Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Admission Information

Thank you for considering a career in social work. The BSW programme is not an open programme. Therefore, one must apply for admission to the programme.

Despite meeting the academic criteria, not every candidate who applies for admission can be accommodated. The selection process is highly competitive. In 2025, we received 16 049 (sixteen thousand, forty-nine) applications for 2026 and could accommodate only 50 direct school leavers.

The selection process and requirements are explained below. The application deadline is 31 July of each year. All applications are made online.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The minimum admission requirements to the Bachelor of Social Work programme are:

• An endorsed National Senior Certificate (NSC) issued by the South African Certification Council.
• Your matric certificate should indicate that you qualify for admission to a bachelor’s degree.
• Applicants with higher admission points (35+) will be more likely to be selected for the programme. Refer to the table below to calculate your admission points (AP)score.
• A minimum of 60% (Level 5) was obtained for English in the NSC.
• Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme. Only the top 50 candidates will be selected.

Use the table and example below to determine your AP score. The formula for calculating the AP score is shown below.  

Use the table and example below to determine your AP score. The formula for calculating the AP score is shown below.

Example: An achievement level of at least 5 (60%) in five academic subjects is required, and English is compulsory at a minimum level of 5. An achievement level of at least 4 (50%) in one other academic subject is required. An achievement level of 5 (60%) or higher for Life Orientation is required to score a maximum of 1 point.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE ONLINE APPLICATION 

• Endorsed matric certificate.
• June matric results for current matric applicants.
• A copy of your identity document.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAMME

Students studying towards a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) will be registered as student social workers with the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) at the end of their first year or the beginning of their second year of study. The SACSSP requires a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) as a condition of registration. If the SACSSP does not register you as a student, you cannot do the field instruction module (field practice), which means you cannot study social work.

Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

You must provide evidence that you do not have a criminal record and have not committed an offence against children. The PCC and the National Child Protection Register (NCPR Part B clearance are required, but since you must pay a fee for the PCC, you only need to provide us with a police clearance certificate after admittance to the programme. You must apply for the PCC yourself.

You must submit your PCC to the Department of Social Work when selected and register for your first-year modules. If you have not received the PCC by then, please submit a copy of the receipt from the South African Police Service (SAPS) that confirms your PCC application to the secretary. When you receive the certificate, please submit it to the reception. If your PPC shows that you are not a fit and proper candidate for social work, your selection will be withdrawn, no matter how good your academic achievements might be.

Visit your local police station to apply for the PCC. You must have your ID book with you. Have cash available to pay for the PCC application at the police station. Details of the procedure for applying for this certificate are available here.

According to the Social Service Practitioners Bill (2016), a particular type of offender is barred from practising social work. Specifically, section 47(1)(c) says – "A person who has been convicted of an offence in the Republic and sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine or, in the case of fraud, any other offence involving dishonesty or any sexual offence, to a fine or imprisonment or both. Section 47(1)(d) – "is a person whose name appears on the register contemplated in: (i) section 23 of the Older Persons Act, 2006 (Act no. 13 of 2006); or (ii) Part B of the National Child Protection Register contemplated in section 111 of the Children's Act, 2005 (Act no. 38 of 2005); or (iii) chapter 6 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act No. 32 of 2007), which refers to the national register for sex offenders; or section 47(1)(e), a person may be refused registration if they have "been convicted of an offence in a foreign country and sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine or, in the case of fraud, any other offence involving dishonesty or any sexual offence, to a fine or imprisonment or both". The SACSSP uses the PCC as a keyway to determine “fit and properness”.

In practice, this means that even if a person holds a BSW but has a criminal record, they will be deemed not a “fit and proper" person and thus will be denied registration as a social worker. Some criminal matters would probably be excluded, such as involvement in political action or a traffic fine.

The SACSSP requires all student social workers to have a clean PCC before they are registered as student social workers. The SACSSP will not register a graduate as a social worker without a clean PCC. Thus, a person with a criminal record who enrols for the BSW will probably not be permitted to register as a student social worker, which means they cannot complete the practical components of the BSW.

For these reasons, universities require students to obtain a PCC early in their studies before they start field practice in their second year. Moreover, students who complete the first year of the BSW but are then found to have a criminal record will be required to deregister from the BSW and transfer to another academic programme. Every student in social work will have to resubmit for a new PCC at the beginning of each subsequent year of study.

The National Child Protection Register (NCPR)

Form 30 will be provided to you for completion and submission, along with an additional certified copy of your ID, as part of your application. The Department of Social Work will submit this on your behalf to the Department of Social Development (DSD). There is no cost for this application.

Part B of the NCPR is a register of persons convicted of child abuse. Clearance of all employees from any service concerning the care, protection, and development of children is required by the Children's Act (2005), including services such as early childhood development centres (e.g., playschools and preschools for younger children). According to the Children's Act (Section 43): "Further to the provisions of Section 123(1) of the Act relating to types of prohibited employment or activity of a person whose name appears in Part B of the National Child Protection Register, no such person may- a) be employed or involved in any position, where he or she will be placed in a position of authority, supervision or care of a child; b) be employed or involved in any position, where he or she will be able to gain access to a child or to a place or places where children are present or congregate; c) own or have any economic or business interest in any entity, business concern or trade relating to the supervision or care of a child if such interest would cause that person to have direct access to or would place him or her in a position of authority, supervision or care of a child."

As all student social workers will be working with children, they must provide evidence that their names do not appear on the NCPR Part B.

CONTACT DETAILS FOR ENQUIRIES

Do not hesitate to contact Randy September with selection-related enquiries.

Enquiries
Randy Tiger
E: TigerRN@ufs.ac.za

Programme Director
Dr Carel van Wyk
E: vanwykcj@ufs.ac.za

Academic Head of Department
Prof Mpumelelo E Ncube
E: ncubeme@ufs.ac.za