Walter Sisulu University (WSU)

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

Every other institution on this site has one rule for Life Orientation. WSU has two, and which one applies to you depends on the faculty you are applying to.

Why the Education exception makes sense

It looks arbitrary until you think about what Life Orientation actually covers: personal wellbeing, careers, citizenship, physical education. For a faculty training teachers, people who will themselves be responsible for exactly that material in a classroom, a learner's own engagement with it is a reasonable signal.

Whether you agree with the reasoning or not, the practical consequence is clear:

• Applying to Education at WSU? Your Life Orientation mark is worth real points. Include it.
• Applying to anything else at WSU? It contributes nothing.
• Applying to both, as one of your choices in each? You genuinely have two different WSU scores, and the Education one will usually be the higher of the two.

The Education calculation is prescribed, not "best six"

Worth reading the Education rule closely, because it is not simply "six best plus LO".

It specifies English and one other language subject, then your four highest-scoring subjects, then Life Orientation. So two language slots are locked before your best marks are counted at all. A learner with weak languages and four strong sciences is treated less generously here than a straight best-six would suggest.

Diplomas need a diploma endorsement

WSU states this explicitly, and it is worth restating because people conflate the APS with the pass type.

Applicants for Diploma programmes need an NSC with at least a diploma endorsement. That is the national rule, a rating of 3 (40–49%) or better in four recognised 20-credit subjects, and no points total substitutes for it. See Bachelor's, Diploma or Higher Certificate pass?

Where WSU is

WSU is spread across the Eastern Cape, with campuses in Mthatha, East London, Butterworth and Queenstown (Komani).

Those are separated by real distances. Mthatha to East London is roughly 230km, and programmes are attached to particular campuses. Confirm which campus teaches your qualification before you plan anything, because at WSU this is a relocation decision rather than a detail. Admission queries for Mthatha run on 047 502 2448.

The geographic spread is also the point of the institution. WSU serves a large, largely rural part of the Eastern Cape where it is frequently the only public higher education option within reach.

Who WSU genuinely suits

• Learners in the Eastern Cape, particularly the former Transkei region, where WSU is often the nearest institution.
• Anyone going into teaching, the Education faculty is substantial and the LO rule works in your favour.
• Students wanting a diploma-led, applied qualification at an accessible entry point.
• Applicants for health sciences, given the Mthatha medical programmes.

Applying

• Apply directly to WSU. It is not a CAO institution, despite being close to KwaZulu-Natal.
• Work out the right APS for your faculty: with Life Orientation for Education, without it for everything else.
• Check your pass type against the diploma or degree endorsement your programme needs.
• Confirm the campus for your programme.
• Residence and funding are separate applications.

Per-programme APS requirements, application fees and closing dates are set per cycle and are not reproduced here. Confirm in WSU's current undergraduate brochure.

What people get wrong when applying to WSU