.
• Anyone with a non-NSC school-leaving qualification, given the published conversion table.

What people get wrong when applying to UFS