University of Limpopo (UL)

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

UL sets a Life Orientation minimum that applies to every undergraduate programme it offers, while giving you no points for the subject at all.

The subject conditions underneath the points

UL states the national pass structure explicitly in its own requirements, which is helpful because it makes clear that the APS sits on top of a separate floor:

• Degree programmes: four 20-credit subjects at achievement level 4 (50–59%) or higher.
• Diploma programmes: four 20-credit subjects at achievement level 3 (40–49%) or higher.

Those are the national minimums described in Bachelor's, Diploma or Higher Certificate pass?. UL applies them, then applies its own APS on top, then the faculty applies its own requirements on top of that. Three layers, and you need all three.

Meeting the APS is explicitly not enough

UL says so directly: meeting the minimum APS for a specific programme does not guarantee admission.

That is the same message as UKZN, Stellenbosch, SMU and UFS give, and by now the pattern is worth stating as a general rule rather than an institutional quirk. Across South African public universities, the published minimum is the level below which you are not considered, not the level at which you are accepted.

Per-programme APS requirements are published in UL's prospectus and faculty documents and are revised each cycle. They are not reproduced here.

Health sciences and the Medunsa history

UL is worth understanding partly through its history. It was formed from the merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa), and in 2015 the Medunsa campus separated again to become Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University.

UL retains a School of Medicine at its Mankweng campus. If you are looking at health sciences in the north of the country, UL and SMU are related institutions with a shared origin and quite different profiles now, worth looking at both rather than assuming they are interchangeable.

Where UL is

UL's main campus is at Mankweng, about 30km east of Polokwane in Limpopo, with the Health Sciences campus nearby.

It is a largely rural, residential university. That means accommodation is central to the experience rather than optional, and it also means UL serves a region where it may be the only realistic public university within reach. If you are in Limpopo, that matters more than any ranking.

Applying

• Apply directly to UL. It is not part of the CAO.
• Check your Life Orientation is at level 3 or above: it gates every undergraduate programme.
• Check your English is at level 3 or above.
• Check the four-subject rule for the qualification type you want, separately from your APS.
• Residence and funding are separate applications.

Application fees and closing dates are set per cycle and are not stated here. Confirm on the UL site.

Who UL genuinely suits

• Learners in Limpopo and the surrounding region, for whom UL is often the nearest public university.
• Students aiming at health sciences in the north of the country.
• Anyone wanting a residential campus experience rather than a commuter one.
• Applicants for education, humanities and agricultural sciences, which are substantial faculties here.

What people get wrong when applying to UL