This article contains information on the 5 major requirements for a graduate program in South Africa in 2024.

Earning a degree is one of the major steps any young person should take in order to acquire the competencies to thrive in any career path advancement and in fact earning a further degree like a master or PhD is another feather that can fasten an individual’s pace in the career journey. Usually, getting into a university requires some certain requirements depending on the course of studies like an active email address and a reliable cell phone number, 2 scan copies of your identity document could be a passport or grade 11 final results, financial capacity, your last academic transcripts if you are transferring from another institution and a general application fee, however, not all universities especially government-funded require application fees to apply for any of their courses. In this article, we would direct our focus to five major requirements for a graduate program in South Africa. But let’s take a brief look at the education sphere in South Africa.

South Africa is a complex and dynamic country with a mix of blacks and whites as citizens, though the black take about 75% of the population. South Africa, one of the major economic hubs in Africa can boast of her education sector with over 60 public and private institutions distributed within the nine (9) provinces in the country and caters for students within and outside the country.  The University of Cape Town, oldest in the country is ranked the best institution in Africa.

Here’s why you should consider South Africa for your graduate programme

• South Africa’s largest cities also offer globally competitive education and possess world-leading research facilities.
• Renowned economic hubs like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban are all home to internationally accredited universities, making South Africa even more attractive to overseas graduate students
• Three of South Africa’s universities are among the world’s top 400.
• South Africa is one of the world’s most linguistically diverse nations with 11 official languages, yet English is still the language of instruction at most universities.
• Affordability – Tuition fees in South Africa are relatively low compared to some Western countries, and a favourable exchange rate will make the cost of living cheap for many international students.

To our focus, what are the five major requirements for a graduate programme? A scan of your Bachelor’s degree certificate, transcript/record of your previous courses, a scan of your passport and/or birth certificate, your CV, testing scores, evidence of scholarship or funding, letters of recommendation (between 2-3), portfolio and/or writing samples are some of the basic requirements in South Africa’s schools, however, we would discuss in details the major ones that cut across all universities as a local and an international student.

5 MAJOR REQUIREMENTS FOR A GRADUATE PROGRAM IN SOUTH AFRICA 

1. Transcripts

This is one of the most important parts of your documents if you must be considered for graduate admission in South Africa and schools around the world. A transcript is a certified detailed record of your marks or grades that has been generated by your current or former university. Usually, this will be a document, either on paper or online, with a list or table of the individual modules, papers or courses you have completed with a numerical and/or letter grade against each. However, if you are still in the university running your undergraduate program, it is possible you do not have access to a transcript of your final results, you need to submit an interim/provisional transcript from your institution with details of the grades you have received so far. This would give your selection committee a glimpse of your academic and intellectual capacity. Typically, a transcript would have a transcript or signature of your school top official like the registrar to certify it. Most of the institutions in South Africa are taught in English, so as an international student, if your institution does not issue official transcripts in English, you will need to provide both the official original language version plus a certified translation which must be signed and stamped by your institution or an official translator.

Beware however of transcript fraud which is simply the alteration or forgery of the original transcript. Offenders would have to face the law if caught.

Getting access to your transcript might take a while depending on the school’s system, hence you are advised to visit your previous school as early as possible to avoid the rush or any form of dangerous temptation.

2. Letter of Recommendation

This might not be necessary for undergraduate school, but for graduate school or employment especially for big companies. You must provide recommendations letters from your previous faculty members or place of employment. A university letter of recommendations is an endorsement of a college applicant that is written to boost your chances for admission. Recommendation letters are usually brief, formal statements that should highlight your positive qualities and explain why you, as a candidate will be successful in your graduate studies. For a masters program, you would need two recommendation letters from an academic and employer if you are employed. However, for a PhD program, you would need three recommendation letters- two from an academic and the other from your employer- though some schools would require all three to be from academics including your supervisor in your previous project endeavour. Your letter must highlight your relationship with the recommender stating your key competencies with respect to your desired course. It must give a detailed but terse explanation of how the recommender came to know you, positive qualities possessed relevant to your success in graduate school, and specific anecdotes illustrating the character and competence of the applicant. Inform your recommenders beforehand, so they have ample time to sufficiently well about you, a rush work would not go far.

3. Undergraduate Certificate

Whatever graduate program you apply for, you must have had your first degree. And evidence to prove that you have completed your undergraduate degree is your certificate.  An academic certificate is a document that certifies that an individual has completed a programme or course. In South Africa, this is another major requirement for both national and international students. A typical certificate includes your full name, course of study, school name and logo, degree, class grade and signature of the vice-chancellor or president of the institution. If you must be admitted to a South African University for your graduate school as an international or local student, you must possess a copy of your original academic certificate from your Alma Mata.

4. Curriculum Vitae CV

You might have thought that CVs are only required for jobs. Well, graduate schools want to know about your professional experience too. Your CV is a written detailed document of your professional life, highlighting the professional and academic history used whenever you are looking for employment or to sell yourself to prospective employers. It includes your professional history, personal skills, abilities and achievements and majorly your competencies that make you fit for employment. Since it is an academic CV, apart from the aforementioned, it must include details like publications, conferences attended and other research endeavours.

Check out Factors To Consider When Writing Your Curriculum Vitae on the website for details on how to construct your CV

5. Passport/Birth Certificate

It is expected that for graduate school, you must be within a certain age range of adulthood in order to cope with the rigour that accompanies the task, especially for a doctoral programme. Usually, you must be above 18 before getting admitted to graduate school. As a South African, your birth certificate would be an attestation for you. Every graduate programme would require you to provide a government affirmed birth certificate which must include your full name as written in your other documents, place and date of birth including province, parents name, date of issuance and local government stamp. Note that the order in which your name is written must be uniform across all documents. To get your birth certificate, visit the department of home affairs website. Birth certificates are always issued to parents within the few days of birth, however, if you at a point misplaced it or never got it from your parents, you would need the following requirements

Apply at designated offices with the following requirements:

• DHA 24/LRB (notice of birth)
• Children born at health facilities: DHA 24/PB (Proof of birth) / Children born at home: DHA 24PBA (Proof of Birth Affidavit)
• DHA 288/A (Affidavit giving reasons for LRB)
• DHA 288
• Biometrics (ID-size photo and fingerprint) of the person to be registered
• Fingerprints of parent/s
• ID/Passport of parent/s

As an international student, a birth certificate might not be necessary, but an international passport is a suitable substitute. Your passport would usually contain the major information included in your birth certificate which would be relevant to your application to the institution. You can get your international passport from the immigration office of your home country. You will need to apply beforehand, for quick processing and delivery.

South Africa is one of Africa’s destinations for world-class education and research, these and many more are the requirements for graduate school. Note that the submission process, format style and number of documents to be submitted vary by institution. It is, therefore, necessary that you peruse the institution’s website or visit the school for detailed information. It should also be done as quickly as possible to avoid late preparation, which would adversely affect the admission’s decision. Good luck.

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