High school. Low costs.

Okay, let’s separate substance from legality.

In substance, UCT Online High School is very different to most ‘homeschools’. Your child will be joining a fully-fledged online high school, with a community of friends, teachers and support coaches.

This notwithstanding, we also provide tutorials and other educational support to Grade 8 and 9 learners who are registered with the Department of Basic Education as homeschoolers.

What does this mean for you?

Homeschooling regulations only apply to the compulsory schooling phase (from Grade 1 - Grade 9). At this age, parents are required to register their children as homeschoolers with their Provincial Education Department or apply for an exemption from compulsory education. Please visit the Home Education page for more info or alternatively reach out to our Admissions Team if you need help: admissions@uctohs.valentureonline.com
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For Grade 10–12 learners, parents do not have to register their children with their Provincial Education Department.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) opens registrations for ASC examinations from October/November to January. You can register online or in person, with your supporting documents to complete your registration. The Amended Senior Certificate (ASC) examinations are scheduled for the May/June examination session each year. 

Online examination Registration

You can register online on the government’s e-Service website. 

Education District Office

You can visit your nearest Provincial Department of Education district office to register in person. 

Documents You Will Need 

• Completed registration form
• A certified copy of your ID or birth certificate
• Candidates whose country of birth is outside of South Africa will need to use their passports (and provide visa copies)
• Repeat candidates must include a copy of their previous highest qualification 
• Examination numbers of the previous Grade 12 or equivalent examinations

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No, we are not an open enrolment school. However, we look at every application holistically and strive to be as inclusive as possible.

To pass your ASC qualification you need to pass 5 of your 6 subjects. There are 4 levels of matric certificates you can obtain with different minimum pass marks. 

They are:

• Bachelor’s Degree Pass
• Diploma Pass
• Higher Certificate Pass
• Amended Senior Certificate (ASC) Pass

These passes determine how well you passed and your eligibility to study further at tertiary institutions.

Bachelor’s Degree Pass - A Bachelor’s Pass means that you must have at least achieved:

• 40% in your home language subject
• 50% in four other high credit subjects
• 30% in one other subject

Minimum APS based on these marks: 21

Diploma Pass - A Diploma Pass means you must have scored at least:

• 40% in your home language subject
• 40% in four other high credit subjects
• 30% in one other subject

Minimum APS based on these marks: 17

Higher Certificate Pass - To obtain a Higher Certificate Pass you must have at least achieved:

• 40% in your home language subject
• 40% in two other subjects
• 30% in three other subjects
• You must have English or Afrikaans as a subject to achieve this qualification

Minimum APS based on these marks: 15

Amended Senior Certificate (ASC) Pass - An ASC Pass is the lowest certificate you can achieve and will mean you have passed at least:

• 40% in your home language subject
• 40% in two other subjects
• You can fail your first additional language subject but then you must score:

• 30% in the remaining subjects
• Fail one subject by a maximum of 20%

Minimum APS based on these marks: 14

Please note that each university or higher education course has its own minimum APS score as an entry requirement when applying. Do some research on the course you are interested in studying so you are familiar with how well you need to pass your Amended Senior Certificate (ASC).

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The final ASC examinations for Grade 12 (Adult Matric) are set externally and need to be written at an approved physical examination venue in South Africa — these are allocated by the DBE.

We follow a southern hemisphere academic calendar, which runs from January to December each year.

Requirements for homeschooling vary from country to country. Please consult the resources from your country's Education Ministry to gain clarity on the requirements that you will need to adhere to.

We welcome Adult Matric learners from all around the world to join our global classroom. Please note that UCT Online High School operating hours are fixed and are in South African Standard Time (SAST). If you live in a time zone with a 6-hour (or greater) time difference to South Africa, please speak to our Admissions Consultants for more details.

Please note:

Adult Matric learners from outside of South Africa will need their passport, visa and a study permit when entering South Africa to write their final ASC examinations. This will need to be shown at the examination venue before writing your final matric.